Helicopter crash near Everest: one dead, three injured

The morning of 3 November 2026 proved tragic for air traffic in the area of the planet's highest peak. In the settlement of Periche, located near Everest Base Camp, two commercial helicopters collided. According to official data, one person died in the accident, and three others were injured.

Circumstances of the aircraft collision

The incident was reported by The Kathmandu Post, citing the Solukhumbu district police and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. The accident occurred at 08:11–08:12 local time on a helipad situated at an altitude of approximately 4,371 metres above sea level.

It is noted that a Fishtail Air helicopter with registration number 9N-AJR was arriving from Gorak Shep. On board were a pilot and two foreign passengers. The other helicopter, belonging to Air Dynasty (number 9N-AOD), was carrying out a cargo flight from Lukla Airport. Both aircraft were simultaneously approaching to land on the same pad.

Mechanism of the accident and consequences

Preliminary data suggests that when the helicopters were only two to three metres from the ground, their main rotors collided. Video footage that appeared online captures the moment the machines approached the pad from different directions. Tourists and ground service staff witnessed the event. After the impact, both helicopters fell onto the snow-covered surface, but no fire broke out.

Casualties and injured

The deceased was identified as 47-year-old Vasant Kumar Balaramudu, an Indian citizen and resident of Chennai (Tamil Nadu state). He was a passenger on the Fishtail Air helicopter and died at the scene of the accident. The body of the deceased was later transported to Lukla.

Among the injured is 49-year-old Shailish Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, who was also flying on board the Fishtail Air. The pilots of both aircraft were also injured – Rabindra Prajapati and Prajwal K. S.

According to information from the Nepali publication Setopati, Patel and the Fishtail Air pilot were evacuated to Mediciti Hospital in the Kathmandu district. The Air Dynasty pilot received medical assistance at Lukla Hospital. His condition was assessed as stable. Initially, two injured were reported, but the police later clarified the figure to three, including both pilots.

Causes of the accident

The final cause of the collision is being established by an official investigation. Mukesh Dangol, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, stated that insufficient coordination of actions between pilots is being considered among the preliminary versions. He explained that the pad in Periche is not under the control of the Lukla Airport control tower, so crews are obliged to coordinate their manoeuvres independently.

Local officials also do not rule out technical malfunction. As reported by Hindustan Times, a representative of the Solukhumbu district administration stated that the weather was clear at the time of the accident.

Context of aviation safety in the region

Periche is located on a popular tourist route to Everest Base Camp. Due to the difficult mountain terrain and the absence of roads, helicopters play a key role in transporting people and cargo, as well as in evacuating climbers.

According to Associated Press, heavy snowfall complicated movement before the accident, but after the weather improved, thousands of tourists were able to continue their journey. Meanwhile, flights in this region remain difficult due to extreme altitude and changing conditions.

This is not the first fatal incident in this area. In July 2023, a Manang Air helicopter crashed in Solukhumbu while returning from a tourist flight. Six people died at that time: five tourists from Mexico and a Nepali pilot.

It is also worth noting that a Learjet 60 business jet crashed in the US, which was flying from Texas to the Bahamas: before the crash, the crew reported icing and turbulence, and the plane began to lose altitude rapidly.