1922 Baoding plane crash

1922 aviation accident in China June 2026 April 2026 Accident 31 March 1922 Crashed during landing near Baoding Airport, Baoding, Republic of China 14 14 0 Handley Page aircraft Baoding Airport Baoding Airport Baoding Air Force On 31 March 1922, a Baoding Air Force Handley Page passenger aircraft conducting a test flight crashed while attempting to land back at Baoding Airport, Baoding, Zhili, Republic of China. Having descended too low, the aircraft clipped trees and crashed into the ground, bursting into flames, killing all 14 occupants on board the aircraft. The flight took place on the final day of a three-day test flight tour conducted in Baoding to develop civil aviation in China. The crash was China's first civil aviation accident and resulted in the Baoding Air Force being banned from carrying passengers during training flights. Background thumb|Cao Kun On 1 November 1921, Zhili clique warlords founded the Baoding Air Force using aircraft salvaged from Beijing.Liu Yazhou 刘亚洲 Yao Jun 姚峻 2007 中国航空史 History of Chinese Aviation zh 2nd https://books.google.com/books?id=cTIhAQAAMAAJ Hunan Hunan Science and Technology Press zh 湖南科学技术出版社 Google Books 40 978-7-5357-4881-2 2025-10-25Hua Qiang 华强 Xi Jirong 奚纪荣 Meng Qinglong 孟庆龙 2006 中国空军百年史 A Hundred-Year History of the Chinese Air Force zh https://books.google.com/books?id=vDhFAAAAMAAJ Shanghai Shanghai People's Publishing House Google Books 53 978-7-208-05922-1 2025-10-25 The pilots were trained using the Air Force's three remaining Handley Page aircraft. In spring 1922, Cao Kun established the 京漢航空線籌備處 京漢航空線籌備處 jīng hàn hángkōng xiàn chóubèi chù Beijing-Hankou Air Line Preparatory Office no p, under the pretext of "developing civil aviation". As such, to improve publicity and expand its influence, from 29 to 31 March, a Handley Page passenger aircraft would be used to conduct a test flight tour in Baoding. During the three-day tour, the flight carried personnel from government agencies in Baoding, military units, and organizations. The first two days of the tour were uneventful. From November 1921 until 31 March 1922, according to historical records from the Republic of China, there were no fatal aviation accidents at Baoding Airport. Accident On 31 March 1922, the aircraft was conducting a test flight with 14 occupants on board: pilot-in-command Ma Yufang (馬毓芳 no), pilots Ma Guishan (馬桂山 no) and Tian Zhaolin (田兆霖 no), chief flight engineer Wu Yongzhong (武永忠 no) and engineer Zhai Fengming (翟鳳鳴 no), 23rd Division company commander Xu Yi (徐毅 no), platoon leaders Wang Shaozhou (王紹舟 no), Liu Guoyuan (劉國垣 no), Bian Dexian (邊德顯 no), and Zhang Boling (張伯齡 no), quartermaster Liang Fangji (梁芳霽 no), dispatchers Wang Zhi (王智 no) and Bao Wenwei (鮑文偉 no), and officer training cadet Yang Jiayou (楊嘉佑 no). Ma Yufang was a pilot for the Baoding Air Force, having graduated from the second class of the Nanyuan Aviation School zh-tw 南苑航空学校.2004-04-02 北洋航空旧事(组图) Beiyang Aviation: Stories from the Past (with Photos) zh https://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2004-04-02/1359190897.html zh:环球飞行 Global Flight Sina Corporation 2025-10-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20251025080409/https://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2004-04-02/1359190897.html 2025-10-25 At 10:20 am, while attempting to return to Baoding Airport, the aircraft flew at a low approach altitude, causing its tail to strike treetops at Wulipu, northeast of the airport which resulted in the plane crashing into the ground and bursting into flames.Ma Yufu 马毓福 1994 中国军事航空: 1908–1949 Chinese Military Aviation: 1908–1949 zh https://books.google.com/books?id=4tE0AAAAMAAJ Beijing Aviation Industry Press zh 航空工业出版社 Google Books 114 978-7-80046-751-6 2025-10-25 It took firefighters more than an hour to extinguish the fire. All 14 occupants on board the aircraft were killed and the aircraft was destroyed.2000 中国民航大博览 China Civil Aviation Expo zh https://books.google.com/books?id=hU_-es3KBY0C Jinghua Publishing House 京华出版社 Google Books 2025-10-25 31 Aftermath The crash was the first accident involving a Chinese civilian aircraft.Chronicle of major developments in Chinese Aeronautics https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-09/30/content_268945.htm 25 February 2026 China Daily 30 September 2003 https://web.archive.org/web/20031003072522/https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-09/30/content_268945.htm 3 October 2003 live Having learned of the crash, Cao Kun was shocked. Feeling that "the aviation force, as a war tool, was not a good tool," he ordered the improvement of safety regarding flight training and stressed that other people were no longer allowed on board training flights. As such, due to the large number of casualties, the Baoding Air Force was prohibited from carrying passengers during training flights. References Category:1922 in China Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in China Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1922 Category:Disasters in Beijing Category:March 1922 Category:1922 disasters in Asia Category:1920s disasters in China