Vietnam Airlines Flight 831
Tupolev Tu-134 · CFIT for reasons unknown, possibly due to a lightning strike
From Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK)
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 76 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 90
- Survivors
- 14
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- 14
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
Tupolev Tu-134
- Aircraft type
- Tupolev TU-134
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- VN-A102
- Operator
- Vietnam Airlines
- Onboard fatalities
- 76
- Route
- From Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)To Don Mueang International Airport (DMK)
Cause areas
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.
From the Wikipedia article
Vietnam Airlines Flight 831, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed in a rice field 6 km N of Bangkok International Airport, while operating a flight from Hanoi, Vietnam to Bangkok, Thailand, on 9 September 1988. The cause of the accident is undetermined; however, the pilots reported the aircraft may have been struck by lightning as it approached to land. Three crew and 73 passengers died in the accident, whilst 14 others survived, including the captain, flight engineer, and one stewardess. This accident was the second deadliest accident (behind Thai Airways Flight 365 a year earlier) at the time in Thailand, and is currently the fifth deadliest.
Accident
After entering the Thai area, the weather began deteriorating, with heavy rain. Near Don Mueang Airport, the navigator shouted: "Lightning, it's lightning". However, no warnings were made, so they continued their descent. When the aircraft descended to 380 meters (1,250 feet), light flashed, incapitating the cabin crews. Passing above the outer marker, the aircraft descended below the minimum safe altitude and crashed into the ground. The aircraft exploded on impact with debris spread over 500 m.The plane broke into three parts: The nose section, the first-half fuselage and the rest.
In 2013, in an interview, captain Phuong said his fortune toward his miracle survival, but also express regrets and sadness for not having a safe flight. "I wished my luck had been given to someone else on this fateful flight!" - said captain Phuong
Investigation and cause
Investigation
Subsequently, the black box was recovered. International aviation investigators and Russian experts analyzed the cause of the crash, attributing it to a lightning strike. While aircraft can often withstand minor lightning strikes, there are severe incidents from which recovery is impossible. Captain Phuong recounted that in this particular accident, the flight crew lost consciousness the moment the lightning struck; there was no further input from the pilots on the controls during those critical moments. Following the strike, the black box recorded no words from the crew.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Vietnam Airlines Flight 831” (revision 1371116288, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: Vietnam Airlines Flight 831
- Article
- Vietnam Airlines Flight 831
- Revision
- 1371116288 · 2026-08-24 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q7928485
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "Vietnam Airlines Flight 831" (page 35114318, revision 1371116288)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- Wikipedia article coordinates
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- flight number in the article title
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.