1969 Da Nang mid-air collision

Aviation accident in Vietnam July 2026 July 2026 Accident 1969 09 20 y Mid-air collision on approach Near Da Nang Air Base, Da Nang, South Vietnam 5 77 4 Hang Khong Viet Nam Douglas C-54 Volpati.jpg A Douglas C-54, similar to the aircraft involved Douglas C-54 Skymaster Air Vietnam XV-NUG Saigon, South Vietnam Pleiku, South Vietnam Da Nang Air Base, Da Nang, South Vietnam 77 71 6 75 2 2 QF-4 Holloman AFB.jpg An F-4 Phantom, similar to the aircraft involved McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II United States Air Force 67-0393 Da Nang Air Base Da Nang Air Base 2 2 1 0 2 2 2 On 20 September 1969, an Air Vietnam Douglas C-54 and a United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II collided in mid-air on approach to Da Nang Air Base, Da Nang, South Vietnam. Although the navigator ejected from the F-4, injuring himself on landing, the remaining pilot managed to safely land the aircraft. The crew of the C-54 attempted to perform a go-around but were unable to do so because of damage sustained during the collision. The C-54 subsequently crashed into a field, killing 75 of the 77 passengers and crew as well as two people on the ground, and injuring two others. The C-54 was operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Saigon to Da Nang Air Base via Pleiku while the F-4 was returning from a mission. Both aircraft were cleared to land on parallel runways at the base, but the crew of the C-54 mistakenly believed that they were cleared to land on the same runway as the F-4. The C-54 then entered the path of the F-4 and both aircraft collided, tearing off the C-54's starboard horizontal stabilizer. Background The aircraft involved in the accident were an Air Vietnam Douglas C-54 Skymaster registered as XV-NUG and a United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II registered as 67-0393. The C-54 was carrying 77 occupants, including 71 passengers and 6 crew members, while the F-4 carried two crew members.Gero 2017 90 The C-54's passengers were all Vietnamese except for an Indian citizen living in Saigon, while the crew consisted of three flight crew members from the Republic of China and three Vietnamese flight attendants. The flight crew comprised Captain Chen Yi, First Officer T. W. Liu, and Crew Chief W. M. Lee.USAF, S. Viets Probe Collision https://www.newspapers.com/article/standard-times-usaf-s-viets-probe-coll/199044272/ 18 July 2026 San Angelo Standard-Times Associated Press 42 234 22 September 1969 Da Nang, South Vietnam 8 limited Newspapers.com The F-4's crew consisted of Colonel David Mellish, a deputy commander of the 366th Fighter Wing and the pilot in command, and Major Cornelius A. Thomas, the navigator.64 Viets Killed As Planes Hit https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-64-viets-killed/199044170/ 18 July 2026 Fort Worth Star-Telegram Reuters 89 233 21 September 1969 Saigon, South Vietnam 2 limited Newspapers.com Da Nang Air Base is 380 mi km northeast of Saigon. The air base was constantly in use by civilian and military aircraft and was at the time considered one of the world's busiest airfields. The air base had two parallel runways: 17 Left and 17 Right.Gero 2017 90 Runway 17 Left was used by commercial aircraft, while Runway 17 Right was used by military aircraft on missions. Accident thumb|Map of Da Nang Air Base (left). On 20 September 1969, the Air Vietnam C-54 was operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Saigon to Da Nang Air Base with a stopover in Pleiku, South Vietnam,Crash of a Douglas C-54D-10-DC Skymaster in Đà Nẵng: 77 killed https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-douglas-c-54d-10-dc-skymaster-da-nang-77-killed Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives 18 July 2026Gero 2017 90 while the F-4 had performed a combat mission and was on its way back to Da Nang Air Base,Gero 2017 90 having expended its payload of bombs and rockets. The C-54's flight from Saigon to Pleiku had been uneventful. The weather was clear,Owen 2006 95 with a high overcast, scattered clouds at lower altitudes, and visibility up to 10 mi km.Gero 2017 90 At around 16:00, the air base's air traffic control (ATC) cleared both aircraft to land on its parallel runways, with the C-54 scheduled to land on Runway 17 Left and the F-4 on Runway 17 Right.Owen 2006 95 However, the C-54's crew did not fully hear the ATC's instructions, due to either an incorrect interpretation of the instructions or overlapping communications, and believed that the message intended for the F-4, "You are cleared to land on 17-Right", was addressed to them. The C-54's crew subsequently responded, "Roger, 17-Right", which indicated that the crew believed the message was addressed to them.Gero 2017 90 Following the reply, as the C-54 approached Runway 17 Right, it strayed into the path of the descending F-4.Owen 2006 95 At an altitude of 300 ft m, the two aircraft collided, and the F-4 tore off the C-54's starboard horizontal stabilizer and left wing tip.Owen 2006 95 Following the collision, the F-4 navigator ejected and was injured upon landing, while the pilot successfully landed the damaged aircraft at Da Nang Air Base.Owen 2006 96 The C-54 retracted its landing gear and attempted a go-around, but the missing stabilizer caused the aircraft to crash into a paddy field. The crash killed 69 of the 71 passengers and all six crew members, leaving two passengers injured.Gero 2017 90Owen 2006 96 The C-54's wreckage was scattered about 200 yd m from the village of Hoa An; two villagers were killed and two others were injured by flying debris.U.S. Jet, Air Vietnam Liner Collide; 64 Dead https://www.newspapers.com/article/anaheim-bulletin-us-jet-air-vietnam-l/199044131/ 18 July 2026 Anaheim Bulletin United Press International 45 328 20 September 1969 Da Nang, South Vietnam 1 limited Newspapers.com Aftermath U.S. helicopters, ambulances, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles were deployed to the scene shortly after the crash, and two helicopters arrived within two minutes. South Vietnamese military officials ordered troops to the crash site to prevent looting. One of the C-54's propellers was found more than 100 yd m away in a paddy field. The two C-54 survivors were a 12-year-old boy and a man. American rescue teams found the boy in the tail section, while the man had reportedly been thrown from the aircraft on impact.Une enquête ouverte sur une terrible collision aérienne https://www.newspapers.com/article/le-nouvelliste-une-enqute-ouverte-sur-u/199044231/ 18 July 2026 Le Nouvelliste Associated Press; Agence France-Presse 49 273 22 September 1969 Da Nang, South Vietnam 7 fr limited Newspapers.com The boy was taken to the Da Nang civil hospital reportedly in good condition, while the man was admitted to the air base's hospital in critical condition with head and leg injuries. The two victims killed on the ground were a mother and her daughter. The day after the crash, the United States Air Force and the South Vietnamese government opened investigations into the collision. It was the first collision in Vietnam involving a civilian aircraft and an American military aircraft. References Sources yes Gero David Aviation Disasters: The World's Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950 2017 The History Press Stroud, Gloucestershire 978-0-7509-6633-7 Sixth https://archive.org/details/aviationdisaster0000gero_b7r0 registration Internet Archive Owen David Air Accident Investigation 2006 Patrick Stephens Ltd. Sparkford 978-0-7509-4495-3 Third https://archive.org/details/airaccidentinves0000owen_o8t6 registration Internet Archive Category:1969 in South Vietnam Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-4 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1969 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in South Vietnam Category:September 1969 in Asia Category:Air Vietnam accidents and incidents Category:Mid-air collisions in Asia Category:Mid-air collisions involving airliners Category:Mid-air collisions involving military aircraft Category:Accidents and incidents involving United States Air Force aircraft Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II