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China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303

Coordinates: 34°16′N 108°54′E / 34.267°N 108.900°E / 34.267; 108.900
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China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303
B-2610, the aircraft involved, in CAAC livery in 1988
Accident
DateJune 6, 1994
SummaryMechanical failure due to improper maintenance
SiteNear Xi'an, P.R. China
34°16′N 108°54′E / 34.267°N 108.900°E / 34.267; 108.900
Aircraft typeTupolev Tu-154M
OperatorChina Northwest Airlines
RegistrationB-2610
Flight originXianyang Airport (XIY/ZLXY), China
DestinationGuangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former) (CAN/ZGGG), China
Passengers146
Crew14
Fatalities160 (all)
Survivors0

China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 was a domestic flight from Xi'an to Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.[1] On June 6, 1994, this aircraft, a Tupolev Tu-154M, broke up in-flight and crashed as a result of an autopilot malfunction which caused violent shaking and overstressed the airframe.[2] Faulty maintenance was believed to be the cause.

Accident

Approximately eight minutes after takeoff (ten minutes in some reports), the control tower at Xianyang Airport lost contact with the plane and it crashed in a field 18 miles (29 km) southeast of the airport.[3][4] All 146 passengers and 14 crew died. As of 2016, it remains the deadliest airplane crash ever to occur in mainland China.[5]

Investigation

Flawed maintenance of the aircraft was the probable cause of the sequence of events. The previous evening, the autopilot yaw-channel had been erroneously connected to the bank control, and the bank-channel to the yaw controls.[5] Additionally, this incorrect maintenance was not done in a properly approved facility.[citation needed]

Passengers

Among the passengers, 133 were from mainland China, four were from Italy, three were from Hong Kong, two from the United States—Mark Woodrum and Mark Stoel, one from Taiwan, two from Indonesia, one from Singapore, one from Malaysia, three from France, one from Canada, three from South Korea, one from Vietnam, and five were from Russia.

Nationality Passengers Crew Total
 China 119 14 133
 Italy 4 0 4
 Hong Kong 3 0 3
 United States 2 0 2
 Taiwan 1 0 1
 Indonesia 2 0 2
 Singapore 1 0 1
 Malaysia 1 0 1
 France 3 0 3
 Canada 1 0 1
 South Korea 3 0 3
 Vietnam 1 0 1
 Russia 5 0 5
Total 146 14 160

[3][4]

References

  1. ^ "Airline Crashes in China". The New York Times. June 6, 1994. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  2. ^ Accident database. AirDisaster.com
  3. ^ a b Tyler, Patrick E (June 7, 1994). "Jet Crash in China Kills 160; Another Flight Is Hijacked". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "All 160 on board plane killed in China's worst air crash". New Straits Times. June 7, 1994. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network

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