Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty helicopters collide near Mount Everest, Nepal; Indian tourist dies, three others injured

ON THE MORNING of Tuesday, November 3, 2026, two helicopters collided while attempting to land in Nepal’s Everest region, resulting in the death of an Indian tourist. According to Nepal Police, two helicopters, one operated by Fishtail Air and the other by Air Dynasty, collided while landing at Pheriche heliport in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-4, Solukhumbu District, Nepal, at around 8:12 a.m. local time.

One Indian tourist died in the collision, while another passenger, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, was injured and is being airlifted to Mediciti Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. The Nepalese pilots of both helicopters were also injured and have been taken to Kathmandu for treatment. The number of people inside the helicopters at the time of the collision has not yet been confirmed by authorities. Police said they are further investigating the incident.

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Nepal Helicopter Collision

It was around 8 a.m. when the two helicopters were attempting to land at the Pheriche helipad, close to the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal. The situation turned dangerous when both the Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty helicopters attempted to land at the same time and collided, resulting in one death and three injuries.

The deceased has been identified as 47-year-old Indian national Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, who was aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter. The other injured passenger was identified as 49-year-old Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand resident of Indian origin. He was also inside the Fishtail Air helicopter with Balaramaramadu and suffered injuries in the collision. Patel was airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu by a Prabhu Helicopter, Police Inspector Mausam Tamang said.

The two Nepalese pilots operating the helicopters, Rabindra Prajapati of Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC of Air Dynasty, were also injured and are undergoing treatment in Kathmandu. Authorities have not yet confirmed the number of passengers inside the helicopters when the collision occurred.

Nepal Helicopter Crash Video Goes Viral on Social Media

A video of the incident is being circulated on social media, showing both helicopters dangerously close to each other. One helicopter is seen making a rapid turn while landing as the other approaches from a different direction, also attempting to land. The fast-spinning rotor blades of both helicopters then violently collide, leading to the fatal crash.

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Several people are seen standing on the snow-covered ground. As soon as the helicopters collide, spectators who had gathered to watch and wave at them are seen running to save their lives. According to some reports, the helicopters were allegedly carrying trekkers visiting the Everest region during Nepal’s autumn trekking season.

People  are  shocked by the tragedy and shared the video on social media, commenting and reacting to the incident. One person wrote on X, “A helicopter is such a huge machine flying in the sky, in this case they are so close to each other and how is it that the two pilots don't notice each other??? Yes accidents do happen. But there is more than what meets the eye.” Another wrote in shock on X, “How can this even happen? Why would they come this close to each other? Tragic!” One other person commented on Nepal’s aviation safety, writing, “Nepal’s aviation safety record is just a luxury extreme sport at this point.”

Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Statement on Pheriche Helicopter Collision 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has issued a press release regarding the helicopter accident. In the statement, it expressed deep sorrow over the incident that occurred today, when Air Dynasty’s 9N-AOD and Fishtail Air’s 9N-AJR helicopters collided while landing in the Pheriche area of Solukhumbu District. The authority further stated that two foreign nationals were aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter, and one of them, a passenger from Tamil Nadu, India, died in the accident. “Necessary procedures have been initiated for the management of the deceased’s body.”

The authority further requested the concerned authorities to take necessary action and investigate the accident to determine the cause of the incident. “Corrective measures will be taken in accordance with the prevailing law based on the facts, analysis, and conclusions obtained from it.” The statement concluded by expressing heartfelt condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased. “Praying for the eternal peace of the departed souls in this tragic incident. It also wished a speedy recovery to the New Zealand citizen and the pilots of the helicopter who were injured in the accident.”

[Rh/VP/RS]

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