Two Helicopters Collide Landing at Pheriche Near Everest; Indian Tourist Killed

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said Fishtail Air helicopter 9N-AJR and Air Dynasty helicopter 9N-AOD were involved in an accident while attempting to land at Pheriche at around 8:12 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. CAAN identified the person killed as Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, 47, of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, and said two foreign nationals were aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter.

Fishtail Air said another passenger and the helicopter's captain had been injured and that the injured passengers and crew were taken to Kathmandu. Solukhumbu official Bhupendra Thapa said the injured passenger was a tourist from New Zealand. District police named that passenger as Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, and said a Prabhu Helicopter flew him to Mediciti Hospital. Air Dynasty said its helicopter had been carrying cargo with one crew member and that no injuries were sustained on that aircraft. Police Inspector Mausam Tamang said both pilots had minor injuries.

Key details

• Place: Pheriche, ward 4 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Solukhumbu, on the trekking route about 12 kilometers south of Mount Everest Base Camp, just over 4,000 meters above sea level.
• Aircraft named by CAAN: Fishtail Air 9N-AJR and Air Dynasty 9N-AOD.
• CAAN said it had launched an investigation and would take action based on the findings.
• Police said they had not yet confirmed how many passengers were aboard the two helicopters.

Gyanendra Bhul, a Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesman, said the accident appeared to happen when two helicopters attempted to land at the same spot.