Two Helicopters Collide While Landing Near Everest in Nepal, Killing One

Two helicopters collided while attempting to land at the Pheriche helipad in Nepal's Everest region at around 8:11 a.m. local time on November 3, killing one person and injuring three others. Nepal Police and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed the dead passenger as 47-year-old Indian tourist Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, a resident of Chennai.

Rotor blades struck during landing

The aircraft were a Fishtail Air helicopter, registration 9N-AJR, and an Air Dynasty helicopter, registration 9N-AOD, both AS350-family machines. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said the Fishtail Air helicopter had departed Gorakshep carrying two foreign passengers, while the Air Dynasty helicopter had taken off from Lukla carrying cargo. Preliminary information indicates the helicopters' rotor blades struck each other during the landing manoeuvre.

The injured include 49-year-old Shailesh Kumar Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, and the two pilots, Rabindra Prajapati of Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC of Air Dynasty. The injured were first taken to Lukla and then transferred to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

Investigation under way

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said an investigation has been opened; the precise cause has not been established. Pheriche sits at about 4,371 metres and is a key stopover for trekkers and climbers heading to Everest Base Camp, where helicopters handle tourism, transport and rescue work. (Photo: file image of a helicopter over the Everest region, not the crash scene.)

Sources: Nepal Police, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Reuters (2026-11-03).