What happened
During a flight originating from Pleiku, the crew encountered deteriorating weather conditions while approaching Qui Nhơn Airport. Air traffic control notified the flight that the airport had been closed to all traffic because visibility had dropped below required minimums. Consequently, the aircraft was vectored toward Nha Trang.
Following this instruction, the pilot-in-command initiated a go-around procedure and began the diversion to the alternative destination. While cruising through low cloud cover and limited visibility, the aircraft type struck treetops and crashed into the summit of a heavily wooded mountain. Because the crash site was located within an enemy-controlled zone, search and rescue operations were unable to access the wreckage immediately. The debris field was not discovered until several weeks after the incident.
Findings
All 26 fatalities occurred during the impact. The primary contributing factor was the extremely poor visibility caused by low cloud cover and heavy weather, which led to the aircraft striking terrain while navigating through mountainous terrain.