A fatal breakdown in communication led to a mountain collision in the Himalayas
In short: In 1992, a Thai Airways Airbus A310 crashed into a Nepalese mountain, killing everyone on board. Investigators found that the tragedy was driven by a lethal cocktail of technical glitches, pilot frustration, and a critical failure in language and situational awareness between the cockpit and air traffic control.
On 31 July 1992, Thai Airways International Flight 311, an Airbus A310-304, crashed into a steep rock face in Langtang National Park. The aircraft was attempting an approach to Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport when it struck a mountain at an altitude of 11,500 feet. All 113 people on board—99 passengers and 12 flight attendants—were killed.
The investigation revealed a complex chain of errors. The crew faced a technical issue when the inboard trailing flaps became stuck, causing the captain to consider diverting to Calcutta, India. While the flaps eventually functioned properly, the captain was left frustrated by the difficult approach and inconclusive responses from his first officer, Phunthat Boonyayej. This stress was compounded by communication issues with Nepalese air traffic control, who lacked radar and possessed a poor grasp of English.
A critical loss of situational awareness occurred when the captain attempted to turn the aircraft to return to a safe point. The controller, assuming the aircraft was turning south, cleared the plane to 11,500 feet. Instead, the aircraft performed a nearly 360-degree turn, overflying the airport northbound and heading directly into the mountains. Seconds before impact, the ground proximity warning system (GPWS) sounded, but the captain erroneously dismissed the alarms as false reports.
This catastrophe exposed structural flaws, such as the operator's neglect in offering simulator practice for the intricate Kathmandu approach and the controller's lack of expertise. The tragedy had a lasting impact on the region; just 59 days later, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 268 also crashed near Kathmandu, marking the deadliest accident in the country's history.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Thai Airways International Flight 311
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