Intertwining destinies. He who crashed on the slopes of Tam Dao
How small the world is! Sometimes you wonder how strangely the destinies of strangers intertwine with each other. How completely strangers try to help a stranger from a distant country. It happened in our case when the granddaughter of a Soviet pilot who died many years ago in Vietnam wanted to find the colleagues of her grandfather to find out about him at least something, but found much more than she expected ...
But let's not get ahead of ourselves and tell you everything in order.
In May 2016, Anna Chervenko from Tiraspol (Transdniestrian Moldavian Republic) put her appeal to forum of the site of the public organization of the Vietnam War Veterans with a request to respond to all who know something about her grandfather:
But, as it turned out right away, the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense still has not removed the secrecy stamp from the military archives after 1960, and it will take many more years to wait for this moment. The only information available today is list of nine of our pilots who died in Vietnam. In it at number four Poyarkov Yu.N. is listed.
But Anna was lucky, because the participants of this forum and veterans who are currently living and working in Vietnam responded to her request and were responsive to someone else's request. Later, the author of the recently published book “MiG-21 Aces of the Vietnam War” (Istvan Toperszer) joined the discussion of the problem. He is a very authoritative person among the pilots of MiGs, and after his comments on the discussion of the topic, the Vietnamese pilots joined with their memories and reflections - everyone who knew this story.
It turned out that even Pham Tuan, the first Vietnamese cosmonaut, knew Yury Poyarkov personally, flew with him. He knew that Poyarkov had then crashed on the slopes of Tam Dao. As part of the 921 th Sao Do (“Red Star”) Fighter Wing, Fam Tuan flew Soviet MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighters. He is proud to have passed his flight training in the USSR. During the so-called "Christmas bombardments" by air forces of the USA Air Force of the villages of North Vietnam, the Vietnamese MiG-21, piloted by Pham Tuan, managed to shoot down the American B-52 heavy strategic bomber.
On the fuselage of his aircraft stars are eight won by air victories. That is what Soviet flying school means! Over the entire period of the Vietnam War, MiG-21 aircraft flew around 1300 sorties, and the losses were the smallest compared with other types of aircraft. But it should be said that the Vietnamese pilots, unfortunately, suffered losses from the "friendly fire" of their own air defense systems. So in the period from 1966 to 1968, the Vietnamese shot down six of their MiG-21 fighters.
After a while, they managed to find the relatives of the deceased Vietnamese pilot, Kong Phyong Thao, who confirmed that he had died on the same day as his Soviet instructor. So it turned out that they were flying on a training MiG-21U. Relatives of the Vietnamese pilot have been searching for him for more than forty years, but all their aspirations have not yet yielded results, and the pilot is listed as missing.
But after the appearance on the forum of information about the death of the Vietnamese pilot flying on that MiG with captain Poyarkov, even more Vietnamese joined the virtual search for the fighter’s crash site. This information on the Vietnamese segment of the Internet has spread like waves on water from an abandoned stone. Information was collected literally in pieces, as a complex picture from a variety of fragments.
Together, the participants in the discussion managed to create a detailed picture of what happened on 30 on April 1971, when a Soviet-Vietnamese crew consisting of captain Yuri Poyarkov and lieutenant Kong Phyong Thao made his training flight.
The MiG-21U training fighter, on which they flew, crashed in the mountains when returning to the airfield after completing the mission. Vietnamese and pointed to the approximate place where the crash occurred.
Search enthusiasts have identified an area of about thirty square kilometers, where, in their opinion, an airplane crash could have occurred. Any reduction of the search area would be very useful in the jungle overgrown mountains. Although there, judging by the data collected, during the entire war, more than one aircraft most likely crashed, including shot down American ones.
At some point, a professional military topographer Nguyen Le Anh joined the virtual search for the crash site. After analyzing the information already available, he was able to draw on the map the supposed route of a fallen plane, eliminating all possible options under which a crashed plane could have been detected for a long time. The method of exclusion remained unexplored jungle-covered mountains.
He shared his findings with cosmonaut Pham Tuan, former co-workers and a relative of the deceased Thao. They came to the following conclusions: the disaster occurred in the period from 10 to 11 hours 30 April 1971, after reaching the goal of the flight, on the way back to the airfield. The fuel should have been enough for 30 minutes of flight, therefore, the plane could not leave the Vietnamese territory. The flight took place at altitudes from 2000 to 3000 meters, in good weather. After 10 flight minutes, a request was received from Cong Phyong Thao for a return. Immediately after it, the connection is broken, and the MiG disappears from the radar screen. Most likely, he crashed into a mountain on the territory of the Tam Dao National Park.
The estimated location of the fall was reduced to a circle with a diameter of five kilometers, from the point with coordinates 21.442866, 105.687328.
It was a clear victory!
