Military reaches pilot of plane crash in Binh Dinh

The location where the pilot was found was Ham Ho area, Tay Phu commune, Tay Son district. Earlier, at 4:30 p.m. on November 6, Lieutenant Colonel Quan called his unit to report that he was safe, uninjured, and provided the location of the crash. However, the area was mountainous and the heavy rain made it difficult to reach the pilot.

According to the search team, because he parachuted into a deep abyss, it took Colonel Quan quite a while to climb up before he could get a phone signal to call his unit. Currently, Colonel Quan's phone is out of battery.

The government has mobilized hundreds of soldiers to the scene of the plane crash in Tay Phu commune, Tay Son district, following the location of the pilot's report on the Cut River in Tay An commune, but they have not found him yet. People in this area said that around noon they heard a loud explosion on the mountain behind the village, before seeing the plane.

According to Colonel Nguyen Xuan Son, Political Commissar of the Binh Dinh Provincial Military Command, after Colonel Quan called, the rescue team followed the location but could not contact him. Viettel then sent a location of Colonel Quan so that the military forces at the scene could block off search locations around the search area.

"Heavy rain, high water, and darkness make the search difficult, but we must stick to the provided location at all costs, determined to reach the target tonight," said Colonel Son, adding that each search team has a ranger to guide them.

At 6:45 p.m. today, the search and rescue team continued to receive a phone call from Colonel Nguyen Van Son - the second person in the crashed plane, and is trying to locate the reported pilot.

Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Trung Dung, Deputy Chief of Staff of Division 2 (Military Region 5), a member of the search team, said the plane likely crashed in the Kong Chro district, Gia Lai, bordering Binh Dinh. Therefore, the force will split into two directions, one to search for the pilot and the other to the Kong Chro area to determine the location of the Yak-130.

At 8 p.m., Lieutenant General Trinh Dinh Thach, Political Commissar of Military Region 5, said that Division 2 organized 15 search teams with more than 100 mobile soldiers of the military region, plus forces from the province and district.

"Due to heavy rain, the stream water rose and separated us. The rescue team had to take a detour through the mountain to reach Colonel Quan," said Mr. Thach, adding that the two pilots were about one kilometer apart.

Previously, on the morning of November 6, Lieutenant Colonel Quan, Chief of Flight of Air Force Regiment 940, and Colonel Son, Regiment Commander, piloted a Yak-130 (number 210D) to practice flying long distances, through clouds, and in complex meteorological conditions.

After nearly 40 minutes in the air, when finishing the landing preparation exercise, the pilot discovered that the plane could not release its landing gear, and attempted to take emergency measures, but was unsuccessful. The pilot informed the flight commander and was allowed to parachute at the TB2 Shooting Range in Tay Son District.

The Air Defense - Air Force coordinated with units and localities to set up a temporary command post and mobilized many forces to search for the crashed plane and pilot. Heavy rain and fog in the area where the incident occurred made the search difficult.

The 940th Air Force Regiment of the Air Force Officer School (Air Defense - Air Force) is currently stationed in Phu Cat district, using the local airport as a base and training ground. This unit has been equipped with Yak-130 since 2021.

The Yak-130 is a two-seat trainer aircraft jointly produced by Russia and Italy. The aircraft is equipped with two 2,500-horsepower engines, with a maximum takeoff weight of 10,290 kg; 9 hardpoints. The vehicle can also operate in combat with medium-range reconnaissance and attack capabilities.