A Year of Grief and Determination
For the past year, Prakash Khatiwada has lived with a singular mission. Once a journalist, he now dedicates his time to seeking justice for a tragedy that changed his life forever. He has knocked on the doors of government officials, ministers, lawmakers, and even a former president, urging them to take action. His efforts are not just personal but also deeply rooted in the need for systemic change.
Khatiwada runs a YouTube channel where he compiles every piece of information related to aviation disasters in Nepal. He analyzes reports, studies causes, and breaks down data to understand why these tragedies keep happening. Despite his extensive research, he has yet to find answers to the questions that haunt him: Why do air crashes occur so frequently in Nepal, and why are they treated as mere accidents?
When the government imposed a social media blackout on September 4, Khatiwada refused to let his campaign fade into silence. Instead, he created a Viber group called “Struggle for Justice” and quickly gathered 101 members. At the same time, he continued sending messages to all 330 federal lawmakers, reminding them of their duty and demanding accountability.
His determination stems from an unbearable loss. On July 24, 2024, Khatiwada lost his daughter, son-in-law, and four-year-old grandson in the Saurya Air crash at Kathmandu airport. The CRJ-200 aircraft, operated by Saurya Airlines and registered as 9N-AME, had taken off from Tribhuvan International Airport for a ferry flight to Pokhara for maintenance. Seconds later, it crashed. Of the 18 people on board, only the captain survived.
“No matter how long it takes, I will fight for justice,” Khatiwada says, his voice firm but weary from grief. He has shared his story with numerous media outlets. “Some admire my struggle, but many dismiss it. They think it’s hopeless. But I cannot let this go.”
Still traumatized, Khatiwada refuses to give up. To him, the July 2024 disaster was not an accident—it was a “mass murder.” He points out how quickly the tragedy was forgotten once families were compensated by insurance payouts. “Most people accepted the money and moved on. But I can’t. My fight is not about money. It is about justice.”
Khatiwada’s persistence, along with public outrage over a series of fatal crashes, has begun to make an impact. On August 20, the now-defunct parliamentary International Relations and Tourism Committee ordered the government to form a high-level judicial committee to investigate aviation disasters over the past five years. The decision acknowledged the flaws in Nepal’s aviation system, including shortcomings in regulation, human resources, and management.
Raj Kishore Yadav, former chairperson of the parliamentary committee, went further, stating that the Saurya crash and others were not just accidents but “mass murders.” He argued that the guilty should be prosecuted and that the government’s fact-finding reports lacked the power to hold anyone accountable. This call for a judicial inquiry is uncharted territory for Nepal, as no crash has ever triggered a criminal investigation despite 71 years of aviation history and 109 accidents.
The official investigation report of the Saurya crash, released in July 2025, revealed disturbing negligence. Cargo was never verified or properly weighed, dangerous goods were loaded without permits, and maintenance equipment was stored in the cabin. Safety checks were ignored, and non-essential personnel were allowed onboard. The report painted a picture of Saurya Airlines as an institution where safety manuals were disregarded, oversight was lax, and risky practices became routine.
The Yeti Airlines crash of January 2023, which killed all 72 passengers, told a similar story. Regulators approved flights to Pokhara’s new airport hastily, without ensuring proper procedures or validation flights were in place. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) failed to develop or approve necessary operating procedures.
For Khatiwada, these failures confirm his suspicions. “The company listed my four-year-old grandson as staff. They made my daughter an employee of Saurya Airlines. The entire operation was illegal,” he says, carrying translated copies of the investigation report, letters proving his daughter’s employment with the energy ministry, and photographs of his lost family. “The company manipulated records to protect its business and tarnish my family’s dignity.”
He argues that the crash investigation team itself was illegally formed, as many members did not meet the qualifications to serve. After back-to-back disasters in 2023 and 2024, lawmakers have been demanding accountability from not only the airlines but also the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, which is accused of gross negligence.
If a judicial inquiry is launched, it could hold airlines, regulators, manufacturers, pilots, and engineers criminally responsible for misconduct leading to loss of life. However, Nepal lacks specific laws to prosecute such cases. While the Civil Aviation Act refers to judicial proceedings, no mechanism exists to enforce them. Even if an independent commission recommended canceling an airline’s license, there is confusion over which authority would implement it.
Despite these challenges, there are signs of change. In July, the Kathmandu District Court issued a landmark verdict against the Dhaka-based US-Bangla Airlines over the 2018 crash of Flight 211, which killed 51 people. The court ordered the airline to pay Rs378.6 million in compensation to families, beyond the standard $20,000 insurance payout. This was the first time in Nepal’s history that an airline was held liable for gross negligence.
“It’s our sovereign right to file a case against any misconduct,” says lawyer Amrit Kharel, who represented several victims’ families. “If negligence kills, there must be accountability. Investigations cannot just end with technical reports.”
For Khatiwada, this is a ray of hope. However, the country has been in chaos in recent weeks. Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives at the recommendation of newly appointed prime minister of the interim government, Sushila Karki. The House was dissolved with effect from 11 pm on September 12, 2025, according to a notice issued by the President’s Office. The President has also fixed March 5, 2026, as the date for holding fresh parliamentary elections. Khatiwada still believes things will come back to track again, sooner or later.
Nepal’s aviation industry has grown rapidly since its humble beginnings in 1953, when flights started with three old DC-3 Dakotas. Passenger traffic has surged from one million to 10 million in just two decades. Yet, the skies remain unsafe. In 70 years, more than 70 crashes have claimed nearly 1,000 lives, most due to negligence.
Khatiwada carries his grief every day, but his fight for justice remains undiminished. “I will keep fighting,” he says. “My daughter, my grandson, my son-in-law—they were not victims of an accident. They were victims of negligence. And negligence must be punished.”
