Mark by the tail section
Steve Mark and Dan ready for a quick bath
Steve and guides on the passenger compartment
Finished the trip!
Looking through the fuselageLooking through part of the fuselageSteve beside the wreckMark at the control sticksDan on the wreckLooking down the side of part of the fuselageDan with the wreck above held up by a large treeSome parts thrown into the jungleSteve and Dan at camp near part way up the mountainSteve riding from the main road into the villageDan beside a good swimming spotMark inspecting the fuselagecracked fuselageDan holding up part of the control panelSteve beside one of the propellersMark looking into the wreckOn the journey towards the mountain range

On a trek through the jungle in central Cambodia last year, we got a tip from one of the villagers about a large plane that crashed some 30 years ago into the side of a mountain a couple days walk away. For the next 1.5 years, we dreamed about trying to find it but nothing materialized due to the remote location and the time investment required to attempt a visit. One thing was for sure – this was the greatest adventure Cambodia had to offer.

Finally this weekend, enough courage was mounted, enough planning done, enough time off acquired to attempt this crazy journey into uncharted mountains and jungle.

We decided that we would bicycle into the village to arrange a guide. From there we would have flexibility to carry our bikes across rivers and over trees while trying to follow ox-cart trails. This is exactly what we did. When we reached the village there was good news and bad news. The good news was that our contact from last year (the only one who knew the way)

5 Comments

  1. Is this the same plane as seen here: 12°05’20″N 104°09’05″E ?
    The plane as seen from google maps is on the same slope of the mountain

    1. Don’t we all wish right? Unfortunately, this plane that went down in 1974 is approximately 7km from the coordinates you give. There must be a giant plane magnet on Aoral Mountain though. I think someone is heading out to your coords this year to see if MH370 is there.

      1. Um so is this not very known? Cuz I tried to look it up I tried ( plane crash in the Cambodia jungle 1974) nothing came up only a 2007 plane crash with pmtair soo

        1. There’s a bit of info available on the web. Try searching the registration number XW-PKJ. Here are some interesting links: https://english.cambodiadaily.com/features/oral-history-103990/ https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19741225-0

          1. Do you know the coordinates of the plane XW-PKJ by chance?

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