| Guangzhou Baiyun airport disaster | |
| Occurrence Type: | Hijacking |
| Summary: | Hijacking leading to runway collision |
| Site: | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou, China |
| Total Injuries: | 53 |
| Coordinates: | 23.1872°N 113.268°W |
| Total Fatalities: | 128 |
| Total Survivors: | 97 |
| Plane1 Type: | 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. |
| Plane1 Operator: | Xiamen Airlines |
| Plane1 Iata: | MF8301 |
| Plane1 Icao: | CXA8301 |
| Plane1 Callsign: | XIAMEN AIR 8301 |
| Plane1 Origin: | Xiamen Gaoqi Airport |
| Plane1 Destination: | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport |
| Plane1 Occupants: | 102 |
| Plane1 Passengers: | 93 |
| Plane1 Crew: | 9 |
| Plane1 Injuries: | 18 |
| Plane1 Survivors: | 20 |
| Plane1 Fatalities: | 82 |
| 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 757-21B |
| Plane2 Operator: | China Southern Airlines |
| Plane2 Iata: | CZ3523 |
| Plane2 Icao: | CSN3523 |
| Plane2 Callsign: | CHINA SOUTHERN 3523 |
| Plane2 Origin: | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport |
| Plane2 Destination: | Shanghai Hongqiao Airport |
| Plane2 Occupants: | 122 |
| Plane2 Passengers: | 110 |
| Plane2 Crew: | 12 |
| Plane2 Injuries: | 34 |
| Plane2 Survivors: | 76 |
| Plane2 Fatalities: | 46 |
| 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 707-3J6B |
| Plane3 Operator: | China Southwest Airlines |
| Plane3 Iata: | SZ4305 |
| Plane3 Icao: | CXN4305 |
| Plane3 Callsign: | CHINA SOUTHWEST 4305 |
| Plane3 Origin: | Chengdu Shuangliu Airport |
| Plane3 Destination: | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport |
| Plane3 Occupants: | 1 |
| Plane3 Crew: | 1 |
| Plane3 Injuries: | 1 |
| Plane3 Survivors: | 1 |
| Plane3 Fatalities: | 0 |
On 2 October 1990, a hijacked Boeing 737, operating Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, collided with two other aircraft on the runways of the 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, was hijacked by Jiang Xiaofeng, born 11 August 1969 in Linli County, Hunan[1] [2] 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 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 explosives strapped to his chest. The article added that Jiang ordered all crew members out of the cockpit, except for the pilot,[3] Cen Longyu,[1] 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.[4]
Communication with the flight was lost. It was finally re-established by the airport in Guangzhou, which authorized the pilot to land at any airport available, inside or outside the PRC. The pilot stated that the only other airport that the aircraft still had sufficient fuel to reach was Hong Kong. Guangzhou flight controllers agreed to allow the plane to land in Hong Kong, refuel, and proceed to Taipei. Jiang refused to allow this, and threatened to blow up the aircraft if it landed in Hong Kong. The pilot circled Guangzhou, attempting to reason with Jiang. He was eventually forced to land the plane when it ran dangerously low on fuel.[1]
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. Still unable to stop, the out-of-control 737 collided with China Southern Airlines Flight 3523,[5] a Boeing 757 waiting to depart to Shanghai, before flipping over onto its back and skidding to a halt.[6]
On the Xiamen Airlines 737, seven of the nine crew members and 75 (including 30 Taiwanese, three people from Hong Kong and one American) of the 93 passengers died. On the China Southern 757 aircraft all 12 crew members survived and 46 of 110 passengers died. Of the passengers who died in the 757, eight were from Taiwan.[7] A total of 128 people died in the disaster,[4] including Jiang, the hijacker of the Xiamen Airlines aircraft.[3]
Jiang was once arrested for theft in September 1988. While working as a purchasing agent in 1990, he fled on 13 July with 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.
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.[8]