China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510
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 A China Eastern Airlines Xian Y-7 (registration B-3453), similar to the Antonov An-24 involved. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | August 15, 1989 |
| Summary | EFTO |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Antonov An-24 |
| Operator | China Eastern Airlines |
| Registration | B-3437 |
| Flight origin | Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport |
| Destination | Nanchang Xiangtang Airport |
| Occupants | 40 |
| Passengers | 32 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 34 |
| Injuries | 6 |
| Survivors | 6 |
China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510 was a domestic flight from Shanghai to Nanchang, operated by an An-24. On 15 August 1989, an An-24 operating this flight crashed into Zhoujiabang about 240 meters away from the airport due to engine failure when taking off at Hongqiao Airport, killing 34 people. Only 6 people survived.[1]
The aircraft involved, manufactured in 1973, was an Antonov An-24RV registered as B-3417.[2][3] A twin-turboprop aircraft, it was powered by two Ivchenko AI-24VT engines.[3][4] The aircraft was operated by China Eastern Airlines, a regional subsidiary of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), China's flag carrier.[5] The An-24 was introduced into the CAAC's fleet in 1970.[4]
Although production of the aircraft ceased in the Soviet Union in 1978, China continued producing its variant of the aircraft, the Xi'an Y-7.[4] At the time of the accident, the CAAC, which was undergoing a reorganization and decentralization,[6] was in the process of retiring its fleet of Soviet aircraft, most of which were more than two decades old.[5] A year prior to the accident, multiple An-24s were grounded, subject to inspection by Soviet engineers.[4][7]
On board the flight were 32 passengers and 8 crew members.[2] The pilots were in good health and were qualified to fly.[8] The passengers included two Japanese Mitsubishi workers.[4]
Accident
On 15 August 1989, the aircraft was operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai, to Nanchang Xiangtang Airport, Xiangtang, Jiangxi, as China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510.[3][8] At the time of the accident, weather conditions were satisfactory and no rain was present.[4][8] At 15:46 local time, the aircraft took off heading north.[8] However, the aircraft's right engine suddenly lost power, leading to the aircraft tilting to the right;[5][8] despite the crew's attempts to continue on with the takeoff, having mostly succeeded in correcting the aircraft's yaw, the aircraft was unable to climb further.[2] The aircraft managed to climb to a height of 5 metres (16 ft) before touching down on its right-hand landing gear 200 m (660 ft) away from the runway threshold.[9] Advancing rapidly, the aircraft overran the runway, struck a protective ditch and plunged into a river 50 m (160 ft) away from the airport at 15:48.[2][5][8] The aircraft's wings and forward fuselage were completely submerged, while the rear third remained above water.[8] Of the 40 occupants, 34 were killed, including 6 crew members and 28 passengers, consisting of 2 Japanese passengers and 26 Chinese passengers;[8][4] all six survivors were injured.[8]