 B-1876, an aircraft similar to the one involved | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 9, 1978 |
| Summary | Aircraft hijacking |
| Site | Hong Kong |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-281 |
| Operator | China Airlines |
| Registration | B-1870 |
| Flight origin | Kaohsiung International Airport |
| Destination | Kai Tak Airport |
| Passengers | 92 |
| Crew | 9 |
| Fatalities | 1 (hijacker) |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Survivors | 100 |
China Airlines Flight 831 was a scheduled passenger flight from Kaohsiung in Taiwan to British Hong Kong that was hijacked on March 9, 1978.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-281, MSN 20226, registered as B-1870, that was manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 1969. It was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 engines. [1]
The flight, operated by a Boeing 737-281 registered as B-1870, departed at 16:08 local time and was uneventful until 17:00, when one of the crew members, 34-year-old Shi Mingzhen, broke into the cockpit and demanded the pilots to fly to Mainland China. Captain Gao Zhixian and First Officer Gong Zhongkang (both former Republic of China Air Force pilots) refused the demands and were beaten by Shi. Despite having injuries from the beating, the pilots managed to order an on-board security guard to the cockpit. The guard broke down the cockpit door using a fire extinguisher, shot and killed the hijacker. The flight landed at Kai Tak Airport at 17:20, after which the Airport Security Unit searched the aircraft for potential accomplices and questioned passengers. The pilots were then taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital due to their injuries. [2] [3] [4]
The aircraft involved later crashed as Flight 2265 near Penghu Airport, killing all 13 people on board. [5]
China Airlines is the state-owned flag carrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is one of Taiwan's two major airlines, along with EVA Air. It is headquartered in Taoyuan International Airport and operates over 1,400 flights weekly – including 91 pure cargo flights – to 102 cities across Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. Carrying nearly 20 million passengers and 5700 tons of cargo in 2017, the carrier was the 33rd largest airline in the world in terms of revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) and 10th largest in terms of freight revenue ton kilometers (FRTK).
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1977.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1978.
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China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 (CZ3456/CSN3456) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport to Shenzhen Huangtian Airport. On 8 May 1997, the Boeing 737 performing this route crashed during the second attempt to land in a thunderstorm. The flight number 3456 is still used by China Southern and for the Chongqing-Shenzhen route but now with the Airbus A320 family or Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft.
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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.
China Airlines Flight 605 was a daily non-stop flight departing from Taipei, Taiwan at 6:30 a.m. and arriving in Hong Kong at 7:00 a.m. local time. On November 4, 1993, the plane went off the runway and overran attempting to land during a storm. It was the first hull loss of a Boeing 747-400.
Air France has been in operation since 1933. Its aircraft have been involved in a number of major accidents and incidents. The deadliest accident of the airline occurred on June 1, 2009, when Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330-203, flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with 228 fatalities. A selected list of the most noteworthy of these events is given below.
United Airlines Flight 696 was a flight from San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, to Seattle, Washington, with 75 people in board on March 13, 1978, which was hijacked by a man claiming to have a bomb. The incident resulted in no serious injuries and the arrest of the hijacker, Clay Thomas.
In aeronautics, loss of control (LOC) is the unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight and is a significant factor in several aviation accidents worldwide. In 2015 it was the leading cause of general aviation accidents. Loss of control may be the result of mechanical failure, external disturbances, aircraft upset conditions, or inappropriate crew actions or responses.
On 16 February 1986, a Boeing 737-281 operating a charter flight as China Airlines Flight 2265 went missing after executing a go-around after touching down at Penghu Airport, Taiwan. It was discovered several weeks later on the seabed, 19 kilometres north of the island. All 6 passengers and 7 crew members were confirmed dead.
Civil Air Transport Flight 10 was a passenger flight from the now-closed Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong to Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan. The flight was operated by a Boeing 727-92C with registration B-1018 and named "Super Cuihua." On 16 February 1968, the aircraft crashed into a Hunan village in Linkou Township, Taipei County, killing 21 of the 63 people on board as well as one person on the ground. 42 people were injured.