The Pheriche helipad collision on 3 November 2026 left one person dead and three injured after two Eurocopter AS350 single-engine helicopters came together while landing at the high-altitude site in Nepal's Khumbu region. AeroTime, Aerospace Global News and Air Data News all confirmed the incident.
Pheriche sits at approximately 4,200 metres (around 14,100 ft) above sea level, placing it well above the operational range of conventional fixed-wing aircraft and making helicopter access the only practical option for the area. The collision occurred at approximately 8:11 to 8:12 a.m. local time, according to AeroTime, Aerospace Global News and Air Data News.
The Two Aircraft Involved
Both helicopters belong to Nepalese operators well established on Everest-region routes. The Fishtail Air machine, registered 9N-AJR, had arrived from Gorakshep carrying two foreign passengers, as confirmed by AeroTime, Aerospace Global News and Air Data News. Air Data News reports that 9N-AJR is an AS350 B3+.
Registered 9N-AOD, the Air Dynasty helicopter had arrived from Lukla (Tenzing-Hillary Airport) and was operating a cargo flight with no passengers on board, according to AeroTime and Air Data News. Aerospace Global News identifies 9N-AOD as an AS350 B3e equipped with a Safran Arriel 2D engine, with a maximum take-off weight of 2,250 kg. Both aircraft are AS350 single-engine helicopters, as confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and noted by AeroTime, Aerospace Global News and Air Data News.
The Victim and the Injured
Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, 47, an Indian national from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, was the passenger who lost his life; he had been travelling aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter. AeroTime, Aerospace Global News and Air Data News all confirm that identification. According to AeroTime, his remains were transported by air to Lukla before onward conveyance to Kathmandu for a post-mortem examination.
Among the three people who sustained injuries was a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, Shailesh Krishna Patel, as reported by AeroTime, Aerospace Global News and Air Data News. Air Data News adds that both pilots were also hurt: Fishtail Air's Rabindra Prajapati and Air Dynasty's Prajwal KC. Those injured were airlifted for medical care, with a number of them receiving treatment at Mediciti Hospital in the Kathmandu Valley, as AeroTime and Aerospace Global News confirm.
According to AeroTime and Air Data News, early police reports placed the number of injured at just one, a figure that was subsequently revised upward to three. AeroTime further notes that the collision did not result in a fire.
A Remote Site With Particular Challenges
Pheriche presents operational challenges that are unusual even by Nepal's demanding standards. Air Data News reports that CAAN director general Mukesh Dangol confirmed Pheriche falls outside radio coverage of the Lukla control tower, a factor that will likely feature in any investigation into how two aircraft came to occupy the same landing space simultaneously.
The collision occurred at a particularly busy point in the Everest region's calendar: the autumn trekking season, which AeroTime identifies as one of the two peak periods of the year, when helicopter traffic at locations such as Pheriche reaches its greatest intensity. For readers who follow South Asian aviation, the volume of movements at remote highland helipads during these peak windows is a factor of considerable significance.
For detailed records on the AS350 airframes involved, readers can use our Aircraft Search tool to look up registrations and operator history.
Investigation Into the Pheriche Helipad Collision Under Way
CAAN has opened an investigation, and the cause of the collision had not been determined as of 3 November 2026, according to AeroTime, Aerospace Global News and Air Data News. We will not speculate on causes ahead of the authority's findings.
For those tracking active aviation emergencies and incident records across the region, our Squawk 7700 hub carries the live emergency board and incident archive.
The Bottom Line
This is a serious accident at one of the world's more demanding rotary-wing operating environments. One person is dead, two pilots and two passengers are injured, and two operators have aircraft out of service. CAAN's investigation will need to address the absence of radio coverage at Pheriche and how traffic management works at the helipad during peak season.
Nepal's Everest corridor draws large numbers of visitors from across South Asia and beyond, including from India, where much of the aviation interest in this story will be concentrated. Readers planning travel to the region, or those with a broader interest in South Asian aviation infrastructure, may also find our guide to Goa's Dabolim Airport a useful companion piece on the region's varied operating environments.
We will update our coverage if CAAN or either operator releases further information on the investigation's progress.
This article draws on reporting by AeroTime, Aerospace Global News and Air Data News.
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