1990 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisions

Aircraft hijacking and crash in China October 2025 January 2026 1990 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisionsXiamen Airlines Flight 8301CAAC Flight 3523China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305 Crashedboeing757XiamenAirlines.jpg The wreckage of Flight 3523 Hijacking 1990 10 02 y Hijacking leading to ground collision Guangzhou BaiyunInternational AirportGuangzhou, China 53 23.1872 113.2680 type:event inline,title 128 (including the hijacker) 97 Boeing 737-247 CAAC - Boeing 737-247 - B-2510.png B-2510, the Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737-247 involved the collision, seen in 1985 Xiamen Airlines MF8301 CXA8301 XIAMEN AIR 8301 B 2510 Xiamen Gaoqi Airport, China Guangzhou BaiyunInternational Airport, China 102 (including the hijacker) 93 (including the hijacker) 9 18 20 82 (including the hijacker) CAAC Boeing 757-200 Goetting.jpg A CAAC Boeing 757-21B, similar to the aircraft involved in the collision Boeing 757-21B CAAC CA3523 CCA3523 CAAC 3523 B 2812 Guangzhou BaiyunInternational Airport, China Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, China 122 110 12 34 76 46 CAAC - Boeing 707-320B - B-2402 - Guilin.jpg B-2402, the China Southwest Airlines Boeing 707-3J6B involved in the collision, photographed in 1983 Boeing 707-3J6B China Southwest Airlines SZ4305 CXN4305 CHINA SOUTHWEST 4305 B 2402 Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, China Guangzhou BaiyunInternational Airport, China 1 1 1 1 0 Image of aircraft B-2402 at the time of delivery On 2 October 1990, a hijacked Boeing 737-200, operating Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, collided with two other aircraft at the old Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport while attempting to land. The hijacked aircraft struck parked China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305 first, a Boeing 707, inflicting only minor damage, but then collided with CAAC Flight 3523, a Boeing 757 waiting to take off, flipping onto its back. A total of 128 people were killed, including seven of nine crew members and 75 of 93 passengers on Flight 8301 and 46 of 110 passengers on Flight 3523, making this incident the deadliest aircraft hijacking prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Aircraft involved The three aircraft involved in the incident were the hijacked Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, and two planes parked on the apron at Baiyun Airport: China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305 and CAAC Flight 3523.December 2025 Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 was operated with a Boeing 737-247. The aircraft registration was B-2510, with serial number 23189/1072. This aircraft had previously been hijacked on May 12, 1988, by Zhang Qingguo and Long Guiyun,http://news.ifeng.com/mil/history/detail_2008_03/04/505979_4.shtml The Return of Mainland Hijackers: 10 Passenger Planes Hijacked to Taiwan in 1993 (Part 5) 2011-08-24 Phoenix News 2008-03-04 zh-hans https://web.archive.org/web/20140222063614/http://news.ifeng.com/mil/history/detail_2008_03/04/505979_4.shtml 2014-02-22 live Xinhua News - International Herald Tribune armed with knives, to Taiwan's Taichung Ching-Chuan-Kang Airport,http://www.southcn.com/news/gdnews/sz/xjc/hg/200406230064.htm 回眸百年机场 14年前128人魂断中秋节前1天 2011-10-07 Haihan Southern Metropolis Daily Southern Net 2004-06-23 zh-hans https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115924/http://www.southcn.com/news/gdnews/sz/xjc/hg/200406230064.htm 2015-09-24 live Wang Looking Back at a Century of Airports: 128 Lost Souls 14 Years Ago, One Day Before Mid-Autumn Festival becoming the first aircraft from mainland China hijacked to Taiwan. On the day of the incident, Flight 8301 departed from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport en route to the original Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.19901002-3 Hijacking B-2510 There were 93 passengers and 9 crew members on board.http://news.dayoo.com/guangzhou/zhuanti/node_31701/2007-11/27/content_3152833.htm 1990年10·2广州白云机场空难亲历者回忆 2011-06-15 Heng Guangzhou Daily Dayoo.com 2007-11-27 zh-hans https://web.archive.org/web/20110412141652/http://news.dayoo.com/guangzhou/zhuanti/node_31701/2007-11/27/content_3152833.htm 2011-04-12 dead Li Ren Wu Recollections of the 1990 October 2 Guangzhou Baiyun Airport Air Disaster Witnesses China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305https://xw.qq.com/gd/20150204056482/GD2015020405648200 广州10.2空难回顾 2019-02-04 zh-cn https://web.archive.org/web/20190204122333/https://xw.qq.com/gd/20150204056482/GD2015020405648200 2019-02-04 dead Guangzhou Daily A Retrospective on the Guangzhou 10.2 Air Crash was operated with a Boeing 707-3J6B, registration