Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 226
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 An Antonov An-24 similar to the hijacking one | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 February 1979 |
| Summary | Hijacking |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Antonov An-24B |
| Operator | Vietnam Civil Aviation, predecessor of Vietnam Airlines |
| Registration | VN-B226 |
| Flight origin | Gia Lam Airport, Hanoi, Vietnam |
| 1st stopover | Da Nang International Airport, Da Nang, Vietnam |
| Destination | Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
| Occupants | 36 |
| Passengers | 30 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Survivors | 32 |
On 7 February 1979, Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 226 departing from Gia Lam Airport was held hostage by six hijackers using bottles of liquor and grenades, who demanded it be flown to Thailand for asylum. During the ensuing firefight with Nguyen Dac Thoai, an air marshal from the 144th Brigade, General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, four hijackers were killed and two were apprehended. This was the third hijacking of a Vietnam Civil Aviation aircraft in a short period, following hijackings in 1977 and 1978.[1]
The aircraft involved in the incident was an Antonov An-24, MSN 67302210, originally delivered to Interflug on December 1, 1965, with registration number DM-SBD, and resold to Vietnam Civil Aviation on November 19, 1976. This aircraft had previously been hijacked by Christel and Eckhard Wehage in 1970 while serving with Interflug.[2]