A Beechcraft 1900D aircraft operated by Nepal’s Buddha Air crashed in the Kathmandu Valley on Sept. 25, killing all 19 people on board. Flight BHA-103 lost contact with the Tribhuvan International Airport tower in the capital of Kathmandu at 7:31 a.m. local time, soon after it had made a flight around Mount Everest. It crashed 4 min. later about 15 km (9.5 mi.) south of the airfield, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). The twin turboprop plane was broken into pieces, and the rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather.

NEW DELHI — India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile on Sept. 26. The medium-range missile, with a flight duration of 483 sec. and reaching a peak altitude of 43.5 km (27 mi.), has the capability to carry a 500-kg (1,100-lb.) warhead. The test of the missile, which has a maximum range of 350 km, was part of a user trial by the Indian armed forces, defense ministry officials said.

INDIAN MRO: Pipavav Defense and Offshore Ltd., India’s largest shipbuilder by market value, has signed an agreement with Airbus SAS and SKIL Infrastructure to develop aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for both civilian and military applications in India. “The first phase [of] MRO facilities and associated infrastructure are likely to cost $100 million,” a Pipavav Defense official says. Initially, Airbus parent company EADS will have a 26% stake in the project and may raise it to 49%. Pipavav Defense will hold 51%, the official says.