Date: | Wednesday 3 September 1997 |
Time: | 14:00 |
Type: | Tupolev Tu-134B-3 |
Owner/operator: | Vietnam Airlines |
Registration: | VN-A120 |
MSN: | 66360 |
Year of manufacture: | 1984 |
Total airframe hrs: | 11723 hours |
Cycles: | 8209 flights |
Engine model: | Soloviev D-30-III |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 65 / Occupants: 66 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | Phnom Penh-Pochentong Airport (PNH) -
Cambodia
|
Phase: | Approach |
Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
Departure airport: | Ho Chi Minh City-Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN/VVTS) |
Destination airport: | Phnom Penh-Pochentong Airport (PNH/VDPP) |
Confidence Rating: | Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
Narrative:Vietnam Airlines flight VN815, a Tupolev 134, impacted terrain short of the runway while attempting to land at Phnom Penh-Pochentong Airport, Cambodia in inclement weather conditions. A one-year old baby boy survived the accident.
Minutes before the crash, a slight drizzle had turned into a heavy downpour. Yet, the captain failed to act upon warnings from the flight engineer and first officer that the plane was flying too low. Instead he ordered the crew to look for the runway.
"Don't see, don't see, captain! Turn back," the first officer responded. The aircraft then struck the palm tree. The captain then initiated an attempt to abort the approach. This failed as the aircraft struck several palm trees, damaging the left wing. The aircraft crashed into rice fields about 300 m short of the runway.
Sources:
Flight International 3-9 June 1998 (p.12)
ICAO Adrep
Location
Images:
photo (c) via Werner Fischdick; ?; February 1991
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |