- Guangzhou Baiyun aircraft collision
-
Guangzhou Baiyun aircraft collision 
The wreckage of the China Southern Airlines Boeing 757, which had the Civil Aviation Administration of China livery.Occurrence summary Date October 2, 1990 Type Hijacking leading to runway collision Site former Guangzhou Baiyun
International Airport
Guangzhou, China (PRC)Total fatalities 128 Total survivors 96 First aircraft Type Boeing 737-25C Operator Xiamen Airlines Tail number B-2510 Flight origin Xiamen Airport Destination former Guangzhou Baiyun
International AirportPassengers 93 Crew 9 Fatalities 82 Survivors 20 Second aircraft Type Boeing 757-21B Operator China Southern Airlines Tail number B-2812 Flight origin former Guangzhou Baiyun
International AirportDestination Shanghai, China (PRC) Passengers 110 Crew 12 Fatalities 46 Survivors 76 Third aircraft Type Boeing 707-3J6B Operator China Southwest Airlines Tail number B-2402 Passengers 0 Crew 1 Fatalities 0 Survivors 1(all) The Guangzhou Baiyun aircraft collision was the result of the hijacking of Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301. The hijacked aircraft collided with two others on the runways of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on October 2, 1990 while attempting to land. The hijacked aircraft bumped into a China Southwest Airlines aircraft first, inflicting only minor damage, but then collided with China Southern Airlines Flight 2812 and flipped on its back. Fatalities included 7 of 9 crew members and 75 of 93 passengers on the hijacked Flight 8301 and 46 of 110 passengers on Flight 2812.
Contents
Hijacking of Flight 8301
Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, a Xiamen Airlines flight using a Boeing 737-200,[1] was hijacked by Jiang Xiaofeng (蒋小峰, Hanyu Pinyin: Jiăng Xiăofēng) on October 2, 1990. Jiang, a 21-year old purchasing agent from Hunan, People's Republic of China (PRC), was seeking political asylum in Taiwan. He demanded that the aircraft reroute to Taipei, Taiwan.[2]
Prior to the hijacking and shortly after the aircraft took off from Xiamen, Jiang approached the cockpit while holding flowers. The security guards let him in; a TIME article stated that the guards likely let him through because they believed that Jiang was offering flowers to the pilots as a Moon Festival gift. The article stated that reportedly, once in the cockpit, he opened his jacket to reveal what appeared to be fifteen pounds of explosives strapped to his chest. The article added that Jiang ordered all crew members except for the pilot out of the cockpit.[3]
The captain of the flight explained to Jiang that the aircraft did not have enough fuel to reach Taipei, and proposed that he reroute to Hong Kong instead. Jiang refused to listen, and the negotiations went on for some time until the captain, noting that fuel was getting too low for safety, decided that he had no choice but to land.[citation needed] According to Google Maps website, flight distance: Xiamen to Guangzhou is 517km, Xiamen to Taipei is 319km, and Xiamen to Hong Kong is 631km.
Landing at Guangzhou Baiyun
Moments before landing, Jiang managed to wrestle control of the aircraft from the pilot. The 737 landed at the former Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, traveling at an excessive speed, and sideswiped a parked China Southwest Airlines Boeing 707-320B, slightly injuring the pilot, who was in the cockpit at the time.[4] Still unable to stop, the out-of-control 737 collided with China Southern Airlines Flight 2812, a Boeing 757[5] waiting to depart to Shanghai, before flipping over on its back and skidding to a halt.[6]
On the Xiamen Airlines 737, 7 of 9 crew members and 75 (including one American, 30 Taiwanese, and 3 people from Hong Kong) of 93 passengers died.[1] On the China Southern Aircraft all 12 crew members survived and 46 of 110 passengers died.[5] Of the passengers who died in the 757, 8 were from Taiwan.[7] A total of 128 people died in the disaster.[2] Jiang, the hijacker of the Xiamen Airlines aircraft, died.[3]
References
- ^ a b Hijacking description for B-2510 at the Aviation Safety Network
- ^ a b Kristof, Nicholas D. "Hijacking Prompts Beijing Shake-Up." The New York Times. Wednesday October 10, 1990. Section A, Page 3, New York Edition. Retrieved on November 24, 2009.
- ^ a b "World Notes CHINA." TIME. Monday October 15, 1990. Retrieved on November 24, 2009.
- ^ Accident description for B-2402 at the Aviation Safety Network
- ^ a b Accident description for B-2812 at the Aviation Safety Network
- ^ WuDunn, Sheryl. "127 Killed in Jetliner Collision in China." The New York Times. Wednesday October 3, 1990. Section A, Page 3, New York Edition. Retrieved on November 24, 2009.
- ^ FCJ Editors. "Relatives Bring Ashes Home In Sorrow, Anger." Taiwan Journal. October 15, 1990.
External links
- Special Report: Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 - Airdisaster.com
- The Importance of Training in Aviation's Future
← 1989 · Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990 · 1991 → Jan 04 Northwest Airlines Flight 5
Jan 25 Avianca Flight 52
Feb 14 Indian Airlines Flight 605
Apr 09 Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254Apr 12 Widerøe Flight 839
May 11 Philippine Airlines Flight 143
Jun 10 British Airways Flight 5390
Aug 02 British Airways Flight 149Aug. 27 Stevie Ray Vaughan helicopter crash
Oct 02 Guangzhou Baiyun collision
Nov 14 Alitalia Flight 404
Dec 03 Detroit Wayne County airport collisionIncidents resulting in at least 50 deaths shown in italics. Deadliest incident shown in bold smallcaps.Categories:- 1990 in China
- Airliner collisions on the ground
- Airliner hijackings
- Airliner hijackings resulting in crashes
- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990
- Aviation accidents and incidents in China
- History of Guangdong
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 757
- Terrorist incidents in 1990
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
