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| Date: | Friday 18 January 1985 |
| Time: | 21:06 |
| Type: |  Antonov An-24V |
| Owner/operator: | CAAC |
| Registration: | B-434 |
| MSN: | 27308110 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Engine model: | Ivchenko AI-24A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 38 / Occupants: 41 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Jinan Airport -
 China
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport (NKG/ZSNJ) |
| Jinan Zhangzhuang Airport | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
CAAC flight 5109, an Antonov An-24, crashed while on approach to Jinan Airport, China, killing 38 occupants; 3 survived the accident.
The aircraft departed Nanjing at 19:30 and at 21:08 attempted an instrument approach to Jinan. After an unsuccessful landing it went around; during the go-around it struck the ground and was destroyed. Only one flight attendant and two passengers survived; all others perished.
1. Sequence of Events
19:30 Departed Nanjing.
21:02 Arrived over Jinan and began a modified NDB approach, landing direction 180°.
21:07 (est.) Passed the inner marker. Witnesses: track slightly right, height not low. Landing lights switched on 720 m before threshold.
AF personnel on two searchlight trucks: aircraft aimed at lights, did not descend, began to oscillate after passing the second truck, rolled abruptly left, impact heard, fire erupted.
2. Investigation Findings
2.1 Weather
CAFC forecast 17:00–24:00: wind 290° 1 m/s, visibility 1 km, light fog, 5/8 Sc 600 m, 8/8 Sc 1 000 m, occasional light snow.
PLA forecast 18:00–06:00: ceiling 100–200 m, vis 1–2 km, becoming <1 km with smoke/fog/snow, temp –2 °C.
Actual 21:00:
CAFC obs: vis 2 km, calm.
Run-up: vis 1.5 km, wind 230° 1 m/s.
PLA obs: vis 1 km (1.1 km north), calm; laser ceilometer 100 m.
Investigation: conditions met commander’s minima (ceiling 80 m, vis 1 km).
2.2 Acceptance & ATC
Before acceptance the duty manager, met and dispatch officers reviewed weather twice.
16:00 First review: stagnant trough, low-level convergence, humidity high, vis ≈1 km, alternate (Gucheng) also poor; acceptance deferred to 19:00.
18:30 Second review: stable, no deterioration expected within 2 h; extra fuel loaded, Beijing & Nanjing agreed to accept diversion.
After arrival the dispatch-chief positioned at run-up line. He noticed track right & high, advised correction; when lights came on he judged landing impossible and called “go-around”.
Criticism: no proactive calls at outer marker, ambiguous phraseology (“OK, going around”).
2.3 Crew Qualification & Health
Commander: 880 h on IL-14, 3 320 h on AN-24 (427 h night), 1/1 minima, right-seat instructor.
Co-pilot: 3 400 h IL-14 (1/2), 450 h AN-24, 2/0.
F/E: 1 000 h IL-14, 3 000 h AN-24.
Nav: 1 000 h IL-14, 2 900 h AN-24.
Radio (f): 4 700 h IL-14, 2 800 h AN-24.
All passed medicals Dec 84 and pre-flight.
2.4 Aircraft
Wreckage: gear up, flaps 38°, controls normal.
Right prop blade angle avg 33.19° → power ≥ rated.
Right engine/prop fire-damaged; torsion fracture, turbine blades clogged with soil → engine operating at impact.2.5 Flight Recorder
Recorded height, speed, heading, g each second.
Approach to inner marker normal.
Last RT call at outer marker 21:06:10 (frame 1708);推算 inner marker frame 1757 (21:06:59).
Stall at 80 kt (149 km/h) frame 1781.
Heading: 185°→210° in 9 s (1757-66), then 210°→184° in 4 s, steady 6 s, then drifted to 125°.
Height: 80 m (1753) → 57 m (1757) → 39 m (1761) → 126 m at stall (1781).
Speed: 213 km/h (1740) → 235 km/h (1757) → 149 km/h (1781).
Post-stall data unreliable.
Cause
After passing the inner marker the crew neglected instruments and lost attitude. Large right bank, 30° heading change, 41 m height loss, then abrupt left correction.
Lights switched on in smoke/fog producing “light screen”; runway not seen → go-around initiated.
Excessive back-pressure during go-around caused stall and impact.
Lessons & Corrective Actions
1. Crew coordination in IMC must be strengthened. Loss of attitude and abrupt control inputs were primary causes. All units shall emphasise CRM, include it in routine checks, and approve crew pairings.
During instrument approach the left seat must fly by instruments, monitoring attitude/height/speed; right seat searches for runway; only when runway is identified may the left seat look out.
2. Flap 30° is prescribed for AN-24 approaches in IMC; flaps were set 38°, complicating go-around. Study the flight manual, improve theory and technique.
Go-around must be timely and smooth, respecting engine spool-up lag.
3. In rain, snow, fog or haze, premature use of landing lights creates a light screen. Lights should be switched on only when the runway is clearly visible and landing is assured.
4. If runway is not in sight at minimums, execute an immediate go-around; hesitation is unacceptable.
5. ATC was not proactive: no call one minute after outer marker, phraseology non-standard. Dispatch offices shall review procedures, study the “Flight Control Manual” and airport instructions, and use standard phraseology.
During final approach controllers must actively monitor altitude/weather and issue timely instructions.
6. Airport navaids need upgrading. Investment will be prioritised for ILS modernisation at trunk airports
Sources:
Soviet Transports
Chinese aviation accidents centennial
Civil Aviation Flight Accident Compilation (Volumes 1–4), 1949–1989
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Nov-2024 11:21 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 04-Oct-2025 08:10 | Togawa Sakiko | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 04-Oct-2025 18:26 | ASN | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
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