What happened
During a maritime patrol mission conducted along the border region between Thailand and South Vietnam, an aircraft was struck by hostile fire while cruising over the Gulf of Thailand. The impact resulted in a fire spreading to the right wing of the plane. Following the strike, the crew notified ground controllers regarding the emergency and attempted to redirect the flight toward the closest available airfield.
During this diversion attempt, the aircraft became uncontrollable. The plane subsequently plummeted into the ocean near Đảo Phú Quốc Island. There were no survivors from the incident; all 12 crew members perished in the crash.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the primary reason for the loss of the aircraft was that it was shot down by enemy fire.