Dangerous Airport Claims 3 More Lives

Plane hits helicopter on takeoff at Nepal's Lukla Airport near Everest
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 15, 2019 8:29 AM CDT
Dangerous Airport Claims 3 More Lives
In this file photo, a flight takes off for Katmandu from Lukla Airport, Nepal. Carved out of the side of a mountain, the airport was built by Sir Edmund Hillary in the 1960s, and at an altitude of 9,334 feet, Lukla has earned the reputation of being one of the most extreme and dangerous airports in...   (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

It's got a short runway and sits among mountains in the Everest region, two big reasons why Nepal's Lukla Airport is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. That became clear again on Sunday, when a small passenger plane struck a stationary helicopter on takeoff, killing three people, reports the BBC. The weather was relatively good, and investigators are still trying to figure out what happened. The crash killed a co-pilot and two security guards who were standing near the helicopter. Four others were injured. Only helicopters and small, fixed-wing planes are allowed to use Lukla, which at an elevation of more than 9,000 feet is a gateway for tourists into the Himalayan region, per the AP. (More Nepal stories.)

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