Vietnam Airlines Flight 815 was a scheduled Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines Company Limited, trading as Vietnam Airlines , is the national flag carrier of Vietnam. Founded in 1956 under the name Vietnam Civil Aviation, the airline was established as a state enterprise in April 1989. Vietnam Airlines is headquartered in Long Bien, Hanoi, with hubs at Noi...

 flight from Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...

 to Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...

's Pochentong Airport

Phnom Penh International Airport

-Statistics:-International terminal profile:*Total capacity: 2 million passengers**Surface: **Waiting lounges: **VIP Lounge: **Food & Beverage: **Duty Free: *Seat capacity: 360*Check-in counters: 22*Visa, Immigration and Customs counters: 30...

. The Tupolev Tu-134

Tupolev Tu-134

The Tupolev Tu-134 is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9 and the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966–1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners , it can operate from unpaved...

 aircraft (built in 1984) crashed on final approach approximately 804.672 meters (0.5 mi) short of the runway, killing 65 of the 66 persons on board. The aircraft was entirely destroyed.

Accident

The Tupolev Tu-134 was approaching the Phnom Penh airport runway in heavy rain from 2,000 metres; at this point the control tower ordered the pilot to attempt an approach from the west due to a wind pick-up. The crew then lost communication with the tower, and three minutes later the aircraft collided at low level with trees, damaging the left wing. The aircraft then slid 200 yards (182.9 m) into a dry rice paddy before exploding.

Wreckage recovery

Recovery of parts of the wreckage, including the flight recorders, was hampered by looting by local villagers. One flight recorder was returned to investigators in exchange for a US$

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

200 reward.

Investigation

Pilot error was later identified as the cause of the crash; the pilot continued his landing descent from an altitude of 2,000 metres to 30 metres even though the runway was not in sight, and ignored pleas from his first officer and flight engineer to turn back. When the aircraft hit the trees, the pilot finally realized the runway was not in sight and tried to abort the approach; the flight engineer pushed for full power, but the aircraft lost control and veered right; the right engine then stalled, making it impossible to gain lift.

External links

• Aviation Safety.net accident description page