1990 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisions: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|1990 passenger aircraft hijacking and crash in Guangzhou, China}}

| name = Guangzhou Baiyun airport disaster<br/>{{nobold|{{small|'''Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301'''{{·}}'''China Southern Airlines Flight 3523'''{{·}}'''China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305'''}}}}

| image = Crashedboeing757XiamenAirlines.jpg

| image_upright =

| alt =

| caption = The wreckage of the [[China Southern Airlines]] [[Boeing 757]], which had the [[Civil Aviation Administration of China]] livery.

| date = {{start date|1990|10|02|df=y}}

| summary = Hijacking leading to runway collision

| site = [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former)|Guangzhou Baiyun<br/>International Airport]]<br/>[[Guangzhou]], [[China]]

| total_injuries = 53

| coordinates = {{coord|23.1872|113.2680|type:event|display=inline,title}}

| plane1_type = [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-247]]

| plane1_image = CAAC Boeing 737-2T4; B-2512, HKG, December 1990 CEN (5288956368).jpg

| plane1_caption = A Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737-200 wearing the CAAC livery, similar to the accident aircraft.

| aircraft_name =

| plane1_IATA = MF8301

| plane1_ICAO = CXA8301

| plane1_tailnum = {{Airreg|B|2510}}

| plane1_origin = [[Xiamen Airport|Xiamen Gaoqi Airport]]

| plane1_destination = [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former)|Guangzhou Baiyun<br />International Airport]]

| plane1_crew = 9

| plane2_image = CAAC Boeing 757-200 Goetting.jpg

| plane2_caption = A China Southern Airlines Boeing 757-200 wearing the CAAC livery, similar to the accident aircraft.

| plane2_type = [[Boeing 757|Boeing 757-21B]]

| plane2_IATA = CZ3523

| plane2_ICAO = CSN3523

| plane2_tailnum = {{Airreg|B|2812}}

| plane2_origin = [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former)|Guangzhou Baiyun<br />International Airport]]

| plane2_crew = 12

| plane3_image = CAAC - Boeing 707-320B - B-2402 - Guilin.jpg

| plane3_caption = B-2402, the China Southwest Airlines Boeing 707 involved in the collisions, taken in 1983

| plane3_type = [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-3J6B]]

| plane3_IATA = SZ4305

| plane3_ICAO = CXN4305

| plane3_tailnum = {{Airreg|B|2402}}

| plane3_origin = [[Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport|Chengdu Shuangliu Airport]]

| plane3_destination = [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former)|Guangzhou Baiyun<br />International Airport]]

| plane3_crew = 1

| plane3_survivors = 1

On2 October 1990, a [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacked]] [[Boeing 737]], operating '''Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301''', collided with two other aircraft on the runways of the [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former)|old Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport]] while attempting to land. The hijacked aircraft struck parked '''[[China Southwest Airlines]] Flight 4305''' first, inflicting only minor damage, but then collided with '''China Southern Airlines Flight 3523''', a [[Boeing 757]] waiting to take off, flipping onto its back. A total of 128 people were killed, including seven of nine crew members and 75 of 93 passengers on Flight 8301 and 46 of 110 passengers on Flight 3523.

[[Xiamen Airlines]] Flight 8301, operated on a [[Boeing 737-200]],<ref name="XiamenAirStats">{{ASN accident|id=19901002-3|type=Hijacking|title=B-2510}}</ref> was hijacked by Jiang Xiaofeng ({{zh|s=蒋晓峰|t=蔣曉峰|p=Jiǎng Xiǎofēng}}), born 11 August 1969 in [[Linli County]], [[Hunan]]<ref name=Lessons>{{cite web|title=Lessons Learned from Hijacking |url=http://flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_dec90.pdf |work=Flight Safety Digest |publisher=[[Flight Safety Foundation]] |access-date=23 November 2012 |page=13 |date=December 1990 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616220407/http://flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_dec90.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2013 }}</ref><ref name="zhoumo_2009Jun12">{{Cite web|url=http://zm.njnews.cn/html/2009-06/12/content_278854.htm|title=|author=周益 朱林|date=2009-06-12|work=周末|language=zh|script-title=zh:白云机场"10·2"特大空难揭秘|trans-title="10·2" Extraordinary Air Accident at Baiyun Airport Revealed|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040354/http://zm.njnews.cn/html/2009-06/12/content_278854.htm|archive-date=2014-02-22|access-date=2011-06-12}}</ref> on Tuesday,2 October 1990. Jiang, a Chinese 21-year-old purchasing agent, was seeking [[political asylum]] in Taiwan.

