Lao Airlines Flight 301

The aircraft was operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Wattay International Airport, Vientiane to Pakse International Airport, Pakse, Laos.^[2][3] The flight departed from Vientiane at 14:45 local time (07:45 UTC) and crashed into the Mekong River at 15:55 local time (08:55 UTC) while approaching Pakse for the second time, less than 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the airport.^[4][5][6] The aircraft had already gone around once due to poor weather and was in the downwind leg for another approach when the aircraft impacted the nearby river.^[3]

There were five crew and 44 passengers on board, all of whom are presumed to have died upon impact.^[7] Marks on the ground indicated that the aircraft landed heavily on the ground before entering the Mekong.^[8] The weather was reported to be poor at the time of the accident due to the remnants of Typhoon Nari affecting southern Laos.^[3][9]

Recovery of the victims and wreckage was hampered by the fast-flowing, deep waters of the Mekong. To assist with the search, 50 divers from Thailand were brought in.^[1] Eighteen of the victims had been recovered as of 18 October.^[10] By 23 October, 44 of the 49 victims had been recovered. Identification had been confirmed for 27 of them.^[11] Some of the victims were found 19 kilometres (12 mi) downstream of the crash site.^[8]

The accident, the first involving the ATR 72-600,^[12] was the deadliest ever to occur on Laotian soil and also the deadliest ever for the airline since it was founded in 1976.^[13][14][15] It was the first fatal crash on a Lao Airlines flight since 19 October 2000.^[16]