Aviation Incident over Kathmandu
Fly Dubai 737 lands safely, but there is some question as to what happened
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On April 24, 2023, some residents of Kathmandu were met by a spectacle in the sky—a Boeing 737-800 apparently on fire. Scheduled as a direct flight from Kathmandu to Dubai, Fly Dubai flight FZ576 experienced an engine problem upon takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). It eventually landed safely in Dubai at 00:11 local time. Video of the incident shows what appears to be a compressor stall, which causes intermittent bursts of fireballs to shoot from the affected engine. Compressor stalls are typically accompanied by loud bangs, which some local people on the ground told me they heard. They are caused by a disruption of the airflow to the engine, and frequently result from bird or other debris ingestion, mechanical failure, or ice buildup.
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/watch/flydubai-passenger-jet-catches-fire-following-bird-strike/vi-AA1ajANg
Bird-strikes are not uncommon at many airports, Tribhuvan included, and descriptions by the media and witnesses, as well as online footage of this incident could reflect the end result of a bird-strike incident. In its 2022 safety report, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal reported an increasing trend of bird-related incidents at airports in Nepal between 2018 and 2021. In 2021, there were 73 bird incidents reported, with the highest number occurring in November. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of these (92%) occurred during taxi, takeoff or landing. Tribhuvan comprised nearly half of all occurrences, but that is likely accountable for the vastly higher volume of traffic. Of these, however, less than 6% resulted in any damage.
What is strange about this story is that it is unclear if a bird-strike did in fact happen. While it appears that the airline reported the event as caused by a bird-strike, CAAN authorities possibly disagree. Shortly after the event, CAAN tweeted:
Translation: “Last night's Fly Dubai flight no. FDZ576 (B737-800). Due to the spread of misleading news that there was a bird strike on the Kathmandu-Dubai flight, the Country Manager and Airport Manager of Fly Dubai have been stopped from entering the airport and their airport passes have also been deactivated.”
Perhaps contributing to the disagreement, the flight appears to have continued to Dubai without returning to Tribhuvan Airport. Assistant Spokesperson of CAAN, Gyanendra Bhul, stated that “the [Fly Dubai] airline’s official page claimed that the accident occurred due to a bird strike at TIA, without official confirmation from the authority.” I could not find this statement on Fly Dubai’s website. One media outlet reported that air traffic control (ATC) kept the aircraft in a holding pattern over Dhading, presumably to allow the crew to determine its flight capability and to assess any other problems. Tracking of the flight indicates that this is true. Nevertheless, this does not confirm one way or another the causation. Regardless, upon holding, the crew apparently determined that the engine remained within safe operating parameters and continued on to Dubai as planned.
Source: https://airlive.net/emergency/2023/04/24/flydubai-fz576-boeing-737-800-experienced-engine-fire-on-takeoff/
Because it is routine for flight crews to remain near a viable airport during the diagnosing of potential problems, it is unclear what the dispute is about between CAAN and the airline. Reuters reported that CAAN called Fly Dubai’s characterization of the accident as a bird-strike “misleading.” CAAN further stated, “How did the company say it was a case of bird strike? The pilot has not reported that and there is no evidence of it so far. There is no proof or basis for this." Spokespeople from Fly Dubai do not seem to have commented at the time of this writing.
At this point, it is unclear what actually happened. Purportedly, CAAN has handed the investigation over to the UAE for further action. The fate of the Fly Dubai personnel banned from the airport also remains unknown. Fortunately, whatever happened, the incident does not appear to have caused any danger to the passengers. A Boeing 737-800 is a remarkable airliner, and like virtually all airliners, could easily have landed safely with only one operative engine, even at another airport if necessary. This issue seems to be more about communication between the airline and Nepal’s aviation authorities than anything else. If that is true, then CAAN has a legitimate basis for complaint as communication is among the most important aspects of maintaining a safe aviation industry. CAAN has shown great effort in trying to improve Nepal’s aviation industry and reputation, and would understandably be irritated by any derailing of those efforts.
For more on Nepal’s history and current state of aviation safety, or to read about the last two fatal aviation incidents in Nepal, check out either article below.
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I am a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner, Certified Crime Analyst, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Certified Financial Crimes Investigator with a Juris Doctor and a Master’s degree in history. I spent 10 years working in the New York State Division of Criminal Justice as Senior Analyst and Investigator. Today, I teach Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, and Digital Forensics at Softwarica College of IT and E-Commerce in Nepal. In addition, I offer training on Financial Crime Prevention and Investigation. I am also Vice President of Digi Technology in Nepal, for which I have also created its sister company in the USA, Digi Technology America, LLC. We provide technology solutions for businesses or individuals, including cybersecurity, all across the globe. I was a firefighter before I joined law enforcement and now I currently run a non-profit that uses mobile applications and other technologies to create Early Alert Systems for natural disasters for people living in remote or poor areas.