Searches in the mountains
After such an important clarification, Nguyen Le An invited the enthusiastic enthusiasts to search for traces of the crashed aircraft in the jungle. This was no longer like the search for “needles in a haystack”, but a rather specific, although not small in size, area was chosen for the survey. It was possible to go in search of small forces. Despite precipitations and cold weather, those who wanted to personally participate in a joint operation gathered. In this research group of enthusiasts there were mathematicians, one programmer and even a professor of chemistry. And again, they were lucky when local residents were found who were able to show the place in the mountains where they had once collected fragments of a crashed plane.
And February 26 2018, Nguyen Le An, writes on his Facebook page:
The fragment of the fuselage found in the forest had to be identified, since many American planes were shot down in those areas. For greater confidence in his find, Nguyen Le Anu therefore it was necessary to find a MiG engine. Local residents then thought that this plane was also American. At that time, all of the fragments found in the mountains were melted down into duralumin ingots and some were used for farming or made some products for their own needs.
The photo shows the transfer of the found fuselage of the missing MiG-21U aircraft and coordinates of its detection to the Vietnam Air Force 28 February February 2018 rescue service. But, despite the fact that the representatives of the Ministry of Defense asked enthusiasts not to interfere in the search operations, the latter were already difficult to stop. They were captured by the excitement of adventurism. One of the members of the team of natural search engines, Thang, modeled the MiG flight on a computer.
Using space images, he determined the exact location of the crash of the aircraft 200 meters higher along the slope from the point where the debris was found. Two weeks later, he secretly paid everyone to the local people to get in there with a video camera, and then he went there himself and collected something.
They managed to prove to everyone that simple enthusiasts were able to accomplish such an important thing that neither the Ministry of Defense, nor other state bodies could do for more than forty years!
Here is what they write about in the Vietnamese Internet resources:
According to the duralumin cover found in the village, cast from the wreckage of the aircraft melted by the villagers, the date of the discovery was determined - November 1983.
Later it was possible to find and witnesses who know about the burial place of the remains of the two dead pilots. And in the area of the plane crash, during a thorough examination, an unused parachute and a fragment of the jaw were found.
The “heavy artillery” entered the business when the Rescue Service of the Air Force of Vietnam joined the search, and the local authorities made an official decision to begin the search for the remains of Captain Poyarkov and Lieutenant Kong Phyong Thao.
29 September 2018, the search group managed to find the remains of both pilots.
The quest is finally over!
Of course, there are also DNA tests for identification ahead, and taking DNA samples of the relatives of the pilots, and other necessary procedures. But the relatives of both pilots were already happy with the good News and expressed great gratitude to everyone who helped them find their loved ones.
In conclusion of this story, I would like to note that not only luck accompanied the search, but the indifference of people was the key to success. Their help in the virtual calculations of the crash area, personal participation in the search operation and a great desire to help returned hope to the relatives of the dead pilots. Captain Poyarkov’s widow Zinaida, his daughter Tatyana and granddaughter Anna can now bury him in their Christian homeland. Relatives of the Vietnamese pilot will also receive this long-awaited opportunity. And the military topographer Nguyen Le Anh was already set on fire with the idea of installing a monument to the Soviet-Vietnamese friendship in memory of the fallen pilots.
Instead of a conclusion
I remembered the song "Phantom" on the theme of the Vietnam War, which I first heard back in the 80s. Our guys sang it with a guitar with a feeling. The truth about Vietnam was not told then, but there were persistent rumors about the participation of our pilots ... and there was also this song by an unknown author.
There are such words of a downed American pilot:
"Who is the pilot who shot me down?" -
I asked one Vietnamese.
Answered me that slant that he commanded the interrogation:
"Our pilot Lee Si Tsin shot you down."
It is you, the Vietnamese, lying for nothing!
I clearly heard in the headset:
"Kohl, press, and I'll cover!" - "Vanya, hit, and I'll cover!"
Russian ace Ivan hit me.
Dedicated to all Soviet pilots who died in Vietnam.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves and tell you everything in order.
In May 2016, Anna Chervenko from Tiraspol (Transdniestrian Moldavian Republic) put her appeal to forum of the site of the public organization of the Vietnam War Veterans with a request to respond to all who know something about her grandfather:
“My name is Anna, and my grandfather, whom I saw only in the photographs, died in the Vietnam War on April 30, 1971. On the Internet, unfortunately, information is limited to only one phrase: Y. PAYARKOV, born in 1933. Russian. Captain, instructor pilot of the fighter aviation regiment of the Vietnam People’s Army. He died in aviation disaster April 30, 1971
Unfortunately, under what circumstances my grandfather died, and how it all happened, no one knows. The body was not found. I am looking for colleagues who knew my grandfather, and can tell me something about his death. ”
Unfortunately, under what circumstances my grandfather died, and how it all happened, no one knows. The body was not found. I am looking for colleagues who knew my grandfather, and can tell me something about his death. ”
But, as it turned out right away, the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense still has not removed the secrecy stamp from the military archives after 1960, and it will take many more years to wait for this moment. The only information available today is list of nine of our pilots who died in Vietnam. In it at number four Poyarkov Yu.N. is listed.
