Military Region 5 has announced a reward of 10 million VND (approximately 410 USD) for anyone who locates the Yak-130 aircraft suspected to have crashed in the mountainous forested area of Buon Don District, Dak Lak Province.

On the afternoon of November 8, Bun Som Lao, Chairwoman of the Krong Na Commune People’s Committee in Buon Don District, confirmed that the local government had received notification from Military Region 5 about the reward for locating the suspected crash site of the Yak-130 in Krong Na Commune.

According to Chairwoman Lao, local authorities in Krong Na have broadcasted the reward announcement over the commune’s loudspeaker system to inform residents and encourage their assistance in the search. However, the priority remains on finding the aircraft as quickly as possible.

“The commune has mobilized local residents to prepare boats to help search teams cross the Serepok River to the other side, where the Yak-130 is suspected to have crashed,” she added.

Pham Trung Nghia, Chairman of Buon Don District’s People’s Committee, reported that nearly 500 people, including various forces, have been mobilized to support the search efforts, but as of this morning, no results have been found.

An officer from Dak Lak Provincial Military Command informed VietNamNet that the search is hampered by challenging mountainous terrain and weak mobile signals, making it difficult to communicate and operate drones effectively.

As previously reported by VietNamNet, on November 6, the 940th Air Regiment, under the Air Defense-Air Force Academy, conducted a training session at Phu Cat Airport with the Yak-130 aircraft (serial number 210D).

The flight, which involved long-range and cloud-penetration maneuvers, was piloted by Colonel Nguyen Van Son, the regiment commander, in the front cockpit, and Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan, chief flight instructor, in the rear cockpit.

The aircraft took off at 9:55 AM, and by 10:38 AM, as they prepared to land, the pilots reported a landing gear malfunction. Despite attempts to deploy the gear manually, the issue persisted.

After receiving permission to eject, both pilots parachuted at 10:51 AM in the TB2 Firing Range area in Tay Son, Binh Dinh. By the evening of November 6, both pilots had reported their positions to their unit and were quickly located and brought back safely by rescue teams.

Hai Duong