Prior to the hijacking and shortly after the aircraft took off from [[Xiamen]], Jiang approached the cockpit, holding flowers. The security guards let him in; a ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' article stated that the guards probably 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 [[explosive]]s strapped to his chest. The article added that Jiang ordered all crew members out of the cockpit, except for the pilot,<ref name="ChinaNotesTime">{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,971398,00.html?promoid=googlep|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023080054/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,971398,00.html?promoid=googlep|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 23, 2012|title=World Notes CHINA|last=|first=|date=15 October 1990|magazine=[[TIME (magazine)|TIME]]|access-date=24 November 2009}}</ref> Cen Longyu,<ref name=Lessons/> whom he directed to fly to [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]]. The pilot did not comply, instead continuing toward the original destination of [[Guangzhou]]. Reports from the official [[Xinhua News Agency]] did not explain why the pilot did not accede to Jiang's demand.<ref name="Shakeup">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/10/world/hijacking-prompts-beijing-shake-up.html|title=Hijacking Prompts Beijing Shake-Up|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas D.|date=10 October 1990|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 24, 2009|page=3|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102165314/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/10/world/hijacking-prompts-beijing-shake-up.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Moments before landing, Jiang managed to wrestle control of the aircraft from the pilot. The 737 landed at an excessive speed, and sideswiped a parked China Southwest Airlines [[Boeing 707-3J6B]] which had just arrived from [[Chengdu]] as China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305, slightly injuring the pilot, who was in the cockpit at the time.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19901002-2|title=B-2402}}</ref> Still unable to stop, the out-of-control 737 collided with China Southern Airlines Flight 3523,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://xw.qq.com/gd/20150204056482/GD2015020405648200|title=广州10.2空难回顾|last=|first=|date=2015-02-04|website=|publisher=[[Guangzhou Daily]]|language=zh|trans-title=Guangzhou 10.2 air crash review|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204122333/https://xw.qq.com/gd/20150204056482/GD2015020405648200|archive-date=2019-02-04|access-date=2019-07-19}}</ref> a [[Boeing 757]]<ref name="ChinaSouthernStats">{{ASN accident|id=19901002-4|title=B-2812}}</ref> waiting to depart to [[Shanghai]], before flipping over onto its back and skidding to a halt.<ref name="127Killed">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/03/world/127-killed-in-jetliner-collision-in-china-752890.html|title=127 Killed in Jetliner Collision in China|last=Wudunn|first=Sheryl|date=3 October 1990|work=The New York Times|access-date=24 November 2009|page=3|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=14 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814071439/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/03/world/127-killed-in-jetliner-collision-in-china-752890.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On the Xiamen Airlines 737, seven of the nine crew members and 75 (including 30 [[Taiwan]]ese, three people from [[Hong Kong]] and one [[United States|American]]) of the 93 passengers died.<ref name="XiamenAirStats"/> On the China Southern 757 aircraft all 12 crew members survived and 46 of 110 passengers died.<ref name="ChinaSouthernStats"/> Of the passengers who died in the 757, eight were from Taiwan.<ref>FCJ Editors. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20080524082517/http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/Tj/ct.asp?xItem=10223&CtNode=122 Relatives Bring Ashes Home In Sorrow, Anger]" ([http://web.archive.org/web/20080524082517/http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/Tj/ct.asp?xItem%3D10223%26CtNode%3D122 Archive]). ''[[Taiwan Journal]]''. 15 October 1990. {{dead link|date=April 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> A total of 128 people died in the disaster,<ref name="Shakeup"/> including Jiang, the hijacker of the Xiamen Airlines aircraft.<ref name="ChinaNotesTime"/>

Jiang was once arrested for theft in September 1988. While working as a purchasing agent in 1990, he fled on 13 July with [[renminbi|RMB]] 17,000 which was given to him for purchasing goods for his company. He was wanted by the police at the time of the hijacking.<ref name="zhoumo_2009Jun12" />

Two months earlier, on 29 September, Jiang checked-in at a hotel near the Xiamen borders. The next day, he booked a seat on the flight he would go on to hijack. Jiang checked out of the hotel around 6 a.m. on the morning of 2 October and headed to the airport. He was seen wearing a black suit and black dress shoes, carrying a black suitcase, and holding plastic roses. Jiang was the last to board the plane. He was sitting at seat 16D.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-06-08|title=1990年厦航客机空难揭秘 客机遭劫撞毁空姐玉殒|trans-title=The secret of the 1990 Xiamen Airlines passenger plane crash revealed. The passenger plane was hijacked and crashed and the flight attendant Yu died|url=http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_2.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831012128/http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_2.htm|archive-date=2014-08-31|access-date=2021-06-17|website=www.fjsen.com|language=zh}}</ref>

* [[Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 013]]

* [[Flight Safety Foundation]]'s [http://www.flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_dec90.pdf Flight Safety Digest, December 1990]—a brief about the incident isonPages 13–14 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130616220407/http://flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_dec90.pdf Archive])

{{China Southern Airlines}}

{{Cross-Strait relations}}

{{Mass violence in China}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:20th-century mass murder in China]]

[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving ground collisions]]

[[Category:EventsinGuangzhou]]

[[Category:History of Guangzhou]]

[[Category:Mass murder in 1990]]

[[Category:October 1990 events in Asia]]

[[Category:XiamenAir accidents and incidents]]

[[Category:1990 in Guangzhou]]