1990 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisions

Guangzhou Baiyun aircraft collision

The wreckage of the China Southern Airlines Boeing 757, which had the Civil Aviation Administration of China livery.
Occurrence
Date	October 2, 1990
Summary	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
Registration	B-2510disaster
Flight origin	Xiamen Airport
Destination	former Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
Passengers	93
Crew	9
Fatalities	82
Survivors	20
Second aircraft
Type	Boeing 757-21B
Operator	China Southern Airlines
Registration	B-2812disaster
Flight origin	former Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
Destination	Shanghai, China (PRC)
Passengers	110
Crew	12
Fatalities	46
Survivors	76
Third aircraft
Type	Boeing 707-3J6B
Operator	China Southwest Airlines
Registration	B-2402disaster
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 struck 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.

Hijacking of Flight 8301

Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, a Xiamen Airlines flight using a Boeing 737-200, 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.

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.

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. 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. Still unable to stop, the out-of-control 737 collided with China Southern Airlines Flight 2812, a Boeing 757 waiting to depart to Shanghai, before flipping over on its back and skidding to a halt.

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. On the China Southern Aircraft all 12 crew members survived and 46 of 110 passengers died. Of the passengers who died in the 757, 8 were from Taiwan. A total of 128 people died in the disaster. Jiang, the hijacker of the Xiamen Airlines aircraft, died.

External links

• Special Report: Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 - Airdisaster.com
• The Importance of Training in Aviation's Future