Military plane crashes in Phu Yen: Pilot attempts to descend to avoid power lines.

On the morning of August 26th, minutes after takeoff, a plane belonging to the 910th Air Regiment of the Air Force Officer School crashed onto National Highway 1A, plunging into a field in Hoa Thanh commune, Dong Hoa district, Phu Yen province.

>>> Initial information on the cause of the military aircraft crash in Phu Yen

The scene of the plane crash of the 910th Air Regiment. Photo: FB Hai Long

Speaking to VnExpress, a leader of the Air Force Officer School in Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa province) said that two trainees were practicing solo combat flights and formation attack drills this morning. Just minutes after takeoff, the aircraft piloted by the trainee behind them suddenly malfunctioned and crashed.

"The incident happened so quickly, one trainee didn't have time to parachute out and died," said the head of the Air Force Officer School.

The scene of the L39 aircraft crash from the 910th Air Regiment. Photo: FB Dung NV TL

The plane crashed onto National Highway 1A before plunging into a field. Photo: FB Dung NV TL

According to local residents, the plane was flying quite low, suddenly wobbled, then crashed into power lines before skidding across National Highway 1A and plunging into a field. The plane struck a pedestrian, causing serious injuries.

At the scene, the aircraft's nose section was broken off and lay in a field about 100 meters east of the highway. Authorities are working around the aircraft, searching for debris.

In a statement released after the accident, the Ministry of Defense said that at 8:45 a.m., after taking off from Tuy Hoa airport (Phu Yen province) to gain altitude for training, the aircraft piloted by Sergeant Pham Duc Trung (24 years old, from Ninh Binh province, a pilot trainee) experienced engine failure. Trung received orders to return to the airport but crashed in a field in Phuoc Loc village, Hoa Thanh commune, resulting in the pilot's death.

Following the incident, the Ministry of National Defence directed the Air Defence and Air Force Command to coordinate with relevant units to organize rescue and relief efforts and mitigate the consequences. The scene is currently under strict lockdown.

12 noon todayAccording to Tran Huu The, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Yen province, traffic on National Highway 1A at the section where the plane crashed has returned to normal. Evidence at the scene suggests the pilot attempted to lower altitude to avoid power lines, causing the landing gear to briefly scrape the median strip.

The plane's nose section was broken off. Photo: LTPB

The L-39 is a jet combat training aircraft developed by Aero Vodochody (Czechoslovakia) since the 1960s. This aircraft is used by the Vietnam People's Air Force for training military pilots. In 2007, during training, an L-39 crashed on the coast of Phuoc Dinh commune, Ninh Phuoc district, Ninh Thuan province. Both pilots on board perished.

According to VNE