B-2402, serial number 20714/869. It first flew in 1973.19901002-2 B-2402 In 1983, it was transferred from the Civil Aviation Administration of China's Beijing Regional Administration to the Shanghai Regional Administration,https://www.shtong.gov.cn/difangzhi-front/book/detailNew?oneId=1&bookId=68464&parentNodeId=68497&nodeId=66141&type=-1 上海民用航空志／第三章 民用飞机／第二节 来源 Shanghai Municipal Office of Local Chronicles 至1983年，民航上海管理局 [……] 接收原属民航北京管理局的2架波音707型客机，号码为2402、2412号，投入国际和地区航线飞行 2025-05-23 zh Shanghai Civil Aviation Gazetteer / Chapter 3: Civil Aircraft / Section 2: Origins By 1983, the CAAC Shanghai Administration [...] took delivery of two Boeing 707 passenger aircraft—designated as numbers 2402 and 2412—previously belonging to the CAAC Beijing Administration, and deployed them on international and regional routes. and later to the Chengdu Regional Administration in 1985. 四川省志-民航志（1986-2005） Local Chronicles Publishing House 2019 978-7-5144-3752-2 zh Sichuan Provincial Gazetteer — Civil Aviation (1986–2005) Sichuan Provincial Local Chronicles Compilation Committee81 On November 3, 1989, it was involved in an attempted hijacking while operating a flight from Harbin to Guangzhou.398 On the day of the incident, the aircraft had recently landed at Baiyun Airport from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. All passengers had disembarked, and the crew had left except for one person who stayed on board for cleaning. CAAC Flight 3523 was operated with a Boeing 757-21B, registration B-2812, serial number 24758/282. It first flew in 1990 and was the newest of the three aircraft. On the day of the incident, it was scheduled to fly to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.19901002-4 B-2812 At the time of the incident, all 110 passengers and 12 crew members were already on board. Hijacking of Flight 8301 Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, operated on a Boeing 737-200,19901002-3 Hijacking B-2510 was hijacked by Jiang Xiaofeng (蒋晓峰 蔣曉峰 Jiǎng Xiǎofēng), born 11 August 1969 in Linli County, Hunan,Lessons Learned from Hijacking http://flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_dec90.pdf Flight Safety Digest Flight Safety Foundation 23 November 2012 13 December 1990 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130616220407/http://flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_dec90.pdf 16 June 2013Yi Zhou Lin Zhu 2009-06-12 zh:白云机场"10·2"特大空难揭秘 "10·2" Extraordinary Air Accident at Baiyun Airport Revealed http://zm.njnews.cn/html/2009-06/12/content_278854.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140222040354/http://zm.njnews.cn/html/2009-06/12/content_278854.htm 2014-02-22 2011-06-12 Weekend zh on Tuesday, 2 October 1990. Jiang, a 21-year-old purchasing agent, was seeking political asylum in Taiwan.December 2025 Jiang was once arrested for theft in September 1988. While working as a purchasing agent in 1990, he fled on 13 July with RMB 17,000 which was given to him for purchasing goods for his company. He was wanted by the police at the time of the hijacking. On 29 September, Jiang checked-in at a hotel near the Xiamen borders. The next day, he booked a seat on the flight he would go on to hijack. Jiang checked out of the hotel around 6 a.m. on the morning of 2 October and headed to the airport. He was seen wearing a black suit and black dress shoes, carrying a black suitcase, and holding plastic roses. Jiang was the last to board the plane. He was sitting at seat 16D.2009-06-08 1990年厦航客机空难揭秘 客机遭劫撞毁空姐玉殒 The secret of the 1990 Xiamen Airlines passenger plane crash revealed. The passenger plane was hijacked and crashed and the flight attendant Yu died http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_2.htm live https://web.archive.org/web/20140831012128/http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_2.htm 2014-08-31 2021-06-17 Fjsen zh2009-06-08 1990年厦航客机空难揭秘 客机遭劫撞毁空姐玉殒 The secret of the 1990 Xiamen Airlines passenger plane crash revealed. The passenger plane was hijacked and crashed and the flight attendant Yu died http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_2.htm live https://web.archive.org/web/20140831012128/http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_2.htm 2014-08-31 2021-06-17 Fjsen zh On the day of the incident, Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 began boarding at 6:15 a.m. and took off on schedule at 6:57 a.m. Around 7:20 a.m., passenger Jiang Xiaofeng left his seathttp://museum.cpd.com.cn/n1068544/c15801532/content_2.html "10.2"劫机大空难（2） 2014-02-10 Haibo People's Public Security 42 China Police Network 2013-02-21 zh-hans dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140221231945/http://museum.cpd.com.cn/n1068544/c15801532/content_2.html 2014-02-21 Liwen The "October 2" Hijacking Disaster (Part 2) and rushed toward the cockpit