Air Vietnam Flight 706
Air Vietnam Flight 706 was a Boeing 727 that crashed on September 15, 1974, near Phan Rang Air Base in South Vietnam.
 An Air Vietnam Boeing 727, similar to the aircraft involved in the incident | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 15, 1974 |
| Summary | Hijacking |
| Site | Phan Rang Air Base, Phan Rang, South Vietnam 11°38′N 108°57′E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-121C |
| Operator | Air Vietnam |
| Registration | XV-NJC |
| Flight origin | Da Nang Airport (DAD/VVDN) Da Nang, South Vietnam |
| Destination | Saigon-Tan Son Nhat Int'l Airport (SGN/VVTS) Saigon, South Vietnam |
| Passengers | 67 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 75 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Hijack
Le Duc Tan, a ranger in the South Vietnamese army who had recently been demoted from captain to lieutenant for the theft of two cars in Da Nang, smooth-talked his way past security checkpoints. After taking off from Da Nang International Airport (IATA:DAD/ICAO:VVDN) in South Vietnam on a regularly scheduled flight to Saigon's Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN/VVTS), the flight was hijacked by Tan, holding two grenades. He demanded to be flown to Hanoi in North Vietnam. For unknown reasons the pilots approached the airfield at Phan Rang Air Base but aborted the landing.
Crash
The aircraft overshot the base leg and initiated a left turn, during which it lost control. Shortly after that, it plunged to the ground from an altitude of 1,000 feet (300 m), killing all 75 people aboard.[1]
Cause
Even though the exact cause remains unclear, it has been speculated that the hijacker caused the crash by setting off his grenades after the pilots refused to give in to his demands.
References
- Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-121C XV-NJC Phan Rang Air Base (PHA)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2019-09-20.