But Anna was lucky, because the participants of this forum and veterans who are currently living and working in Vietnam responded to her request and were responsive to someone else's request. Later, the author of the recently published book “MiG-21 Aces of the Vietnam War” (Istvan Toperszer) joined the discussion of the problem. He is a very authoritative person among the pilots of MiGs, and after his comments on the discussion of the topic, the Vietnamese pilots joined with their memories and reflections - everyone who knew this story.
It turned out that even Pham Tuan, the first Vietnamese cosmonaut, knew Yury Poyarkov personally, flew with him. He knew that Poyarkov had then crashed on the slopes of Tam Dao. As part of the 921 th Sao Do (“Red Star”) Fighter Wing, Fam Tuan flew Soviet MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighters. He is proud to have passed his flight training in the USSR. During the so-called "Christmas bombardments" by air forces of the USA Air Force of the villages of North Vietnam, the Vietnamese MiG-21, piloted by Pham Tuan, managed to shoot down the American B-52 heavy strategic bomber.
The photo shows the first Vietnamese space pilot Pham Tuan and his MiG-21.
On the fuselage of his aircraft stars are eight won by air victories. That is what Soviet flying school means! Over the entire period of the Vietnam War, MiG-21 aircraft flew around 1300 sorties, and the losses were the smallest compared with other types of aircraft. But it should be said that the Vietnamese pilots, unfortunately, suffered losses from the "friendly fire" of their own air defense systems. So in the period from 1966 to 1968, the Vietnamese shot down six of their MiG-21 fighters.
After a while, they managed to find the relatives of the deceased Vietnamese pilot, Kong Phyong Thao, who confirmed that he had died on the same day as his Soviet instructor. So it turned out that they were flying on a training MiG-21U. Relatives of the Vietnamese pilot have been searching for him for more than forty years, but all their aspirations have not yet yielded results, and the pilot is listed as missing.But after the appearance on the forum of information about the death of the Vietnamese pilot flying on that MiG with captain Poyarkov, even more Vietnamese joined the virtual search for the fighter’s crash site. This information on the Vietnamese segment of the Internet has spread like waves on water from an abandoned stone. Information was collected literally in pieces, as a complex picture from a variety of fragments.
Together, the participants in the discussion managed to create a detailed picture of what happened on 30 on April 1971, when a Soviet-Vietnamese crew consisting of captain Yuri Poyarkov and lieutenant Kong Phyong Thao made his training flight.
The MiG-21U training fighter, on which they flew, crashed in the mountains when returning to the airfield after completing the mission. Vietnamese and pointed to the approximate place where the crash occurred.
Now it is the territory of the Tam Dao National Park. 55 kilometers from Hanoi.
Search enthusiasts have identified an area of about thirty square kilometers, where, in their opinion, an airplane crash could have occurred. Any reduction of the search area would be very useful in the jungle overgrown mountains. Although there, judging by the data collected, during the entire war, more than one aircraft most likely crashed, including shot down American ones.
At some point, a professional military topographer Nguyen Le Anh joined the virtual search for the crash site. After analyzing the information already available, he was able to draw on the map the supposed route of a fallen plane, eliminating all possible options under which a crashed plane could have been detected for a long time. The method of exclusion remained unexplored jungle-covered mountains.
Estimated route on the search map
He shared his findings with cosmonaut Pham Tuan, former co-workers and a relative of the deceased Thao. They came to the following conclusions: the disaster occurred in the period from 10 to 11 hours 30 April 1971, after reaching the goal of the flight, on the way back to the airfield. The fuel should have been enough for 30 minutes of flight, therefore, the plane could not leave the Vietnamese territory. The flight took place at altitudes from 2000 to 3000 meters, in good weather. After 10 flight minutes, a request was received from Cong Phyong Thao for a return. Immediately after it, the connection is broken, and the MiG disappears from the radar screen. Most likely, he crashed into a mountain on the territory of the Tam Dao National Park.
The estimated location of the fall was reduced to a circle with a diameter of five kilometers, from the point with coordinates 21.442866, 105.687328.
It was a clear victory!
Searches in the mountains
After such an important clarification, Nguyen Le An invited the enthusiastic enthusiasts to search for traces of the crashed aircraft in the jungle. This was no longer like the search for “needles in a haystack”, but a rather specific, although not small in size, area was chosen for the survey. It was possible to go in search of small forces. Despite precipitations and cold weather, those who wanted to personally participate in a joint operation gathered. In this research group of enthusiasts there were mathematicians, one programmer and even a professor of chemistry. And again, they were lucky when local residents were found who were able to show the place in the mountains where they had once collected fragments of a crashed plane.
