Two Vietnamese Air Force pilots are missing after they ejected from a Russian-made Yak-130 light combat training aircraft that crashed on Wednesday morning in Binh Dinh province, according to a statement from Vietnam's Ministry of Defence.
The accident happened when the pilots were trying to land in difficult weather conditions, the ministry said."The landing gear could not be released and emergency measures taken by the pilots were not successful," the ministry said, adding the pilots were able to parachute from the plane.The air force is coordinating search-and-rescue activities on both air and on the ground, it said.
Last year, a pilot was killed during training while trying to land a Russian-made Su-22 jet at a local airport. Vietnam relies heavily on Russia for its military products, and it is seeking to diversify its equipment and arms suppliers.
Earlier in October, a man died in a crash of a small plane during a New Mexico air show. He was an accomplished pilot who had performed stunts at hundreds of air shows, authorities said as reported by AP.
Charles Thomas “Chuck” Coleman was the only person on board the two-seat Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 monoplane when it went down around 2:30 p.m. during the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo at Las Cruces International Airport, city officials said. Authorities said Coleman was performing aerobatics when the plane crashed about a half-mile west of the airport. The air show was called off after the crash.
