China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509

B-2622, the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
Date	February 24, 1999 (1999-02-24)
Summary	Mechanical failure of aircraft tail section caused by poor maintenance
Site	Rui'an, Zhejiang, China 27°43′10.2″N120°39′27.2″E / 27.719500°N 120.657556°E / 27.719500; 120.657556
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154M
Operator	China Southwest Airlines
Registration	B-2622
Flight origin	Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, Sichuan
Destination	Wenzhou Yongqiang Airport, Wenzhou, Zhejiang
Occupants	61
Passengers	50
Crew	11
Fatalities	61
Survivors	0

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509 (SZ4509) was a domestic flight in China from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, Sichuan to Wenzhou Yongqiang Airport, Zhejiang. On February 24, 1999, the Tupolev Tu-154M operating the flight crashed while on approach to Wenzhou Airport, killing all 61 passengers and crew members on board. ^{[1] [2]}

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft was a 1990-built Tupolev Tu-154M (serial number 90A-846, serial 0846) airliner powered by three Soloviev D-30 turbofan engines from UEC Saturn. It was initially registered in the Soviet Union as CCCP-85846. It was delivered to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in April the same year, and was registered as B-2622. ^[3]

The flight crew consisted of captain Yao Fuchen (Chinese:姚福臣), first officer Xue Mao (薛冒), navigator Lan Zhangfeng (郎占锋), and flight engineer Guo Shuming (郭树铭). There were also seven flight attendants on board. ^[4]

Accident

On 24 February 1999, the crew was preparing the aircraft for landing at Wenzhou Airport. The flaps were extended at 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), but seconds after, the aircraft's nose lowered abruptly, the aircraft disintegrated in mid-air and crashed into an area of high ground, and exploded. Witnesses saw the plane nose dive into the ground from an altitude of 700 metres (2,300 ft) and explode. All 61 people on board were killed. ^{[1] [2]} Several people on the ground were injured from debris. ^[5]

Cause

Incorrect self-locking locknuts had been installed in the elevator operating system, which maintenance crews failed to notice. These spun off during the flight, leaving the elevator uncontrollable. This disabled the aircraft's pitch channel, causing the crash. ^[4]

Aftermath

This and the China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 disaster contributed to the decision to remove all Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft in China from service on October 30, 2002. ^{[1] [2]}

See also

• Alaska Airlines Flight 261
• China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303
• China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146
• Japan Airlines Flight 123
• Emery Worldwide Airlines Flight 17, a crash where a maintenance error led to an elevator jam and loss of pitch control.
• Continental Express Flight 2574, an accident where a deicing boot detached from an elevator due to faulty maintenance, leading to a catastrophic loss of control.

References

1. Chan, Minnie (2017-12-24). "Why China's military relies on an ageing Russian passenger jet". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
2. Wantan, Wang (July 16, 2009). "图—154机型涉30起空难 中国已经停用7年" [Figure-154 model, involved in 30 air crashes, has been out of service for 7 years in China (Chinese Simplified)]. world.people.com.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2009-07-19. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
3. "✈ russianplanes.net ✈ наша авиация" [✈ russianplanes.net ✈ our aircraft]. russianplanes.net (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-10-04.
4. "关于西南航空公司"2·24"特大飞行事故结案的通知" [Notice on the completion of the "2·24" extraordinarily large flight accident of Southwest Airlines - Security Management Network (Chinese Simplified)]. www.safehoo.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2018-08-01. Translated article (Note: this translation was made automatically from the original (in Chinese) and has low technical quality, lends itself only to specific queries)
5. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev Tu-154M B-2622 Ruian". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2019-10-05.