Aloha Bhadrapur Airport, located in the eastern part of Nepal, almost had a catastrophic incident in the air traffic when a Buddha Air turboprop plane landing went off the runway. The aircraft was marked as 9N-AMF. The plane was actually operating a route from Kathmandu, having 51 passengers plus 4 crew members in total.
Following the usual landing, an event took place whereby the ATR 72-500 lost control in the process of taking off, turning about 200 meters into the non-landing area of the runway and finally landing in a farm next to a small river, which was quite a surprise for the passengers. However, the evacuation
Aviation Safety and Emergency Response
The incident right after the trip aroused a fast mobilization of the Nepal Police and airport ground staff. Emergency protocols were put in place to make sure that all passengers were accounted for and that they were all moved to a safe area away from the plane, which might have a risk of instability.
🇳🇵🛬 Jhapa, Nepal: Buddha Air confirmed that its ATR aircraft operating from Kathmandu veered off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport in Nepal.
⚠️ All 51 passengers and 4 crew members are safe. pic.twitter.com/RNCVzkoXII
— All-AM (@Namaste_NP) January 3, 2026
In order to confirm the mechanical soundness or strength of the plane and to investigate the reason for the slippage, Buddha Air sent a specialized technical team and a relief team to the region from the capital.
This second flight was for engineers and safety experts to go to Jhapa, where they would be able to evaluate the extent of the damage and help the 9N-AMF unit’s recovery process.
Runway Excursions and Operational Impact
As per the preliminary reports from the Nepalese Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN), the airplane went off the runway at around 9:08 p.m. local time. This event points out the still existing difficulties of flying in Nepal, which is affected by diverse landscapes and weather conditions.
The occurrence caused a short interruption in flight activities at Bhadrapur as the officials were inspecting the runway for any obstruction or surface defects. The airline has expressed that the plane is grounded for a thorough technical check-up, but their priority is still the mental health of the people who were so scared to observe the landing.
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