holding a black plastic box about the size of a cigarette pack.http://www.nbweekly.com/news/observe/201009/12694.aspx 空难残生20年 2012-07-03 Peng Nandu Weekly 2010-09-17 zh-hans dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140222055946/http://www.nbweekly.com/news/observe/201009/12694.aspx 2014-02-22 Zhou Jiangyan Zhu Surviving a Plane Crash: 20 Years On He forcefully pounded on the cockpit door and opened it—it had not been locked at the time—and barged in. Once inside, he displayed wires in his hand and claimed he was carrying 7 kilogramshttp://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_2.htm 1990年厦航客机空难揭秘 客机遭劫撞毁空姐玉殒（2） 2011-08-24 Chengpei Xiamen Business Daily Southeast Net 2009-06-08 zh-hans https://web.archive.org/web/20140831012128/http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_2.htm 2014-08-31 live Chen Xingle Wang Unveiling the 1990 Xiamen Airlines Crash: Hijacked Airliner Crashes, Flight Attendant Perishes (Part 2) of explosives, demanding that the flight be diverted to Taiwan Taoyuan.December 2025 He threatened to "go down together" if his demands were not met.December 2025 He then ordered that everyone except the captain, Cen Longyu, leave the cockpit. The captain complied and cleared the cockpit. Meanwhile, cockpit audio was transmitted to the control tower via radio communication systems. Upon confirming the hijacking, the Civil Aviation Administration's Central South Regional Bureau authorized the aircraft to land at any airport—domestic or international. A Xiamen-to-Guangzhou flight hijacked mid-air, resulting in significant casualties — Li Pengfei arrives in Guangzhou to oversee response measures 1990-10-03 zh-hans People's Daily Xinhua News Agency 5 Simultaneously, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport was shut down, and all takeoffs and landings were suspended. In the cabin, flight attendants informed passengers that the plane had been hijacked. About 20 minutes later, with the hijacker's permission, a crew member lowered the curtain between the cockpit and the cabin, and over 20 passengers from the front rows were relocated to the rear of the aircraft. According to survivors, the crew attempted to determine whether the hijacker's suitcase contained explosives. After discussion, a female flight attendant retrieved the suitcase from the overhead compartment, but since it was locked, they ultimately did not open it. As the aircraft entered Guangdong airspace, it circled above Foshan Shadi Airport before proceeding toward Guangzhou. Upon arrival, it flew in a holding pattern approximately 300 meters above Baiyun Airport. At 8:34 a.m., the captain radioed the Guangzhou control tower, reporting insufficient fuel and requesting permission to divert to Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong for refueling before continuing to Taiwan. Although the Guangzhou Civil Aviation Administration and control tower approved the request, the hijacker refused to land in Hong Kong and threatened to detonate the aircraft if forced to do so. No further communications were received from the flight after that. The pilot circled Guangzhou, attempting to reason with Jiang. He was eventually forced to land the plane when it ran dangerously low on fuel. Reports from the official Xinhua News Agency did not explain why the pilot did not accede to Jiang's demand.https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/10/world/hijacking-prompts-beijing-shake-up.html Hijacking Prompts Beijing Shake-Up Kristof Nicholas D. 10 October 1990 The New York Times November 24, 2009 3 0362-4331 2 January 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140102165314/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/10/world/hijacking-prompts-beijing-shake-up.html live At 9:04 a.m., Flight 8301 landed at Baiyun Airport. After taxiing for approximately 1,080 meters, Jiang managed to wrestle control of the aircraft from the pilot, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway to the right and head toward the apron. The plane briefly lifted off again, with its nose rising, but the tail struck a ground service vehicle. It then collided with a parked China Southwest Airlines Boeing 707-3J6B which had just arrived from Chengdu as China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305, shearing off the nose of the aircraft and slightly injuring the pilot, who was in the cockpit at the time. The aircraft continued forward and struck CAAC Flight 3523,https://xw.qq.com/gd/20150204056482/GD2015020405648200 广州10.2空难回顾 2015-02-04 Guangzhou Daily zh Guangzhou 10.2 air crash review dead https://web.archive.org/web/20190204122333/https://xw.qq.com/gd/20150204056482/GD2015020405648200 2019-02-04 2019-07-19 a Boeing 75719901002-4 B-2812 waiting to depart to Shanghai, hitting the upper fuselage and splitting it into two parts, causing