A fisherman working near Phu Quy Island says he saw two fighter jets from the Vietnam Air Force crash into the sea north of Phu Quy Island, but did not see any parachutes that would indicate the pilots had ejected before their aircraft hit the water.
Nguyen Phung saw the jets fall from the sky
Nguyen Phung said that he was fishing with his son when two jets appeared, circling and rolling in the sky above them.
"I don't know what time it was, but I heard a very loud noise from the engine and one jet just dropped straight down," Phung said. "its tail hit the water first. Then about three minutes later, my son pointed to the second jet, which had fallen about two miles from the first."
Phung said he turned his boat towards the crashed jets, but they were a long way away and, about 20 minutes later, they saw another jet in the area, apparently searching for debris.
While many sources reported at least one of the pilots had ejected, Phung said, "I didn't see any parachutes."
Divers find debris, pilots still missing
Signals were lost from the Sukhoi Su-22 military aircraft from the Air Division 370, based at Thanh Son Military Airport in Ninh Thuan Province during a training exercise on April 16. Fishermen in the area reported saying there was a collision and the jets fell from the sky.
Search and rescue teams found a piece of parachute and three fuel tanks quickly, but the pilots remain missing. Searchers also found a rocket launcher, an engine and pieces of wings and tails. On April 19, more debris was recovered at a depth of 30 metres.
Three ships are searching the crash area with sonic equipment, while divers are working a two-square-kilometer site.
The Sukhoi Su-22, built by the former Soviet Union, has been in service in the Vietnam Air Force since 1979.
