Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316

Last updated
Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316
HL7373 MD-11 Korean Air LAX 12MAR94 (6893608555).jpg
HL7373, the aircraft involved in the accident while still a passenger aircraft
Accident
Date15 April 1999 (1999-04-15)
Summary Pilot error due to confusion between metric and imperial measures
Site Xinzhuang, Minhang District, near Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport,
Shanghai, China
31°06′00″N121°22′16″E / 31.10000°N 121.37111°E / 31.10000; 121.37111
Total fatalities8
Total injuries42
Aircraft
Aircraft type McDonnell Douglas MD-11F
Operator Korean Air Cargo
IATA flight No.KE6316
ICAO flight No.KAL6316
Call signKOREAN AIR 6316
Registration HL7373
Flight origin Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai, China
Destination Gimpo International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
Occupants3
Passengers0
Crew3
Fatalities3
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities5
Ground injuries42

Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316 (KE6316/KAL6316) was a scheduled Korean Air Cargo freight flight from Shanghai to Seoul. On 15 April 1999, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F operating the route, registered as HL7373, crashed in Xinzhuang, Shanghai shortly after taking off from Hongqiao Airport, killing all 3 crew on board, along with 5 on the ground. [1] [2]

Contents

Accident

Loaded with 86 tons of cargo, the MD-11F operating Flight 6316 took off from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport at around 4:00 pm. The flight crew consisted of Captain Hong Sung-sil (Korean : 홍성실; Hanja : 洪性實) (54), First Officer Park Bon-suk (박본석;朴本錫) (35), and flight engineer Park Byong-ki (박병기;朴炳基) (48). After taking off, the MD-11F received clearance to climb to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) after the first officer contacted Shanghai Departure.

As the aircraft climbed to 4,500 feet (1,400 m), the first officer told the captain that the required altitude should be 1,500 feet (460 m), thinking that the aircraft was 3,000 feet (910 m) too high. Therefore, the captain pushed the control column abruptly forward, causing the aircraft to descend at over 34,000 feet per minute (10,000 m/min). At 4:04 pm, the aircraft became uncontrollable due to the steep dive and eventually crashed into an industrial zone in Xinzhuang, which is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi; 5.4 nmi) southwest of Hongqiao Airport. The aircraft impacted the ground and exploded. Along with the 3 South Korean crew on board, 2 pupils and 3 migrant workers on the ground also perished. The crash was recorded by the nearby Shanghai Earthquake Administration which indicated that the impact forces had generated an equivalent of a 1.6 magnitude earthquake. [3]

Aircraft

The aircraft operated Flight 6316 was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter with the registration HL7373 and S/N 48409, powered by three Pratt & Whitney PW4460 engines. Built-in February 1992, this aircraft was delivered to Korean Air on March 24, 1992. In 1996, the aircraft was converted to a freighter. [4] [5]

Investigation

On April 27, 1999, the primary investigation revealed no evidence of an explosion or mechanical failure before the impact. In June 2001, further investigation carried out by CAAC showed that the first officer had confused 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), the required altitude, with 1,500 feet (460 m), causing the pilot to make the wrong decision to descend. [6] [7]

In almost all countries, aviation altitudes are measured in feet in compliance with the ICAO convention. [8] Only China, Russia, North Korea, and some nearby countries use metres. [9] [10]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The aircraft involved in this accident was initially delivered to Korean Air as HL7372, the sistership of HL7373. It crashed on November 28, 2009.
  2. ↑ The flight was from Beijing, China to Busan, Korea, flown by a Boeing 767-200ER registered B-2552 on April 15, 2002. 129 people were killed in that crash.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport</span> Secondary airport serving Shanghai, China

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one of two international airports of Shanghai, the municipality in East China, and a significant airline hub of China. Hongqiao Airport mainly serves domestic and regional flights, although the airport also serves select international flights. The airport is located near the town of Hongqiao in the outskirts of Changning and Minhang districts, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west of downtown, and is closer to the city center than the area's primary international airport, Shanghai–Pudong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanghai Pudong International Airport</span> Main airport serving Shanghai, China

Shanghai Pudong International Airport is one of two international airports serving Shanghai, the municipality in East China, and a major aviation hub of East Asia. Pudong Airport serves both international flights and a smaller number of domestic flights, while the city's other major airport, Shanghai–Hongqiao, mainly serves domestic and regional flights in East Asia. Located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of the city center, Pudong Airport occupies a 40-square-kilometre (10,000-acre) site adjacent to the coastline in eastern Pudong. The airport is operated by Shanghai Airport Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell Douglas MD-11</span> Wide body airliners developed from the DC-10

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is an American tri-jet wide-body airliner manufactured by American manufacturer McDonnell Douglas (MDC) and later by Boeing. Following DC-10 development studies, the MD-11 program was launched on December 30, 1986. Assembly of the first prototype began on March 9, 1988. Its maiden flight occurred on January 10, 1990, and it achieved Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification on November 8. The first delivery was to Finnair on December 7 and it entered service on December 20, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Airlines Flight 642</span> August 1999 plane crash in Hong Kong

China Airlines Flight 642 was a flight that crashed at Hong Kong International Airport on 22 August 1999. It was operating from Bangkok to Taipei with a stopover in Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Eastern Airlines</span> Airline based in Shanghai, China

China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited is an airline headquartered in the China Eastern Airlines Building, on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning, Shanghai, China. It is one of the "Big Three" airlines of the People's Republic of China, operating international, domestic and regional routes. China Eastern's main hubs are Shanghai Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport.

