Accident description
Last updated: 24 May 2013
| Status: | |
| Date: | 06 JUN 1994 |
| Time: | 08:20 |
| Type: | Tupolev 154M |
| Operator: | China Northwest Airlines |
| Registration: | B-2610 |
| C/n / msn: | 86A-740 |
| First flight: | 1986 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 12507 |
| Cycles: | 6651 |
| Engines: | 3 Soloviev D-30KU-154-II |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 14 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 146 / Occupants: 146 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 160 / Occupants: 160 |
| Airplane damage: | Destroyed |
| Airplane fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | S of Xian (China)
 |
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Xian-Xianyang International Airport (XIY/ZLXY), China |
| Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport (CAN/ZGGG), China | |
| Flightnumber: | 2303 |
The aircraft broke-up in flight and crashed about ten minutes after takeoff.
PROBABLE CAUSE: Auto-pilot induced oscillations caused the aircraft to shake violently. It appeared that the autopilot yaw-channel had been connected to the bank control and the bank-channel to the yaw controls. This was done the previous evening 'in the field' rather than in a workshop. Events:
Sources:
» Air Safety Week 25.07.1994 (p. 4)
» Flight International 20-26.7
» Scramble 182
» Soviet Transports
Sample newspaper article from Newspaperarchive.com
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Xian-Xianyang International Airport to Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport as the crow flies is 1318 km (824 miles).
Distance from Xian-Xianyang International Airport to Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport as the crow flies is 1318 km (824 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
China