The committee will comprise representatives of the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of National Defense, Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, Government Office, and experts from Canada and France.

The establishment of the investigation committee is pursuant to Annex 13 of the 1944 Chicago Convention, Article 106 of the Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam and the Government’s Decree on investigation of civil aircraft incidents, the ministry said, adding the proposal has been submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration.

The ministry also said it had sent letters to designers and manufacturers of the Bell series that agreed to dispatch experts to support the investigation.  

Vietnamese flagship helicopter Bell-505 owned by the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company took off from Tuan Chau parking site at 16:56 on April 5 for a 10-minute sightseeing tour of Ha Long Bay from above. The plane piloted by a colonel was carrying four Vietnamese tourists on board.

Bell-505 was due to land at Tuan Chau parking site at 17:05. However, the commander of the site did not receive contact from the pilot at the time and reported to the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company. Twenty minutes later, the commander received news from local people that the plane had crashed in the waters between Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province.

Relevant forces were immediately deployed to search for the victims, and the operation was completed two days later after the bodies of the pilot and four tourists on board the plane had been recovered. Parts of the helicopter had also bene found.

Bell 505s developed by Bell Helicopter of the US have been delivered to many police and firefighters agencies in the US, as well to air, navy and coast guard forces in a number of countries. They were imported to Vietnam to serve defense - security and search – rescue missions, as well as sightseeing flights.

The Vietnam Helicopter Corporation that manages the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company received two Bell 505s in May 2019 which have been since used for sightseeing tours over Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province.

Source: VOV