the left engine to detach. After traveling another 300 meters eastward, the Xiamen Airlines plane crashed to the ground, rolling and breaking apart into four major sections.https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/03/world/127-killed-in-jetliner-collision-in-china-752890.html 127 Killed in Jetliner Collision in China Wudunn Sheryl 3 October 1990 The New York Times 24 November 2009 3 0362-4331 14 August 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180814071439/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/03/world/127-killed-in-jetliner-collision-in-china-752890.html live All three aircraft caught fire following the collisions. According to official accounts, firefighters stationed nearby brought the flames under control within 12 seconds and fully extinguished them within two minutes, successfully rescuing 54 passengers.http://59.41.8.134:8080/was40/detail?record=2&channelid=10097&searchword=%B0%D7%D4%C6%BB%FA%B3%A1 消防工作 2011-06-15 Songlian Guangzhou City Gazetteer 1990 zh-hans Situ Firefighting WorkNovember 2017 InternetArchiveBot Over ten hours after the incident, the Guangzhou emergency rescue team completed debris removal from the airport.http://59.41.8.134:8080/was40/detail?record=8&channelid=10097&searchword=%B0%D7%D4%C6%BB%FA%B3%A1 公路运输 概况 2011-06-15 Kening Guangzhou City Gazetteer 1990 zh-hans Zhang Road Transport: OverviewNovember 2017 InternetArchiveBot The airport resumed operations the following day. Passengers and fatalities + Fatalities by aircraft Flight Passengers Crew Total Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 75 782 CAAC Flight 352346046 China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305000 Total 121 7 128 The collisions were the deadliest aviation incident of 1990.December 2025 Among the victims were not only passengers from mainland China, but also individuals from the United States, Sweden, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.December 2025 On the Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737, seven of the nine crew members and 75 (including 30 Taiwanese, four people from Hong Kong, one from Macau, and one American37 foreigners among the 127 killed in crash of hijacked Chinese jet Miami Herald Miami Reuters 1990-10-04 3A Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/172189027/) of the 93 passengers died. On the CAAC 757 aircraft all 12 crew members survived and 46 of 110 passengers died. Of the passengers who died in the 757, eight were from Taiwan.FCJ Editors. "Relatives Bring Ashes Home In Sorrow, Anger" (Archive). Taiwan Journal. 15 October 1990. April 2017 medicmedic A total of 128 people died in the disaster, including Jiang, the hijacker of the Xiamen Airlines aircraft.https://time.com/archive/6716156/china-deadly-bouquet/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250512010831/https://time.com/archive/6716156/china-deadly-bouquet/ live May 12, 2025 World Notes CHINA China: Deadly Bouquet 15 October 1990 TIME 24 November 2009 This disaster also marked the first hull loss and fatal disaster involving a Boeing 757. Of the 46 fatalities aboard the CAAC flight, most died instantly, while five others succumbed to injuries after being taken to the hospital.http://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTotal-ZHHK199404003.htm 1990年广州白云机场"10·2"空难的灾害医学分析 2012-07-11 1994 zh-hans Chinese Journal of Aviation Medicine 5 4 Xiaoguang https://web.archive.org/web/20140222042133/http://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTotal-ZHHK199404003.htm 2014-02-22 live Chen Qixian Feng A Disaster Medicine Analysis of the "October 2" Air Crash at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in 1990 Among the passengers was a tour group from Taiwan consisting of ten members—all of whom perished.http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_3.htm 1990年厦航客机空难揭秘 客机遭劫撞毁空姐玉殒（3） 2011-08-24 Chengpei Xiamen Business Daily Southeast Net 2009-06-08 zh-hans https://web.archive.org/web/20140901061254/http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331_3.htm 2014-09-01 live Chen Xingle Wang Unveiling the 1990 Xiamen Airlines Crash: Hijacked Airliner Crashes, Flight Attendant Perishes (Part 3) The crash resulted in the deaths of 30 Taiwanese travelers, making it the deadliest incident involving tourists from Taiwan since the Republic of China allowed visits to mainland China in the late 1980s.http://www.cna.com.tw/news/FirstNews/201108150076-1.aspx 赴陸旅行團4死 十年來最慘重 2014-02-12 Shunxie Central News Agency 2011-08-15 zh-tw https://web.archive.org/web/20140426235848/http://www.cna.com.tw/news/FirstNews/201108150076-1.aspx 2014-04-26 live Chen Four Dead in Tour Group to Mainland China—Deadliest Incident in a Decade A Swedish businessman on board was among the few survivors. None of the 12 crew members on the CAAC flight were