Airbus A321 incident near Tan Son Nhat Int’L Airport, Vn, March 18, 2020
On March 18, 2020 at about 4:05 pm local time, a Airbus A321, registered VNA392, suffered minor damage in an incident during takeoff (rejected takeoff) near Tan Son Nhat Int’L Airport. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
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
- March 18, 2020 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- Tan Son Nhat Int’L Airport, Vietnam
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Airbus A321 231 · all A321s on the register
- Registration
- VNA392 · no longer on the register · serial 5306
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
The government of Vietnam has notified the NTSB of an incident involving an Airbus A321 airplane that occurred on March 18, 2020. A Vietnam Airbus A321-231 powered by two International Aero Engines V2533-A5 turbofan engines experienced a No. 2 (right) engine high pressure turbine disk rupture and uncontainment during the takeoff roll from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Captain performed a rejected takeoff and the airplane was stopped safely on the runway; no injuries were report and no evacuation was necessary. Post event engine inspection confirmed a high pressure turbine stage 1 disk had burst and penetrated through the engine case and engine cowling. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative as the state of manufacturer of the engine to assist the government of Vietnam in their investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13. All investigative information will be released by the Civil Aviation Authority 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
What happened, in order
- Uncontained engine failure during takeoff (rejected takeoff) defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 184
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: International Aero Engines V2533-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: International Aero Engines V2533-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Vietnam Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: VVTS Tan Son Nhat
- Destination: VDPP Phnom Penh
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.