Wuhan Airlines Flight 343
Encyclopedia
Wuhan Airlines Flight 343 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight between Enshi Airport
and Wuhan Tianhe International Airport
, both in Hubei
province, Central China
. On June 22, 2000, the Wuhan Airlines
Xian Y-7
, registration
B-3479, flying the route crashed after encountering an area of adverse weather; the aircraft was struck by lightning
and encountered windshear
.
Immediately after the accident, China ordered all of Wuhan Airlines' Xian Y-7 aircraft be grounded. One month after the accident, they were allowed to resume service. The cause was determined to be the adverse weather the aircraft encountered, specifically the lightning strike.
The accident remains the deadliest involving a Xian Y-7 aircraft, and is today the 12th deadliest aviation accident in the history of China.
Xian Y-7
aircraft departed Enshi Airport
, on June 22, 2000, for a flight to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. As the aircraft approached Wuhan, the flight crew were informed of adverse weather conditions in the area of the airport. The flight crew circled the airport for approximately 30 minutes, waiting for the weather to improve; during this time they debated whether to divert
to another airport, but the pilot decided to continue to try and land at Wuhan.
Weather stations recorded 451 thunderclaps in ten minutes during the 30 minute period the aircraft was circling above the airport. At approximately 1500 local time, the aircraft was impacted by windshear
and struck by lightning
, before it crashed in Sitai Village, Yongfeng Township. The fuselage came down between 20 kilometre and 30 kilometre from Wuhan in two sections; half of the aircraft fell on a dike on the Han River, the other half impacted with a farmhouse. All 40 passengers and four crew were killed, along with seven people on the ground.
(CAAC) ordered all Wuhan Airlines' six other Xian Y-7 aircraft be grounded until the cause of the crash was determined. In July they were permitted to return to service after safety inspections were carried out and flight crews received more training. The CAAC ordered all Xian Y-7 aircraft be removed from scheduled passenger service by June 1, 2001.
Enshi Airport
Enshi Xujiaping Airport is an airport in Enshi, Hubei Province, China.-Airlines and destinations:-See also:*List of airports in the People's Republic of China...
and Wuhan Tianhe International Airport
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport serves Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei Province, China. It was opened on April 15, 1995. The airport is located in Wuhan's suburban Huangpi District, around 26 kilometres to the north of Wuhan city center...
, both in Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
province, Central China
South Central China
South Central China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, however excluding the 2 special administrative regions : Hong Kong and...
. On June 22, 2000, the Wuhan Airlines
Wuhan Airlines
Wuhan Airlines was an airline based in Wuhan of the People's Republic of China. It merged with China Eastern Airlines.-Historical Fleet:*2 Boeing 737-36R Registration #: B-2969, B-2988*3 Boeing 737-3Q8 Registration #: B-2918, B-2919, B-2928...
Xian Y-7
Xian Y-7
|-External links:* http://www.airforceworld.com/pla/y7-transporter.htm Y-7 Transporter and variations, Chinese* http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/aircraft_detail.cgi?aircraft=Xian+Yunshuji++Y7-100C...
, registration
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
B-3479, flying the route crashed after encountering an area of adverse weather; the aircraft was struck by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
and encountered windshear
WindShear
The Windshear Full Scale Rolling Road Wind Tunnel is an automotive wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina.In January 2008 Wind Shear, a division of US machine tool builder Haas Automat-80.7ion, completed construction on one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnels in the world. The full-scale...
.
Immediately after the accident, China ordered all of Wuhan Airlines' Xian Y-7 aircraft be grounded. One month after the accident, they were allowed to resume service. The cause was determined to be the adverse weather the aircraft encountered, specifically the lightning strike.
The accident remains the deadliest involving a Xian Y-7 aircraft, and is today the 12th deadliest aviation accident in the history of China.
History
The Wuhan AirlinesWuhan Airlines
Wuhan Airlines was an airline based in Wuhan of the People's Republic of China. It merged with China Eastern Airlines.-Historical Fleet:*2 Boeing 737-36R Registration #: B-2969, B-2988*3 Boeing 737-3Q8 Registration #: B-2918, B-2919, B-2928...
Xian Y-7
Xian Y-7
|-External links:* http://www.airforceworld.com/pla/y7-transporter.htm Y-7 Transporter and variations, Chinese* http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/aircraft_detail.cgi?aircraft=Xian+Yunshuji++Y7-100C...
aircraft departed Enshi Airport
Enshi Airport
Enshi Xujiaping Airport is an airport in Enshi, Hubei Province, China.-Airlines and destinations:-See also:*List of airports in the People's Republic of China...
, on June 22, 2000, for a flight to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. As the aircraft approached Wuhan, the flight crew were informed of adverse weather conditions in the area of the airport. The flight crew circled the airport for approximately 30 minutes, waiting for the weather to improve; during this time they debated whether to divert
Detour
Detour may refer to:* Detour, a temporary routing to avoid an obstruction-Entertainment:Literature* Detour , a 1939 novel* Detour , an entertainment and fashion magazine published by the Detour Media GroupFilm and television...
to another airport, but the pilot decided to continue to try and land at Wuhan.
Weather stations recorded 451 thunderclaps in ten minutes during the 30 minute period the aircraft was circling above the airport. At approximately 1500 local time, the aircraft was impacted by windshear
WindShear
The Windshear Full Scale Rolling Road Wind Tunnel is an automotive wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina.In January 2008 Wind Shear, a division of US machine tool builder Haas Automat-80.7ion, completed construction on one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnels in the world. The full-scale...
and struck by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
, before it crashed in Sitai Village, Yongfeng Township. The fuselage came down between 20 kilometre and 30 kilometre from Wuhan in two sections; half of the aircraft fell on a dike on the Han River, the other half impacted with a farmhouse. All 40 passengers and four crew were killed, along with seven people on the ground.
Grounding of Xian Y-7 aircraft
In the aftermath of the accident, the Civil Aviation Administration of ChinaCivil Aviation Administration of China
The Civil Aviation Administration of China , formerly the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China , is the aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents...
(CAAC) ordered all Wuhan Airlines' six other Xian Y-7 aircraft be grounded until the cause of the crash was determined. In July they were permitted to return to service after safety inspections were carried out and flight crews received more training. The CAAC ordered all Xian Y-7 aircraft be removed from scheduled passenger service by June 1, 2001.
Cause
The cause was determined to be the adverse weather the aircraft encountered, specifically the lightning strike.See also
- LANSA Flight 508LANSA Flight 508LANSA Flight 508 was a Lockheed L-188A Electra turboprop, registered OB-R-941, operated as a scheduled domestic passenger flight by Lineas Aéreas Nacionales Sociedad Anonima , that crashed in a thunderstorm en route from Lima, Peru to Pucallpa, Peru, on December 24, 1971, killing 91 people –...
- 2002 Bristow Helicopters Sikorsky S-76A crash
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- 2000 in aviation2000 in aviationThis is a list of aviation-related events from 2000:s-January:* January 30 – Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169....