Eurocopter AS350B3 crash near Ama Dablam, Nepal

A Fishtail Air AS350B3 (9N-AIX, manufactured 2009) crashed near the base camp of Mount Ama Dablam in Solukhumbu while en route to rescue two stranded mountaineers (one Japanese, one German). Captain Sabin Basnet and Engineer Purna Awale were killed. The helicopter had flown from Kathmandu to Lukla with passengers before continuing to Ama Dablam, losing contact shortly after departing Lukla. Fishtail Air deployed another AS350B3 (9N-AJI) which successfully rescued the Japanese climber the following morning and recovered the bodies.