Sunday’s Yeti Airlines crash in Nepal is the latest deadly aviation accident to beset the small nation, killing all 72 people onboard, including one Australian passenger.

An investigation is still underway as to what caused the 15-year-old ATR 72-500 aircraft to crash suddenly, shortly before it was due to land in Kathmandu.

Three days later, reports circulated that a Qantas Auckland-Sydney flight had issued a mayday call following mid-air engine trouble. The raised alarm saw flight QF144’s twin-engine Boeing 737-838 become the most-tracked flight in the world on flightradar24.com, with 133,000 people tuning in for its landing.

At one point, the engine issue had been downgraded to a PAN (possible assistance needed), and the aircraft touched down at Sydney Airport without incident, albeit with visible damage to one of its engines. As a precaution, Sydney Airport had emergency crews on stand-by.

While a full picture in both cases is yet to emerge amid investigations, the very different outcomes for the two carriers – one, currently banned from operating in Europe due to safety concerns, and another, a world leader in air safety –…