- ACCIDENT DETAILS
Date: July 31, 1992
Time: 1245
Location: Near Kathmandu, Nepal
Operator: Thai Airways
Flight #: 311
Route: Bangkok - Kathmandu
AC Type: Airbus A310-304
Registration: HS-TID
cn / ln: 438
Aboard: 113   (passengers:99  crew:14)
Fatalities: 113   (passengers:99  crew:14)
Ground: 0
Summary: The plan was to land at Kathmandu straight in from the south. After experiencing difficulty in deploying the flaps, the captain stated they were too high to come in for a direct landing. He asked to go around and make the approach again. The ATC did not have radar service. After some confusing exchanges between the tower and the aircraft, the captain instead of making a 180 degree turn towards the south, continued the turn to 360 degrees and headed north again. The aircraft eventually flew into a near vertical mountain wall at 240 knots. In the final seconds, the captain interpreted the Ground Proximity Warning System warning as false. The accident was caused by a combination of occurrences, errors and actions by the captain and ATC. Specifically, the initial problem with the flaps, the lack of radar service, the captain trying to performing too many duties instead of relying on his co pilot,and the use of non-standard phraseology.
Sources

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