Ministry of Defense confirmed pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung died

The Ministry of Defense confirmed that pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung died while the plane was on a training flight in the UK.

On the morning of November 20, the Ministry of National Defense's electronic information portal reported on pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung's accident and death while participating in flight training in the UK.

Training flight

The news said the incident was officially reported by the 18th Army Corps and information from the Flight Training Center (Helicopter Services) - UK.

Vietnam Helicopter Corporation - Corps 18 also provided information to the press on November 20 about the accident of pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung.

Cabri G2 is a small, single-engine Piston helicopter specifically for pilot training, manufactured by Giumbal - Republic of France.

The 18th Corps confirmed that Captain and pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung, deputy head of the training department of the 18th Corps Training Center, died while participating in an advanced flight instructor training program on a Cabri G2 helicopter.

The incident happened at 11:47 local time, or 18:47 Vietnam time on November 17 at Wycombe Air Park (also known as Booker Air Field) in the UK.

Accordingly, Captain and pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung was sitting in the student seat on the training plane. After the plane took off on a planned training flight for 15 minutes, contact was lost.

The cause was that 15 minutes after takeoff and at an altitude of 1,000 feet (330m), the Cabri G2 plane was suddenly hit by a Cessna (a small 2-seat plane) that was also on a training flight, flying at an altitude of 1,800 feet (600m) and suddenly lost altitude and crashed into the tail of the Cabri G2 plane, causing the accident.

10 years of flying experience

According to the representative of the 18th Army Corps, Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung was born in 1985 and has 10 years of flying experience.

Total accumulated flight hours 3,634 hours 32 minutes, of which total flight hours on Cabri G2 helicopter 235 hours 58 minutes, total flight hours for teachers 206 hours 5 minutes.

Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung was sent by the Ministry of National Defense to study in the UK according to the decision dated September 25, 2017. Working period from October 20, 2017, expected to return home on December 22, 2017.

According to the decision of the Ministry of National Defense, the delegation participating in flight training in the UK includes two pilot instructors, Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung and Captain Ngo Van Thang.

As a young pilot (born in 1985), Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung is considered a good pilot in flight training of the Air Force as well as Vietnam Aviation, especially helicopter flight training.

He is often jokingly called by his friends and colleagues by the name Trung "Puma" (his name is a combination of the name of the EC-225 Super Puma helicopter, a long-distance passenger transport helicopter designed to perform special missions at sea and transport passengers or perform search and rescue operations).

Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung is also the main pilot in transport, exploration and survey flights at sea of ​​the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group.

Vietnamese authorities are completing procedures to bring the body of Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung back to Vietnam.

Captain Trung's body is expected to be transferred to Ba Ria - Vung Tau in the next 2-3 days, the source said.

Currently, the Training Center, 18th Corps is closely coordinating with representatives of the Training Center, the United Kingdom and relevant agencies to resolve the accident.

According to Tuoitre.vn