Indian tourist killed as two helicopters collide while landing near Everest base camp in Nepal

Two helicopters collided while trying to land at Pheriche, in Nepal's Everest region, on Tuesday morning 3 November. This report draws on the Kathmandu Post, BBC News, Nepal News and The Annapurna Express. ## What happened The collision happened at about 8.12am local time at a helipad in Pheriche, Solukhumbu district, at an altitude of about 4,371 metres, the Kathmandu Post reports, citing the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). An Air Dynasty AS350 helicopter, 9N-AOD, was on a cargo flight from Lukla, and a Fishtail Air AS350, 9N-AJR, had taken off from Gorakshep carrying two foreign passengers, the Post reports. Verified footage showed the blades of the two aircraft clipping each other as they came in to land, BBC News reports. An Indian national aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter was killed. A New Zealand passenger and the Fishtail Air pilot were injured and flown to hospital in Kathmandu, the Kathmandu Post and BBC News report. Air Dynasty said the single crew member on its helicopter was not injured, the BBC reports. ## Investigation CAAN has launched an investigation and said it would take corrective measures based on its findings, Nepal News reports. "Preliminary reports suggest miscommunication between the pilots, as the area is outside the coverage of Lukla Airport's air traffic control tower and pilots have to communicate with each other," CAAN director general Mukesh Dangol told the Kathmandu Post. A CAAN spokesman, Gyanendra Bhul, told the BBC: "It appears the accident happened when two helicopters... attempted to land at the same spot." The Kathmandu Post says the collision is believed to be Nepal's first mid-air helicopter collision.