The fateful flight of two pilots on a Su-22 crashed in Nghe An

On the morning of July 27, authorities were still blocking off the scene, collecting debris, and investigating the military plane crash in Dua village (Nghia Yen commune, Nghia Dan). The roads leading up to the hill where the plane crashed were strictly guarded.

The scene of the plane crash, more than 5 hours after the incident, smoke was still billowing. Photo: Tien Hung

Meanwhile, the bodies of the two pilots were taken to the Funeral Home of Military Hospital 4 (Vinh City, Nghe An) to prepare for the funeral. A source said that the black box of the military plane was also found by authorities near the scene.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, at 11:16 a.m. on July 26, the Su-22 aircraft, serial number 8551 of the 921st Air Force Regiment (371st Division, Air Defense - Air Force), was on a training flight. However, contact was lost at 11:35 a.m. The aircraft was later determined to have crashed in the Dua village area (Nghia Yen commune, Nghia Dan district, Nghe An).

Security was tightened, with police standing guard more than 500 meters away from the scene to prevent curious onlookers. Photo: Tien Hung

At this time, on the Su-22 there were 2 pilots including Lieutenant Colonel Khuat Manh Tri (40 years old, Le Loi ward, Son Tay, Hanoi), and Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Giang Nam (46 years old, from Thai Giang, Thai Thuy, Thai Binh). Lieutenant Colonel Khuat Manh Tri was Deputy Regiment Commander, Chief of Staff, and Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nam was Chief of Flight Safety of Regiment 921.

Both pilots are experienced in training flights. Lieutenant Colonel Tri has accumulated flight hours of more than 1,130 hours, while Senior Colonel Nam has accumulated flight hours of 1,178 hours. Both have flown aircraft such as L-39, MiG-21Bis, Su-22M...

The road to the scene. Photo: Tien Hung

After the incident, the Ministry of National Defense directed the Air Defense - Air Force to coordinate with the Ministry's functional agencies, military units and localities in Military Region 4 to promptly overcome the consequences, investigate and clarify the cause of the accident; together with functional agencies and local Party committees, authorities and organizations to do a good job of policy work, proactively visit and encourage the families of the two pilots.

As one of the first witnesses to arrive at the scene after the accident, Mr. Hoang Cong Que (46 years old) was still in shock. Mr. Que said that he was having dinner with his family when he heard a loud explosion. A few seconds later, he saw smoke rising from the hill near the village. “Because planes often fly over here, I immediately assumed that a plane had crashed. I called the commune police to report it and then went to the scene with some locals,” Mr. Que said.

Parachute on the plane flew out at the scene. Photo: CTV

The scene where the plane crashed was nearly 2 km from Dua village, on a muddy dirt road. About half an hour later, Mr. Que and a few neighbors were the first to arrive. “At that time, the fire was still very strong, smoke was rising dozens of meters high. Meanwhile, the plane debris was scattered everywhere,” this witness recalled.

A hillside of dozens of square meters was plowed by the plane, rocks were scattered, many trees were broken... "Both pilots had died before, their bodies were deformed", said Ms. Hoang Thi Oanh (54 years old). Ms. Oanh said that when she heard the explosion, the sky was cloudy, only about 15 minutes later a big storm arose, making the road to the scene even more difficult.

Soil and rocks were plowed after the accident. Photo: CTV

Many people then joined the authorities to collect the plane debris, clear the road, and clear the way for vehicles to easily access the site. More than 200 authorities, including the military, police, militia, etc., immediately arrived at the scene.

Security in the hill area was tightened. Meanwhile, thousands of curious locals flocked to see the incident. Traffic police were forced to block off a road about 4 km from the scene to regulate traffic….