Lieutenant General Phạm Trường Sơn and local officials on Thursday visit Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Hồng Quân, the chief flight instructor in the recent military air crash. — VNA/VNS Photos Sỹ Thắng

BÌNH ĐỊNH — The two pilots in the recent military aircraft crash made the correct decision to parachute from their aircraft, said Lieutenant General Phạm Trường Sơn, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Việt Nam People's Army.

The official said on Thursday as he visited the pair, who were involved in a military plane crash during a training flight over the south-central province of Bình Định’s Tây Sơn District on Wednesdsay.

According to Sơn, this case mandated parachuting rather than attempting an emergency landing on any type of runway, including those covered with fire-retardant materials.

With one landing gear failing to deploy, a landing would be dangerously imbalanced, likely resulting in a fire or explosion and posing an immediate fatal risk to the pilots.

He noted that although the pilots were permitted to eject immediately, they continued to fly approximately 20 kilometres toward a mountainous site, ensuring no risk to populated areas below. Due to rainy and windy conditions, their parachutes drifted, causing them to land over 10 kilometres away from the intended area.

Preliminary investigations suggest a technical malfunction was the cause of the incident. The aircraft experienced a right-side landing gear failure as it prepared to land.

Colonel Nguyễn Văn Sơn, one of the two pilots involved in the crash, is receiving treatment at Military Hospital 13 in Bình Định Province.

Following the rescue of both pilots from a remote forest area on the night of Wednesday, they were taken to Military Hospital 13 for medical examination. Their condition is reported to be stable, with only minor soft tissue injuries that are not expected to impact their overall health.

The Yak-130 military aircraft took off from Phù Cát Airport at 9.55am for a long-distance and cloud-crossing training session.

The accident happened when they tried to land as the landing gear could not be released and their emergency measures did not work. They were able to parachute from the plane at 10.51am at the TB2 shooting range in Tây Sơn District. — VNA/VNS