Yeti 691 crashed between two airports which may be a clue that the pilot was lost , or confused.

Also the pilot flying Khtiwada, feathered the propellers so that engines effectively produced no thrust.

Yeti 691 crashed into Seti Gandaki Gorge, between two airports Pokhara Airport & Pokhara International it was not on approach for either airport indicating Yeti 691’s pilot was possibly lost or confused.

The old former airport runway 04/22.

The Yeti aircraft was on approach for Runway 22 and a missed approach required climbing West to hold at 6,000 ft. instead they turned East towards the new airport.

I’ve worked for an airline with ATR-72–500 and ATR-72–600 equipment (Mount Cook Airlines) so I am quite familiar with this aircraft.

The ATR 72 was flying with a nose high attitude which is a clear indication it was flying much too slow.

Pokhara has three airports and a new International airport VNPK was completed just two weeks prior to the crash. Yeti Airlines Flight 691 was flying on a SSW heading as if approaching the former Pokhara airport from the North, however whilst fly too slowly Yeti 691 also began a banking turn to the Left, which rolled into a spin to the Left.

This suggests that the pilot flying was lost ,or confused she was flying too high for a landing at the former Pokhara airport, but she was not making a missed approach climb. Making a climb is required after a missed approach.

Instead of climbing Yeti 691 was simply mushing around aimlessly & indecisive. Clearly Khatiwada’s actions indicate she was lost and making huge mistakes. They had no positive rate of climb. She was turning towards the new International airport but Yeti 691 was not on a stabilized approach for the new airport.

She missed an approach for the old former airport, but she had not established a positive rate of climb.

Khatiwada was never established on approach for Pokhara International, but she was trying to ad lib a dangerous last minute turn towards the new airport without following procedure. Khatiwada skipped several important steps which could have endangered any other aircraft genuinely on approach to Pokhara International.

It is not hard to lose control and situational awareness if you ar flying alone by hand and bombarded by work overload . Something similar happened to me flying alone in a a 737 simulator trying to work out where the airport was and I allowed the aircraft to sink too far. In my experience , I failed to apply the rule Aviate- Navigate, Communicate. on Yeti691 Khatiwada was fixated with trying to trying to Navigate, or Communicate and failed to Aviate.

Khatiwada was not being supported by her co-pilot. Captain KC Kamal.

The fault does not rest entirely with Khatiwada. Her EXAMINER should have intervened and if not, he was complicit.

The pilot flying was Anju Khatiwada in the Left cockpit seat. She was on a qualification check ride to gain competency qualification as commander on the ATR72 type. Flying as an aircraft Commander is vastly different from the co-pilot’s role. As a First Officer one is really an assistant pilot, taking orders from the Captain, not making any decisions. The Commander essentially has to think for both of them. The Capain on this flight was not experienced in the role of Commander. Likely she was feeling anxious due to the examination itself and then anxious again performing the role of decision maker.

Her examiner Captain KC Kamal was riding in the right seat ,or co-pilot’s seat taking instructions whilst he was assessing her. The Examiner is not allowed to interfere. His job was to observe and assess Khatiwada’s performance. In most jurisdictions the Examiner would not also be a pilot flying,, So there was a huge conflict of interest how Nepal permitted Yeti Airlines examine their pilots.

Normally in developed countries the examiner in an ATR72, would not be a pilot flying. They would ride in a jump seat which folds down in the doorway behind the cockpit. Thus in developed countries this flight would have three pilots and two cabin crew On Yeti 691 there were only 4 crew in total. Two pilots and two cabin crew.

S.G. 16/01/23