Boeing 777 incident near Ho Chi Minh City, Vn, January 6, 2009
On January 6, 2009 at about 3:52 pm local time, a Boeing 777, registered VNA143, suffered minor damage in an incident near Ho Chi Minh City. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. No one was hurt; 332 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2009 · about 3:52 pm local time
- Place
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 332 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 777 206 · all 777s on the register
- Registration
- VNA143 · no longer on the register · serial 33502
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 1, 2009, a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration VN-A143, flight number VN224, departed the Tan Son Nhat Airport, SGN (Ho Chi Minh City) and while climbing through 8,000 feet, a loud metallic noise was heard followed by a L ENGINE FAIL EICAS message, airplane vibration, and a acid burning smelled followed by rapidly by a FIRE ENGINE LEFT warning. The flight crew performed the engine fire checklist and the fire warning ceased after discharging the first fire bottle. The flight crew declared an emergency and returned to SGN for a successful single engine landing. There were no reported injuries to the two flight crew members, twelve cabin crew members or the 318 passengers on board. The accident is being investigated by the Vietnamese Civil Aviation Administration. Further information pertaining to this incident may be obtained from: VIETNAM Director General Civil Aviation Administration Gia Lam Airport Hanoi VietNam Tel.: (84) 4 827 3384 Fax: (84) 4 827 1913 SITA: HANCFVN AFTN: VVVVYAYX Telex: 412242 BGTVT VT This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information obtained for, or released by, the Government of Vietnam.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Vietnam Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SGN Ho Chi Minh Cit
- Destination: HAN Hanoi
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 12 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 318 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.