Three died in Vung Tau helicopter crash

October 19, 2016 | 20:22

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All three people aboard the EC 130 helicopter that crashed yesterday in Ba Ria-Vung Tau have been found dead.

photo source vietnamnet

The rescue team found the crash site near Kim Lien Summit of Dinh Mountain. The plane’s body and tail were separated. The three riders, including trainer senior lieutenant Duong Le Minh and two trainee lieutenants Nguyen Van Tung and Dang Dinh Duy, were found dead.

EC 130 is a small helicopter used for training produced by Airbus Helicopters. According to information on the Ministry of Defence’s website, the plane took off on a training mission at 7.40 AM of October 18. At 8.03 AM communications broke while the helicopter was flying to the northwest of Dinh Mountain, 25 kilometres from Vung Tau Airport.

Senior lieutenant Duong Le Minh’s father, senior lieutenant colonel Duong Van Thanh, had also died earlier on a training mission. On April 29, 2005, Thanh and a trainee were flying an L-39, developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, when the engine stopped mid-flight. Thanh ordered the trainee to parachute while he stayed on board and guided the plane away from the five-star Vinpearl Land below. When the plane was clear of Vinpearl Land, it dropped into the sea.

Between 2009 and now, Vietnam has seen its fair share of military helicopter crashes. All of them involved old planes, including Mig 21, Mi171, and Su-22 units. The EC 130 is the newest among all the crashes.