Using mobile tracking, two pilots were found after ejecting a Yak-130

On the morning of November 6, a Yak-130 training aircraft (serial number 210D) of the 940th Aviation Regiment of the Air Force Academy crashed in Binh Dinh province.

The aircraft was piloted by regimental commander Colonel Nguyen Van Son (front cockpit) and senior flight instructor Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan (rear cockpit). Both pilots ejected at 10:51 a.m. due to aircraft malfunction.

Recent updates confirm that search and rescue teams successfully located and rescued Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan and located Colonel Nguyen Van Son using mobile signal tracking.

Telecom operator Viettel told VietNamNet that after receiving a warning from the Binh Dinh provincial chairman, they reviewed the mobile data of the two pilots and identified a potential area where they could have ejected. The mountainous terrain made it difficult to locate specific cell towers.

“To cover the potential release area, we adjusted the orientation and tilt of the antennas, maximized transmit power and used low-frequency solutions to improve signal coverage,” explained a Viettel spokesperson.

By 16:30, the search team had made initial contact with the first pilot, allowing them to establish coordinates and begin a focused search. At 19:56, they successfully rescued Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan.

Further adjustments were made to expand the network’s coverage, and by 18:37 the rescue team established contact with Colonel Nguyen Van Son, instructing him to transmit its coordinates to the command center.

By 22:00 on November 6, search teams located Colonel Song approximately 1 km from Lieutenant Colonel Quan’s position. Both pilots were found in stable condition.

Background of the incident

On November 6, the 940th Aviation Regiment of the Air Defense Service organized training with the Yak-130 aircraft (tail number 210D) at Fucat airport. Exercise Flight 208 included long-range maneuvers, airspace navigation, and cloud penetration in difficult weather conditions; Colonel Nguyen Van Son piloted the aircraft from the forward cockpit, and Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan from the rear cockpit.

The plane took off at 9:55, and at 10:38, while preparing to land, the pilots reported a landing gear malfunction. Despite attempts to deploy the equipment manually, the problem persisted.

After contacting flight control, the pilots were allowed to eject. Both pilots ejected at 10:51 a.m. near the TB2 training ground in Tay Son, Binh Dinh.

Chong Dat – Ho Giap