And February 26 2018, Nguyen Le An, writes on his Facebook page:
“Yesterday we passed 12 km, climbed 1400 m above sea level. Over the almost 50 years that have passed since 1971, the forest trees have drowned out all traces, but we believe that this is the intended place of the fall. By Vietnamese custom, incense was lit to honor departed souls. ”
...
“Fragments of MiG-21 have just been found! The crash site is confirmed. The engine has not yet been found, it may have slipped into the gorge. ”
...
“Still found! In the jungle it is almost impossible, they quickly “eat” all foreign objects. ”
...
“Fragments of MiG-21 have just been found! The crash site is confirmed. The engine has not yet been found, it may have slipped into the gorge. ”
...
“Still found! In the jungle it is almost impossible, they quickly “eat” all foreign objects. ”
The fragment of the fuselage found in the forest had to be identified, since many American planes were shot down in those areas. For greater confidence in his find, Nguyen Le Anu therefore it was necessary to find a MiG engine. Local residents then thought that this plane was also American. At that time, all of the fragments found in the mountains were melted down into duralumin ingots and some were used for farming or made some products for their own needs.
The photo shows the transfer of the found fuselage of the missing MiG-21U aircraft and coordinates of its detection to the Vietnam Air Force 28 February February 2018 rescue service. But, despite the fact that the representatives of the Ministry of Defense asked enthusiasts not to interfere in the search operations, the latter were already difficult to stop. They were captured by the excitement of adventurism. One of the members of the team of natural search engines, Thang, modeled the MiG flight on a computer.
Using space images, he determined the exact location of the crash of the aircraft 200 meters higher along the slope from the point where the debris was found. Two weeks later, he secretly paid everyone to the local people to get in there with a video camera, and then he went there himself and collected something.
They managed to prove to everyone that simple enthusiasts were able to accomplish such an important thing that neither the Ministry of Defense, nor other state bodies could do for more than forty years!
Here is what they write about in the Vietnamese Internet resources:
"These findings were found by the mind, physical and mathematical methods." "The people know, the people discuss, the people do ... the people do not take bribes ... where these soldiers lay down, the people know."
According to the duralumin cover found in the village, cast from the wreckage of the aircraft melted by the villagers, the date of the discovery was determined - November 1983.
Photo caps and aircraft parts found in the homes of local residents.
Later it was possible to find and witnesses who know about the burial place of the remains of the two dead pilots. And in the area of the plane crash, during a thorough examination, an unused parachute and a fragment of the jaw were found.
The “heavy artillery” entered the business when the Rescue Service of the Air Force of Vietnam joined the search, and the local authorities made an official decision to begin the search for the remains of Captain Poyarkov and Lieutenant Kong Phyong Thao.
29 September 2018, the search group managed to find the remains of both pilots.
The quest is finally over!
Of course, there are also DNA tests for identification ahead, and taking DNA samples of the relatives of the pilots, and other necessary procedures. But the relatives of both pilots were already happy with the good News and expressed great gratitude to everyone who helped them find their loved ones.
In conclusion of this story, I would like to note that not only luck accompanied the search, but the indifference of people was the key to success. Their help in the virtual calculations of the crash area, personal participation in the search operation and a great desire to help returned hope to the relatives of the dead pilots. Captain Poyarkov’s widow Zinaida, his daughter Tatyana and granddaughter Anna can now bury him in their Christian homeland. Relatives of the Vietnamese pilot will also receive this long-awaited opportunity. And the military topographer Nguyen Le Anh was already set on fire with the idea of installing a monument to the Soviet-Vietnamese friendship in memory of the fallen pilots.
Instead of a conclusion
I remembered the song "Phantom" on the theme of the Vietnam War, which I first heard back in the 80s. Our guys sang it with a guitar with a feeling. The truth about Vietnam was not told then, but there were persistent rumors about the participation of our pilots ... and there was also this song by an unknown author.
There are such words of a downed American pilot:
"Who is the pilot who shot me down?" -
I asked one Vietnamese.
Answered me that slant that he commanded the interrogation:
"Our pilot Lee Si Tsin shot you down."
It is you, the Vietnamese, lying for nothing!
I clearly heard in the headset:
"Kohl, press, and I'll cover!" - "Vanya, hit, and I'll cover!"
Russian ace Ivan hit me.
Dedicated to all Soviet pilots who died in Vietnam.
Photos from the family archive of captain Yuri Poyarkov:
- Kantemirov Victor
- nhat-nam.ru, Captain Poyarkov's family archive
Information