killed, as they had been monitoring the hijacking situation from the cockpit via radio communications prior to the collision. The China Southwest Airlines aircraft sustained the fewest casualties, with only one crew member—who had stayed behind to clean the cabin—injured. Additionally, five passengers from Hong Kong and two from Macau were killed in the incident. Investigation and aftermath At 2:10 p.m. on the day of the crash, then-Premier Li Peng flew from Beijing to Guangzhou to assess the situation, inspect the scene, and visit injured passengers at the hospital. A post-crash investigation team was quickly formed by the central government, and a local task force was also established to handle the aftermath, led by Chen Kaizhi.Bingxin 决断——邓小平最后一次南行 2009 2014-02-11 Xinhua Publishing House 978-7-5011-8833-8 第一章：插柳不叫春知道 http://gd.people.com.cn/GB/123947/128569/133843/7887157.html http://gd.people.com.cn/GB/123947/128569/133843/7887157.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123904/http://gd.people.com.cn/GB/123947/128569/133843/7887157.html 2016-03-04 live zh-hans Tian The Decisive Move—Deng Xiaoping's Final Tour of the South Chapter One: Planting Willows Without Spring's Knowledge The remains of Captain Cen Longyu and the hijacker, Jiang Xiaofeng, were found in the cockpit wreckage. Although Jiang had claimed to be carrying explosives during the hijacking, an autopsy later confirmed that he had no such materials on his body. According to a report by The New York Times, Chinese authorities had tried to deceive the hijacker into believing that the aircraft had been diverted to an international airport, while actually instructing the pilot to land at Baiyun Airport instead of flying to Taiwan as demanded.December 2025 On October 10, officials released the preliminary investigation results. Authorities acknowledged procedural failures in handling the hijacking and announced that several lower-level employees at the airport and involved airlines would be dismissed. However, the report did not explain why no evacuation was carried out for passengers aboard nearby aircraft during the 40 minutes of circling before the crash. Aftermath Since the incident occurred during the Beijing Asian Games, authorities were concerned about the possibility of further explosions or hijackings disrupting the event.December 2025 As a result, security measures at airports nationwide were significantly tightened to prevent similar incidents.December 2025 The crash prompted a change in the government's early approach to hijacking incidents. Instead of encouraging crew and passengers to confront hijackers directly, the new priority became the protection of passengers and aircraft safety. All three aircraft were declared total losses due to severe damage.http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331.htm 1990年厦航客机空难揭秘 客机遭劫撞毁空姐玉殒（1） 2011-08-24 Chengpei Xiamen Business Daily 东南网 2009-06-08 zh-hans https://web.archive.org/web/20100322201414/http://www.fjsen.com/d/2009-06/08/content_98331.htm 2010-03-22 live Chen Xingle Wang Unveiling the 1990 Xiamen Airlines Crash: Hijacked Airliner Crashes, Flight Attendant Perishes (Part 1) The CAAC Boeing 757, insured by a Guangzhou-based insurance company, received a compensation payout of US$55.599 million (approximately RMB 290 million at the time).http://59.41.8.134:8080/was40/detail?record=12&channelid=10097&searchword=%B0%D7%D4%C6%BB%FA%B3%A1 Annual Claims Exceed Income 2011-08-24 Fulin Guangzhou Gazetteer zh-hans TangNovember 2017 InternetArchiveBot The only surviving intact wreckage from the crash includes one engine, one tire, and the left landing gear. These parts are currently preserved and displayed at an aviation museum located east of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport for public viewing. See also China Aviation 1990s Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 013 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 References External links Flight Safety Foundation's Flight Safety Digest, December 1990 – a brief about the incident is at pp. 13–14 (Archive) Category:1990 disasters in China Category:20th-century mass murders in China Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by hijacking Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in China Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving ground collisions Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737 Original Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 757 Category:China Southern Airlines accidents and incidents Category:CAAC accidents and incidents Category:China Southwest Airlines accidents and incidents Category:Cross-strait relations Category:1990 in Guangzhou Category:1990 mass murders Category:October 1990 in China Category:XiamenAir accidents and incidents Category:Aircraft hijackings in China