Black boxes found, hunt for crash clues goes on
By Cyril Li and Winny Wang |
August 26, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
The two black boxes containing the flight recorder have been found among the debris of a crashed regional airliner that split into two while trying to land in heavy fog in China's northeast on Tuesday night, leaving 42 people dead but 54 survivors in the country's first major air disaster in nearly six years.
The cause of the accident is still unknown. A preliminary investigation found that the airplane did not catch fire or explode in the air and that there were no signs of sabotage, according to China Central Television.
While investigators from the General Administration of Civil Aviation - the industry's watchdog - said it would take some time to determine the cause of the crash, survivors and Internet users have speculated on possibility of system failure, technical error and weather conditions, as well as the design of Lindu Airport.
President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday ordered safety checks throughout the country's aviation industry to eliminate hidden dangers to ensure aviation security.
The Henan Airlines plane, a Brazilian-built Embraer E-190 jet with 91 passengers and five crew, crashed late Tuesday near the relatively new Lindu Airport on the outskirts of Yichun City in Heilongjiang Province.
The jet broke into half about 1.5 kilometers from the runway, then caught fire and exploded.
Most of the casualties were concentrated at the rear of the cabin, said Xu Zhaojun, Party secretary of Yichun.
Thick fog and poor night landing facilities contributed to the crash, officials said.
The newly built Yichun airport sits in a forested valley and has operated for a year.
The board of Henan Airlines announced last night that it sacked General Manager Li Qiang, without giving reasons.
And the company canceled all its flights for safety reviews, local officials said. The operations of Henan Airlines would be suspended for an unspecific time, said Wu Zhenkun, an official with the Henan provincial aviation regulatory committee.
At least one major airline had raised concerns about the safety of night landings at the Yichun airport.
China Southern Airlines decided last August to avoid night flights in and out of Yichun, switching its daily flight from Harbin to the daytime.
A technical notice cited concerns about the airport's surrounding terrain, runway lighting and wind and weather conditions.
Aviation officials were at the scene yesterday, searching through ruins for clues while the Civil Aviation Administration of China carried out a large-scale investigation.
Li Jian, deputy director of the aviation administration, said they have set up six task forces to examine details including the flight route and air control.
"It's hard to make any assumption right now, but we will publish, step by step, what we can rule out," Li said.
Of the five-member crew, two survived, including the captain and an attendant.
The route between Yichun and Harbin, Heilongjiang's capital, was opened by Henan Airlines only two weeks ago, with three flights a week.
Henan Airlines is a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines of China and Mesa Air Group of the United States. Previously known as Kunpeng Airlines and based in Henan Province, it flies smaller regional jets, mainly on routes in north and northeast China.
The carrier has contacted relatives of victims and will send them to the city.
Except for one in critical situation, the 54 survivors - including seven seriously injured - are in stable condition without life threatening conditions, officials said.
The injuries included burns, cuts and broken limbs.
Fifteen severely injured passengers were airlifted late yesterday to Harbin.
No passenger onboard was from Shanghai.
A total of 38 passengers onboard were officials from Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and local planning bodies nationwide, headed to a meeting in Yichun.
Among them was vice minister of human resources and social security Sun Baoshu, who was seriously injured.
The crash ended the country's safety record of no accidents in 2,102 days since a China Eastern Airlines plane came down in a frozen lake in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in November 2004, killing more than 53 people onboard and two on the ground.
The cause of the accident is still unknown. A preliminary investigation found that the airplane did not catch fire or explode in the air and that there were no signs of sabotage, according to China Central Television.
While investigators from the General Administration of Civil Aviation - the industry's watchdog - said it would take some time to determine the cause of the crash, survivors and Internet users have speculated on possibility of system failure, technical error and weather conditions, as well as the design of Lindu Airport.
President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday ordered safety checks throughout the country's aviation industry to eliminate hidden dangers to ensure aviation security.
The Henan Airlines plane, a Brazilian-built Embraer E-190 jet with 91 passengers and five crew, crashed late Tuesday near the relatively new Lindu Airport on the outskirts of Yichun City in Heilongjiang Province.
The jet broke into half about 1.5 kilometers from the runway, then caught fire and exploded.
Most of the casualties were concentrated at the rear of the cabin, said Xu Zhaojun, Party secretary of Yichun.
Thick fog and poor night landing facilities contributed to the crash, officials said.
The newly built Yichun airport sits in a forested valley and has operated for a year.
The board of Henan Airlines announced last night that it sacked General Manager Li Qiang, without giving reasons.
And the company canceled all its flights for safety reviews, local officials said. The operations of Henan Airlines would be suspended for an unspecific time, said Wu Zhenkun, an official with the Henan provincial aviation regulatory committee.
At least one major airline had raised concerns about the safety of night landings at the Yichun airport.
China Southern Airlines decided last August to avoid night flights in and out of Yichun, switching its daily flight from Harbin to the daytime.
A technical notice cited concerns about the airport's surrounding terrain, runway lighting and wind and weather conditions.
Aviation officials were at the scene yesterday, searching through ruins for clues while the Civil Aviation Administration of China carried out a large-scale investigation.
Li Jian, deputy director of the aviation administration, said they have set up six task forces to examine details including the flight route and air control.
"It's hard to make any assumption right now, but we will publish, step by step, what we can rule out," Li said.
Of the five-member crew, two survived, including the captain and an attendant.
The route between Yichun and Harbin, Heilongjiang's capital, was opened by Henan Airlines only two weeks ago, with three flights a week.
Henan Airlines is a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines of China and Mesa Air Group of the United States. Previously known as Kunpeng Airlines and based in Henan Province, it flies smaller regional jets, mainly on routes in north and northeast China.
The carrier has contacted relatives of victims and will send them to the city.
Except for one in critical situation, the 54 survivors - including seven seriously injured - are in stable condition without life threatening conditions, officials said.
The injuries included burns, cuts and broken limbs.
Fifteen severely injured passengers were airlifted late yesterday to Harbin.
No passenger onboard was from Shanghai.
A total of 38 passengers onboard were officials from Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and local planning bodies nationwide, headed to a meeting in Yichun.
Among them was vice minister of human resources and social security Sun Baoshu, who was seriously injured.
The crash ended the country's safety record of no accidents in 2,102 days since a China Eastern Airlines plane came down in a frozen lake in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in November 2004, killing more than 53 people onboard and two on the ground.
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