Defense Minister Phan Van Giang talks about the military plane crash in Binh Dinh

In a very short moment, the plane was at low altitude, falling very quickly, endangering lives, but the pilots remained calm and brave, flying the plane away from densely populated areas and parachuting safely.

On November 7, General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense, sent a letter of commendation to the officers and soldiers of the November 6 Flight Committee of Air Force Regiment 940, Air Force Officer School, Air Defense - Air Force Service.

One of the two pilots recounted the process of the plane crash.

In the letter, General Phan Van Giang stated that on November 6, the 940th Air Force Regiment organized a daily training flight at Phu Cat airport, Binh Dinh province. The flight team, including take-off and landing commanders, pilots, logistics and technical support members, and search and rescue forces, did a good job of preparing and carrying out the flight mission as planned.

Colonel Nguyen Van Son, Regiment Commander and Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan, Flight Commander of the Regiment directly practiced the flight crew controlling the Yak-130 aircraft with serial number 210D.

"When completing the mission and flying the plane back to the airport to land, the plane encountered a technical problem and the landing gear could not be released. The pilots urgently took emergency measures to save the plane, but it was beyond their control," the Minister of National Defense emphasized.

When the accident happened, the flight commander ordered the pilots to parachute. In a very short moment, the plane was at low altitude, falling very fast, endangering their lives, but the pilots remained calm and brave, flying the plane away from densely populated areas and parachuted safely, causing no damage.

On behalf of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang praised and commended the leaders and commanders of functional agencies at all levels in the Air Defense - Air Force for closely directing and organizing training tasks and combat readiness of the forces.

Commendation to the Air Force Officer School, Regiment 940 and the officers, staff and soldiers in the Flight Department for doing a good job of preparing, organizing tight flight command, and handling situations promptly and flexibly.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan was brought out of the forest after more than 10 hours of the plane crash.

In particular, Minister Phan Van Giang praised Colonel Nguyen Van Son and Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan for their qualifications, extensive training experience, bravery, and determination, for remaining calm, confident, not afraid of sacrifice, identifying the right opportunity, and promptly handling unforeseen situations in the air.

"That action demonstrates the training level, combat readiness of the Air Defense - Air Force and the responsibility for the people and the Fatherland of revolutionary soldiers in the new era," the Minister of National Defense affirmed.

General Phan Van Giang also requested the Standing Party Committee and the Air Defense - Air Force Command to urgently direct the organization of experience sharing and propose commendation and rewards for collectives and individuals in handling the incident of the Flight Division of Regiment 940.

On the afternoon of November 6, Air Force Regiment 940 organized a training flight at Phu Cat airport with Yak-130 aircraft, flying long distances, through clouds in complex meteorological conditions.

The training flight was led by Colonel Nguyen Van Son in the front cabin and Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan in the back cabin. This was the second flight of the front cabin pilot in the flight group of the day.

The plane took off at 9:55 a.m., and at 10:38 a.m., when finishing the return flight to land, the pilot reported that the plane's landing gear could not be released. At the same time, measures were taken to handle the emergency landing gear release situation but were still unsuccessful.

The pilots reported to the flight commander and were allowed to parachute. The two pilots parachuted at 10:51 at the TB2 Shooting Range, Tay Son, Binh Dinh. The health of the two pilots is now stable.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/bo-truong-quoc-phong-phan-van-giang-noi-ve-vu-roi-may-bay-quan-su-o-binh-dinh-19224110719023516.htm