Noel Hanna's police training came to fore in Nepal plane crash rescue in 2019

By Graeme Cousins
Published 18th Apr 2023, 15:30 BST
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In 2019 Noel Hanna was able to use his police training to help rescue survivors from a plane crash near Mount Everest.

The 56-year-old retired from the police in 2002 having served as an officer for 15 years, the majority of his time spent with the RUC.

His police instincts came to the fore on April 13, 2019 when a plane veered off the runway and hit a stationary helicopter at Lukla Airport, the main gateway to Everest.

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Talking to the local press at the time Noel said he was with a group of other climbers having a coffee when the crash happened: "We had just left our rucksacks down and were relaxing. A plane was in the middle of taking off when it just veered off the runway and into a helicopter. Everybody jumped up at that point."

Dromara man Noel Hanna (right) with Dublin man Derek Mahon at the summit of Mount Everest.Dromara man Noel Hanna (right) with Dublin man Derek Mahon at the summit of Mount Everest.
Dromara man Noel Hanna (right) with Dublin man Derek Mahon at the summit of Mount Everest.

He commented: "So many people were just standing there taking pictures of bodies, but my police training kicked in by instinct and I kind of took control of organising the rescue. "

Three people died in the crash – the plane’s pilot and two police officers near the helicopter.

Noel said: "We had to break the window of the cockpit to get in. It was obvious the pilot was dead. There was just no way he could have survived his injuries.

"I have seen gruesome things before, but most of the people on Saturday have never seen anything like it.”