CHIANG MAI, THAILAND – A military AT-6 aircraft crashed in a remote forest in Chom Thong district on Thursday, killing two people on board.
Crash in remote mountain area
The aircraft went down at around 10:40 a.m. local time in a hard-to-reach forest area in Moo 6, near the hamlet of Ban Huai Muang on the left bank in Mae Soi subdistrict, according to local security authorities in Chom Thong. The crash site lay far from any inhabited settlements in a sparsely populated mountain and forest region south of Chiang Mai.
Rescue teams found the wreckage of a small military training and light attack aircraft of the AT-6 type almost completely destroyed. The plane was fully engulfed in flames after impact, which made access and firefighting more difficult, according to emergency sources.
Air force markings clearly visible
On the debris, the white-red-blue roundel markings of the Royal Thai Air Force were clearly visible on the wings. Initial information indicated that the aircraft belonged to the Thai air force and had taken off from Air Force Base 411 in Chiang Mai.
Rescue workers and local administration representatives reported that two people were found dead at the scene.
“We located two bodies at the wreck, at the moment we cannot say anything about their identity,”
said emergency responders in an initial internal situation report.
Area sealed off to secure evidence
Security authorities in Chom Thong cordoned off the affected forest area together with local rescue units over a wide perimeter. The aim was to control access and secure evidence at the wreck, allowing only authorized specialists to enter and ensuring all debris was documented.
The difficult terrain and the distance from settlements hampered both rapid access to the crash site and firefighting efforts at the fuselage. Officials emphasized that the remote location was a key challenge for response teams.
Investigation into cause under way
Flight safety specialists from the air force and other responsible authorities began preparing an accident investigation. They were to examine wreckage, the surrounding area and any possible flight data traces.
According to official information, several possible causes were being considered, including technical defects on the aircraft, weather and visibility conditions at the time of the flight, and other operational or human factors.
“We are currently collecting all available data in order to clarify the actual cause of this accident,”
said involved agencies in a joint statement.
Questions over military flight safety in the North
The 411th air base in Chiang Mai is a key hub for military aviation in northern Thailand, with regular training and operational flights. The crash of an AT-6 training aircraft in the vicinity of the base raised questions about safety, maintenance and training standards in military flight operations in the region.
Further information on possible consequences for future training flights was not yet available on Thursday. The air force and civilian authorities initially declined to comment on the background of the flight until the victims’ identities are officially confirmed and their relatives informed.