A plane crash that claimed the life of a celebrated British ballet dancer, Ruan Crighton, and 71 other passengers and crew in Nepal last year was caused by pilot’s error.
Investigation showed that the pilot pulled the wrong lever.
Ruan Crighton, from Essex, was killed when the twin-engine propeller aircraft plummeted into a gorge about a mile from the runway while travelling between two airports in Nepal.
The ‘extraordinary’ 34-year-old and all 71 other people on board suffered fatal injuries in the crash on January 15 last year, which was the deadliest in the Himalayan country since 1992
An inquest into Mr Crighton’s death heard that the aircraft came down after one of the pilots mistakenly changed the propeller angle instead of that of the wing flaps on the ATR-72 plane.
In doing so the plane was feathering, the technical term for turning the angle of the propeller blades parallel, something that is normally only done in an emergency when an engine has failed, one expert told the court.
They said that this would have resulted in the aircraft – which was seen ‘banking sharply’ before ‘sinking rapidly’ towards the ground by witnesses – to have no thrust, North Coroner’s Court in Barnet was told on Wednesday.
The court was told that Mr Crighton had been on an internal flight from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu to Pokhara International Airport when it plunged to the ground.
The Physiotherapy student – who toured Europe as a professional ballet dancer – had been living in Nepal with his French girlfriend while completing a placement at a spinal injury clinic in Kathmandu, the inquest was told.
The day after his birthday, the ‘adored’ dancer was taking a ‘well-earned trip into the mountains’ when the tragedy occurred.
Yeti Airlines Flight 691 was carrying 68 passengers, including 15 foreign nationals, and four crew members.
All of them were killed when it sustained ‘a loss of control’ on approach to the airport in the tourist town of Pokhara and plunged into the Seti River gorge.
In a pen portrait read to the inquest, Mr Crighton’s family said he would be ‘missed beyond words’.
‘It became clear from an early age that Ruan was gifted’, the tribute said of Mr Crighton, who competed in gymnastics at a national level before training as a ballet dancer from the age of 14.
‘We are all beyond heartbroken by this terrible tragedy.
‘We are so proud of what he achieved.
‘He was witty, charming, quick and so generous. He was adored by all who met him.
‘We couldn’t wait to see him and learn all about his latest adventures.’
The Yeti Airlines aircraft had been operating shuttle flights and was on its third trip of the day when the tragedy occurred, the inquest heard.
The pilots ‘sustained a loss of control’ and eyewitnesses at Pokhara International Airport noticed it was flying at a low altitude before it fell from the sky.
Mr Crighton, from Brentwood, Essex, suffered fatal blunt force injuries during the crash, North London area coroner Tony Murphy said.
Mr Murphy said: ‘The report into the crash found that the most probable cause was the inadvertent movement of both engine propellers, which led to a subsequent loss of thrust.
‘The crew onboard then missed the associated flight deck and engine indications that both propellers had failed.
‘Investigators found that this may have been contributed to by human factors, including high workload and stress, which resulted in them missing these signs.’
He added that the report also found there had been ‘non-compliance’ with the procedure.
‘The report also notes that there was non-compliance with standard operating procedures and a lack of sterile cockpit discipline,’ Coroner Murphy said.
Mr Murphy told the court: ‘Ruan Crichton was 34 years old when he died on 15 January 2023, onboard Yeti Airlines flight 691, when it crashed in the gorge of the Seti River, ending the lives of all passengers and crew.
‘The circumstances of the crash were investigated by the Aviation Safety Network, which produced a report that included a number of recommendations.
‘The medical cause of Mr Crighton’s death was blunt force injuries to his head, chest, and abdomen.
‘He came about his death as a consequence of an aircraft accident.’
The inquest into Mr Crighton’s death was attended by his parents and siblings, who held each other as the verdict was read out.
Coroner Murphy added that Mr Crighton was ‘an exceptional person’ and ‘much missed by his loving family and friends.’
He also thanked the family for coming to the inquest, saying this made proceedings ‘much more meaningful’.
Mr Crighton had toured Europe as a professional ballet dancer having studied and worked in London, Finland, and Slovakia.
He studied at Brentwood’s Central School of Dance and later graduated from the Central School of Ballet in London in 2008.
Speaking after his tragic death, Hazel Smith, head of ballet at Brentwood, said the school was ‘devastated’.
‘We have wonderful fond memories of Ruan in class, assisting and inspiring younger pupils, performing and working backstage,’ said Ms Smith.
‘Central followed Ruan’s career, which grew from strength to strength, and we are so totally proud and feel privileged to have known Ruan – to watch him grow into the most wonderful, caring young man.’
After Mr Crichton’s 30th birthday, he decided to change careers and enrolled at the European School of Physiotherapy in Amsterdam.
