Vietnam Airlines Flight 831

Vietnam Airlines Flight 831, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed in a rice field 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) 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.^[1] Three crew and 73 passengers died in the accident, whilst 14 others survived. This accident was the second deadliest accident at the time in Thailand, and is currently the fifth deadliest.^[2]

Vietnam Airlines Flight 831

A Vietnam Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 similar to the aircraft involved
Accident
Date	9 September 1988
Summary	CFIT for reasons unknown, possibly due to a lightning strike
Site	Near Semafahkarm Village, Tambon Khu Khot, Amphoe Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani, Thailand 13°57′49″N 100°38′36″E
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-134
Operator	Vietnam Airlines
Call sign	VIET NAM AIRLINES 831
Registration	VN-A102
Flight origin	Hanoi International Airport
Destination	Don Mueang International Airport
Occupants	90
Passengers	84
Crew	6
Fatalities	76
Injuries	14
Survivors	14

Accident

While flying 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 metres (1,600 ft).^[2]

Notable passengers

Among the dead was Vietnamese Minister of Public Health Đặng Hồi Xuân [vi].^[3]