Date & Time: Mar 19, 1973 at 1005 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-54 Skymaster
Operator:
Registration:
XV-NUI
Flight Phase:
Flight
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Saigon – Đà Nẵng
MSN:
22174
YOM:
1945
Country:
Vietnam
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
57
Pax fatalities:
57
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
62
Circumstances:
While in cruising altitude on a flight from Saigon to Đà Nẵng, the four engine aircraft disappeared from radar screens. The crew was unable to send any distress message. The wreckage was found few hours later about 24 km south of Buôn Ma Thuột and all 62 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined. An explosion from an unknown origin occurred in the cargo hold, between both wings, causing a brutal decompression of the cabin and the explosion of the airplane. The assumption that the detonation was caused by an explosive device was not ruled out.