Vietnam Airlines Flight 474

Vietnam Airlines

Industry	Airline
Headquarters	Vietnam

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 was operating a scheduled passenger service from Ho Chi Minh City-Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Nha Trang Airport in Vietnam. On 14 November 1992, amid the adverse conditions of Cyclone Forrest, the aircraft crashed while on final approach to Nha Trang Air Base. The airplane involved was a Soviet-manufactured Yakovlev Yak-40 with the registration VN-A449, constructed in 1976. Out of the 31 people on board, only one passenger survived; the remaining 24 passengers and six crew members perished.

Incident

The flight was a routine domestic service departing from Tan Son Nhat International Airport en route to Nha Trang Airport. During the approach phase under severe weather conditions, the aircraft descended below the minimum safe altitude and collided with trees on a ridge of Ô Kha mountain before crashing and being completely destroyed. The wreckage remained undiscovered for eight days despite search efforts; however, one passenger survived the crash.

Sole survivor

Annette Herfkens was the only individual to survive this accident. She endured eight days in the wilderness with multiple injuries, sustaining herself solely by collecting rainwater. Although some passengers survived the initial impact, they succumbed prior to rescue operations. Tragically, Herfkens' fiancé, who was accompanying her, died instantly upon impact.

In 2014, Herfkens authored a memoir titled Turbulence: A True Story of Survival, detailing her ordeal. The book has been well received by readers and critics alike, earning praise from notable figures such as Deepak Chopra and positive reviews from publications including Kirkus Reviews.

Herfkens now dedicates herself to speaking and writing about resilience and growth following loss. Nearly a decade after the crash, her son was diagnosed with autism, prompting her involvement with families affected by autism spectrum disorders. She currently resides in New York City with her family and is the sister of Dutch diplomat Eveline Herfkens.

Related fatalities and subsequent events

On 22 November 1992, a Vietnamese Mil Mi-8 helicopter departed from Hanoi transporting rescue personnel assigned to Flight 474, but it crashed near Ô Kha mountain on that very day. Tragically, all seven individuals on board lost their lives.

Nearly a year following the crash, relatives in the United Kingdom called for an official inquiry after reports emerged that the recovered bodies had been mistakenly returned to incorrect families.