Incident Overview
An aircraft operating a flight from Hong Kong to Saigon with an intermediate stop in Da Nang experienced a partial loss of engine power during takeoff from runway 13. The flight was carrying 6 crew members and 65 soldiers on leave. During the takeoff roll at a speed of 150 km/h, the flight engineer reported a loss of pressure on engine number one and instructed the pilot to abandon the takeoff. The copilot, seated in the left seat, reduced engine power. Simultaneously, the captain, seated in the right seat, initiated rotation.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft entered a stall condition with asymmetrical thrust. It climbed to a height of 100 feet, banked left, and struck a 2-meter-high sea wall with its left wingtip. The aircraft then flew another 250 meters before crashing into Kowloon Bay. Both pilots and 10 passengers survived the accident; all 59 other occupants were killed.
Official Findings
The exact cause of the technical issue on engine number one remains unclear. However, it was reported that this engine had been changed two weeks prior to the accident, but the propeller was not replaced. The accident was determined to be the result of a partial loss of power on engine number one associated with a lack of crew coordination. Contributing factors included the lack of experience of the copilot and wrong decisions on the part of the captain.