Let me commend Binod Bhattarai on a well-researched overview of the air saftey standards in Nepal, and an accurate listing of the issues affecting safety On a wing and a prayer (#105). As he correctly points out, the best navigational aids and the most sophisticated avionics in the world will not prevent accidents if cockpit crew display carelessness and over-confidence. He also rightly points out that most of the accidents in Nepal over the past decade have not been due to maintenance problems, but because of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). However, what was the main underlying cause for CFIT? Unfortunately, all signs point to human error: pilots disoriented because of unfamiliarity with en route terrain, not adhering to basic safety procedures on minimum altitude and heading, lack of crew coordination, and STOL training. Equipment can only take you so far, in the end it comes down to training and professionalism of the cockpit crew.

LL Shrestha,
Kathmandu