Lufthansa Cargo AG is a German cargo airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa. It operates worldwide air freight and logistics services and is headquartered at Frankfurt Airport, the main hub of Lufthansa. Besides operating dedicated cargo planes, the company also has access to cargo capacities of 350 passenger aircraft of the Lufthansa Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Northern Airlines</span> Chinese airline (1990–2003)

China Northern Airlines was an airline headquartered on the grounds of Shenyang Taoxian International Airport, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Established on June 16, 1990, it was one of the six backbone airlines directly under the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Northern Airlines Flight 6136</span> 2002 passenger plane crash in Bohai Bay, Liaoning, China

China Northern Airlines Flight 6136 (CBF6136/CJ6136) was a Chinese domestic passenger flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport. On 7 May 2002, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 operating the flight crashed into the bay near Dalian shortly after the pilot reported "fire on board", killing all 103 passengers and 9 crew members. The cause of the fire was later determined to be arson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210</span> 2004 aviation accident

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210 (CES5210/MU5210), also known as the Baotou Air Disaster, was a flight from Baotou Erliban Airport in Inner Mongolia, China, to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, with a planned stopover at Beijing Capital International Airport. On 21 November 2004, just two minutes after takeoff, the Bombardier CRJ200ER fell from the sky and crashed into a lake in Nanhai Park, next to the airport, killing all 53 people on board and two more on the ground.

Xinzhuang is a town located in Minhang District, Shanghai, China. The town was, by the early 21st century, essentially walking toward the greater Shanghai urban area. On April 15, 1999, Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316 crashed in Xinzhuang, killing all three people on board along with five more people on the ground.

Centurion Air Cargo, operating as Centurion Cargo, was an American cargo airline based in Miami, Florida, United States.

Shanghai Airlines Cargo (上海航空股份公司) was a cargo airline based in Shanghai the People's Republic of China. A joint venture between Shanghai Airlines and EVA Air of the Evergreen Group based in Taiwan, Republic of China, it was established in June 2006. The airline was merged into China Cargo Airlines, along with Great Wall Airlines.

The article describes accidents and incidents on Korean Air and its predecessor companies Korean National Airlines and KAL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanghai Longhua Airport</span> Former Peoples Republic of China airport, located in Shanghai

Shanghai Longhua Airport (上海龙华机场), then called Shanghai Lunghwa Airport, was a converted general aviation airport and PLAAF airfield located south of downtown Shanghai, China, on the bank of the Huangpu River. It opened in the early 1920s and served as the city's airport until the 1950s when Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport opened. Thereafter, it was one of two general aviation airports serving Shanghai and also served as an emergency landing site for police, fire and rescue operations southwest of the city. The airport was eventually closed at 1966, and the airport grounds were slowly built over though a period of between 1993 and 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Eastern Airlines Flight 583</span> 1993 aviation accident

China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 was a commercial passenger flight from Shanghai, China, to Los Angeles, United States, operated by China Eastern Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FedEx Express Flight 80</span> 2009 cargo plane crash in Tokyo, Japan

FedEx Express Flight 80 was a scheduled cargo flight from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in the People's Republic of China, to Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. On March 23, 2009, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N526FE) operating the flight crashed at 6:48 am JST, while attempting a landing on Runway 34L in gusty wind conditions. The aircraft became destabilized at flare and touchdown resulting in an unrecovered "bounced" landing with structural failure of the landing gear and airframe, and came to rest off the runway, inverted, and burning fiercely. The captain and first officer, the jet's only occupants, were both killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avient Aviation Flight 324</span> 2009 aviation accident

On 28 November 2009 at 08:12 (UTC+8), Avient Aviation McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, registration Z-BAV, on flight 324 from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, crashed during its take off roll with the loss of 3 lives. As the aircraft rotated for departure, the tail struck the ground, and the aircraft then overshot the end of the runway, crashed and landed on top of a warehouse near the runway. The plane was written off. Avient took delivery of Z-BAV on 20 November 2009, 8 days before the crash.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Air Flight 1533</span> 1999 aviation accident

Korean Air Flight 1533 was a domestic passenger flight from Gimpo International Airport to Pohang Airport. On March 15, 1999, the McDonnell Douglas MD-83 operating the flight overshot runway 10 during landing at Pohang Airport. All 156 people on board survived, but the aircraft was destroyed.

References

  1. ↑ 一架飞机今天下午在上海附近坠落 [A plane crashed near Shanghai this afternoon.] (in Chinese (China)). Sina News. April 15, 1999. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  2. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas MD-11F HL7373 Shanghai-Hongqiao Airport (SHA)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  3. ↑ Haiping, Xu; Shiqing, Huang; Zhide, Wang. 用科学捍卫尊严──中国民航调查"4·15"韩航坠机事故原因纪实 第二节 寻找证据 [Defend dignity with science──Civil Aviation Investigation of China "April 15" Korean Airline crash cause documentary section 2 Finding evidence]. people.cn (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  4. ↑ "HL7373 Korean Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-11F". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  5. ↑ "Korean Air HL7373 (McDonnell Douglas MD-11 - MSN 48409)". www.airfleets.net. Airfleets aviation. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  6. ↑ 上海机场大韩航空事故原因为驾驶员失误 [Korean Air accident at Shanghai Airport was caused by driver error]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Controlled Flight Into Terrain, KOREAN AIR FLIGHT KE6316, MD-11F HL7373, SHANGHAI, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, APRIL 15, 1999" (PDF). Civil Aviation Administration of China. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  8. ↑ "ANNEX 5 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation". Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Metric Altitude Reference". Skybrary. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  10. ↑ "Aviation's Crazy, Mixed Up Units of Measure". Aerosavvy aviation insight. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
External images
Searchtool.svg Pre-accident photos of HL7373 from Airliners.net
Searchtool.svg Pre-accident photos of HL7373 from JetPhotos.com
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.