What happened
During a routine local training mission, an aircraft was performing its initial climb from Cần Thơ Airfield. As the plane reached an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, it struck a Bell UH-1H helicopter operated by the South Vietnam Air Force. At the time of the impact, the helicopter was conducting an evacuation operation and was transporting 13 passengers, including several children, along with two crew members.
The force of the collision caused both aircraft to descend into a nearby field. The accident resulted in 18 fatalities, representing the total number of occupants on both the training plane and the transport helicopter.
Findings
Investigations into the incident noted that the weather conditions at the time of the crash were good. While the collision occurred during the climb phase of the training flight, the specific reason for the two aircraft occupying the same airspace remains undetermined.