Air Vietnam Flight 706

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Air Vietnam Flight 706
Hang Khong Viet Nam Boeing 727 Volpati.jpg
An Air Vietnam Boeing 727, similar to the aircraft involved in the incident
Hijacking
DateSeptember 15, 1974
Summary Hijacking
Site Phan Rang Air Base, Phan Rang, South Vietnam
11°38′N108°57′E / 11.633°N 108.950°E / 11.633; 108.950
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
Passengers67
Crew8
Fatalities75
Survivors0

Air Vietnam Flight 706 was a Boeing 727 that crashed on September 15, 1974 after three hijackers detonated hand grenades as it was approaching Phan Rang Air Base in South Vietnam for an emergency landing. All 67 passengers and 8 crew members aboard the aircraft were killed in the crash.

Hijacking and crash

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.[ citation needed ] After taking off from Da Nang International Airport (DAD/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 and two accomplices, holding two grenades. [1] They demanded to be flown to Hanoi in North Vietnam. The pilot told the hijackers that he had to land for fuel at Phan Rang Air Base. [1]

Shortly before the plane exploded, the pilot radioed that the hijacker was pulling the pins on two grenades. [1] 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. [2]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Vietnam</span>

Active from 1951 to 1975, Air Viet Nam was South Vietnam's first commercial air carrier, headquartered in District 1, Saigon. Established under a decree by Chief of State Bảo Đại, the airline flew over two million passengers, throughout the Vietnam War, and until its collapse due to the Fall of Saigon.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "2 Yanks, 68 killed in skyjacking". Chicago Tribune. 16 September 1974. p. 17. Retrieved 2 June 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-121C XV-NJC Phan Rang Air Base (PHA)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved 2019-09-20.
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