A panel investigating the Yeti Airlines crash in Nepal last month, killing 71 people including an Australian, says the aircraft had "no thrust" in its engines in the final moments of its decent.
The plane crashed just before landing in the tourist city of Pokhra on January 15, in one of Nepal's worst airplane accidents in 30 years.
Analysis of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder showed the propellers of both engines went into "feather in the base leg of descending," the government-appointed panel said in a statement.
Feathering turns the leading edge of the propeller blade to face forward, in order to reduce drag when gliding.
Aviation expert KB Limbu said propellers going into feather meant there was "no thrust" in the engine, or that it did not produce any power.
Video posted to social media showed the plane flying low before sharply rolling to its left in the air and disappearing out of frame.
There were 72 people onboard the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines, including two infants, four crew members and 10 foreign nationals.
Rescuers recovered 71 bodies, with one person unaccounted-for presumed to be dead.
Among the foreign nationals on board was 29-year-old Sydney teacher Myron Love.
The family of Mr Love, and of his partner Annabelle Bailey, released a joint statement through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade shortly after the crash.
"We would like to express our deep gratitude for the amazing support shown to us by our family and friends in this time of need," the statement read.
"Myron has been a rock to both of our families for many years and he has always lived his life to the fullest."
Nepal's deadly aviation history
Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest, has a history of air crashes.
January's crash was Nepal's deadliest since 1992, when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 were killed when it crashed into a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu.
According to the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety database, there have been 42 fatal plane crashes in Nepal since 1946.
The European Union has banned airlines from Nepal from flying into the 27-nation bloc since 2013, citing weak safety standards.
In 2017, the International Civil Aviation Organization cited improvements in Nepal's aviation sector, but the EU continues to demand administrative reforms.
ABC/Reuters
