Initial investigations have revealed that technical problems caused the crash of a UH-1 military helicopter that killed all four people on board in Ho Chi Minh City on January 28.

Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Nguyen Van Nen briefed reporters on the accident’s probe at the Government’s regular press conference in Hanoi on January 30.

In response to reporters’ queries on the age of the US-made aircraft, Nen said the chopper, which was produced in 1970, underwent the second major overhaul in the US on July 1, 2012. Its engine could run within 2,400 hours after repair. However, since then the time recorded was only 187 hours.

Investigation is still continuing and the official result will be announced publically, he added.

The helicopter, which was on a training mission, departed from the southern city’s Tan Son Nhat Airport at 7:15 a.m. and disappeared from the radar just eight minutes later.

It was found going down in hamlet 4 of Pham Van Hai commune, Ho Chi Minh City’s outlying Binh Chanh district, which is about 15km west-south west from the airport.-VNA