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China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 was a domestic flight from Xi'an to Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.[1] On June 6, 1994, the aircraft operating the flight, 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] All 160 people on board were killed.[2][3][4] As of 2022, it remains the deadliest airplane crash ever in mainland China.[5]

China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303

B-2610, the aircraft involved, in CAAC livery in 1988
Accident
Date	June 6, 1994
Summary	Mechanical failure due to improper maintenance
Site	Near Xi'an, China 34°16′N 108°54′E
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154M
Operator	China Northwest Airlines
IATA flight No.	WH2303
ICAO flight No.	CNW2303
Call sign	CHINA NORTHWEST 2303
Registration	B-2610
Flight origin	Xianyang Airport (XIY/ZLXY), China
Destination	Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former) (CAN/ZGGG), China
Occupants	160
Passengers	146
Crew	14
Fatalities	160
Survivors	0

Aircraft

The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-154M (registration B-2610, factory 86A740, serial no. 0740). It was completed by the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant (KuAPO) on December 22, 1986, and was immediately transferred to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). On July 1, 1988, due to reorganization, CAAC transferred the aircraft to China Northwest Airlines. The aircraft was powered with three Soloviev D-30KU-154-II low-bypass turbofan engines from the Rybinsk Engine Plant. On the day of the accident, the aircraft had 12,507 flying hours and 6,651 takeoff and landing cycles.[6]

Passengers and crew

Crew

The flight crew consisted of captain Li Gangqiang, faculty captain Xin Tiancai, first officer Yang Min, pilot Zhang Nanjing, and flight engineer Kang Youfa. There were also nine flight attendants on board.[3][7]^{[citation needed]}

Passengers

Nationality	Passengers[citation needed]	Crew[citation needed]	Total
China	133	14	147
Italy	4	0	4
Hong Kong	3	0	3
United States	2	0	2
United Kingdom	2	0	2
Taiwan	1	0	1
Swiss	1	0	1
Total	146	14	160

Accident

The aircraft took off from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport at 8:13 on June 6, 1994. At the time, it was raining, but this did not cause a delay in departure.

Twenty-four seconds after take-off, the crew reported that the aircraft was "floating" and making an abnormal sound, but were still able to maintain a speed of 400 km/h (220 kn; 250 mph).[8] Three minutes after take-off, the plane flew over Xi'an City and turned southeast.[9] The crew then reported an unstable pitch-up to 20° and 30° at 8:16:24 and 8:16:58, respectively.

At 8:17:06, while over Mingdu Township, Chang'an County, Shaanxi, the aircraft became unable to maintain its assigned attitude. The crew then temporarily engaged the autopilot, which unexpectedly caused the aircraft to turn right. At 8:22:27, with the aircraft travelling at 373 kilometres per hour (232 mph), the stall warning activated. The aircraft then banked dangerously to the left, and dropped from 4,717 metres (15,476 ft) feet to 2,884 metres (9,462 ft) in 12 seconds, at a speed of 747 km/h (403 kn; 464 mph).

At 8:22:42, the aircraft disintegrated in mid-air above the suburb of Tsuitou Village, Mingyu Township.[10] All 146 passengers and 14 crew died, most on impact.[11] Wreckage landed to the southeast of the airport, scattered over 18 miles (29 km) of farmland.

Investigation

Poor maintenance was the probable cause of the accident. The previous evening, the autopilot yaw-channel had been erroneously connected to the bank control, and the bank-channel to the yaw controls, while undergoing maintenance at an unapproved facility.[5][6][12]

Aftermath

This crash, as well as the crash of China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509 in 1999, resulted in China's decision to retire the Tupolev Tu-154. All Tu-154s in China were removed from service on October 30, 2002.[13] In 2003, China Northwest airlines merged into China Eastern Airlines. Flight 2303 is still in use by China Eastern Airlines for their Xian-Guangzhou flight.[14][15]

See also

• Aeroflot Flight 593
• Aeroperú Flight 603
• Birgenair Flight 301
• Japan Airlines Flight 123
• Continental Express Flight 2574

References

На других языках

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[de] China-Northwest-Airlines-Flug 2303

Am 6. Juni 1994 stürzte eine Tupolew Tu-154 kurz nach dem Start vom Flughafen Xi’an-Xianyang auf dem China-Northwest-Airlines-Flug 2303 von Xianyang nach Guangzhou ab. Alle 160 Insassen starben beim schwersten Flugzeugabsturz in China.

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- [en] China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303

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[it] Volo China Northwest Airlines 2303

Il volo China Northwest Airlines 2303 era un volo passeggeri di linea nazionale da Xi'an a Canton, nella Repubblica popolare cinese.[1][2] Il 6 giugno 1994, un Tupolev Tu-154M operante su tale rotta si disintegrò in volo e precipitò a seguito di un malfunzionamento del pilota automatico che causò scosse violente e sovraccaricò la cellula. Tutte le 160 persone a bordo perirono nello schianto. La manutenzione inadeguata è stata ritenuta la causa. Al 2022, rimane l'incidente aereo con più vittime mai avvenuto nella storia della Cina continentale.[3]

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[ru] Катастрофа Ту-154 под Сианем

Катастрофа Ту-154 под Сианем — крупная авиационная катастрофа, произошедшая в понедельник 6 июня 1994 года. Авиалайнер Ту-154М авиакомпании China Northwest Airlines выполнял внутренний рейс WH2303 по маршруту Сиань—Гуанчжоу, но через 9 минут после взлёта рассыпался на части и рухнул на землю в 29 километрах от аэропорта Сианя. Погибли все находившиеся на его борту 160 человек — 146 пассажиров и 14 членов экипажа.

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