27 May 1991

223 dead in Lauda Air crash

Austrian Lauda Air flight 004 crashed in the Dan Chang district of Suphan Buri some 30km northwest of Bangkok, shortly after taking off from Don Mueang Airport. The Boeing 767 was carrying 223 passengers and crew, none of whom survived the crash. Local police said the plane appeared to rip apart in mid-air around 11.30pm as it flew over the province.

The aircraft crashed on a heavily forested hillside near the Burmese border, and the remote nature of the site delayed search-and-rescue efforts. By the time recovery crews arrived, local villagers had looted the aircraft and corpses for valuables, in some cases making the task of victim identification more difficult.

Post-crash evidence suggested a system failure had led to the thrust reverser on one engine deploying in flight, causing the aircraft to stall and break apart in mid-air. The flight had originated in Hong Kong, with Vienna its intended destination. Most of the passengers were German, Austrian or Chinese. It was the first fatal crash of a Boeing 767 and the deadliest aviation disaster on Thai soil up to that time.

27 May 1991

223 dead in Lauda Air crash

Austrian Lauda Air flight 004 crashed in the Dan Chang district of Suphan Buri some 30km northwest of Bangkok, shortly after taking off from Don Mueang Airport. The Boeing 767 was carrying 223 passengers and crew, none of whom survived the crash. Local police said the plane appeared to rip apart in mid-air around 11.30pm as it flew over the province.

The aircraft crashed on a heavily forested hillside near the Burmese border, and the remote nature of the site delayed search-and-rescue efforts. By the time recovery crews arrived, local villagers had looted the aircraft and corpses for valuables, in some cases making the task of victim identification more difficult.

Post-crash evidence suggested a system failure had led to the thrust reverser on one engine deploying in flight, causing the aircraft to stall and break apart in mid-air. The flight had originated in Hong Kong, with Vienna its intended destination. Most of the passengers were German, Austrian or Chinese. It was the first fatal crash of a Boeing 767 and the deadliest aviation disaster on Thai soil up to that time.