Nepal rejects claim that French helicopter landed on top of Everest

17 August 2005 04:18

By Daniel Howden

Mountaineers in trouble high on Everest cannot expect rescue by air after the Nepalese government dismissed claims by Eurocopter that it had landed a helicopter on the summit.

Kathmandu has said it will report the French Eurocopter firm to the international aviation bodies after an investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) concluded the Eurocopter story was false.

The French aviation firm claimed a world first in May, saying its aircraft had executed a successful landing and take-off from the 29,000ft peak of Everest. The Nepalese authorities said they had granted permission to Eurocopter to perform a test flight around Everest this year in the hope of getting positive publicity for the possibility of higher-altitude rescues. But they cited a written statement by the pilot, Didier Delsalle, saying that the helicopter had made an emergency landing a kilometre beneath the summit, at the South Col, due to bad weather. The French firm has yet to respond to the allegations that it had violated aviation guidelines.

Eurocopter's claims, made at a press conference in Paris, were taken so seriously that the support crew for the Slovenian climber Tomaz Humar, who was trapped for four days on the dangerous, unconquered Rupal face of the Himalayan mountain Nanga Parbat this month, considered delaying rescue attempts so the French aircraft could be brought in.

The climber was eventually plucked from a ledge on the ice wall at an altitude of about 20,000ft by a Pakistani army Lama helicopter in what is believed to be the highest rescue of its kind.

The number of climbers trying to reach the summit of Everest has risen sharply in recent years, with a consequent rise in the number of fatalities. Nearly 200 people have died on its slopes, with an average of 60 expeditions a year attempting the climb. Sphere: Related Content