Date & Time:
Mar 12, 1975 at 1830 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-54 Skymaster
Operator:
Registration:
XV-NUJ
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Vientiane - Saigon
MSN:
10701
YOM:
1945
Country:
Vietnam
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
6
Pax on board:
20
Pax fatalities:
20
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
26
Circumstances:
While cruising at an altitude of 11,000 feet en route from Vientiane to Saigon, the crew informed ATC about his position over PE5 on the G67 airway when contact was lost. The airplane spiraled to the ground and crashed in a mountainous area located about 25 km southwest of Pleiku. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 26 occupants have been killed, among them a Swiss citizen in charge of the medical missions of the Red Cross in Vietnam.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the aircraft has been shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
