China Eastern Flight 5210
Encyclopedia
China Eastern Airlines
Flight 5210 (CES5210, MU5210) was a flight
from Baotou
, Inner Mongolia
, China
to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Shanghai
, China
. On November 21, 2004 it crashed into a park shortly after take off, killing all 53 passengers on board and two more people on the ground.
The aircraft took off at 08.20/8.20am local time (00.20/12.20am UTC/19.20/7.20pm ET
). In less than a minute, it was out of control and crashed into a lake inside Nanhai Park, two kilometres from the airport. Eye witnesses reported seeing smoke near the plane shortly after take off, followed by shaking of the plane and then its eventual crash. The CVR
recording contains the captain calling "What's wrong?" and passengers crying at the time of the crash.
The aircraft departed 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
, and 1 was from Indonesia
.
in cold weather conditions, which caused it to collect a layer of frost
.
The aircraft was not de-iced
prior to flight, and during takeoff the frost contamination severely degraded its aerodynamic performance. As the jet rotated, it entered a stall
from which the flight crew was unable to recover. The aircraft crashed into a frozen lake in Nanhai Park, about two kilometers from the runway, and also struck a park ticket office, killing two park employees, in addition to all 53 persons on board.
China Eastern no longer operates this route. All flights between Baotou and Shanghai are now operated by its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines
as Flights 9438 and 9136.
China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai, China. It is a major Chinese airline operating international, domestic and regional routes. Its main hubs are at Shanghai Pudong...
Flight 5210 (CES5210, MU5210) was a flight
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
from Baotou
Baotou
Baotou is a mid-sized industrial city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, its urban areas are home to a population of approximately 1.78 million, with a total population of over 2.65 million accounting for counties under...
, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. On November 21, 2004 it crashed into a park shortly after take off, killing all 53 passengers on board and two more people on the ground.
The aircraft took off at 08.20/8.20am local time (00.20/12.20am UTC/19.20/7.20pm ET
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
). In less than a minute, it was out of control and crashed into a lake inside Nanhai Park, two kilometres from the airport. Eye witnesses reported seeing smoke near the plane shortly after take off, followed by shaking of the plane and then its eventual crash. The CVR
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
recording contains the captain calling "What's wrong?" and passengers crying at the time of the crash.
The aircraft departed 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Aircraft
- Model: BombardierBombardier AerospaceBombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
CRJ-200LRBombardier CRJ200The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:... - Registration:
- Serial Number: 7697
- Engine: General ElectricGE-AviationGE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio . GE Aviation is the top supplier of aircraft engines in the world, and offers engines for the majority of commercial aircraft. GE Aviation is part of the General Electric conglomerate, which is one of the world's...
CF34-3B1 - Year of Delivery: 2002
Crew members
- Flight Crew
- Captain: Wang Pin (王品);
- Vice Captain: Yang Guang (杨光);
- First Officer: Yi Qinwei (易沁炜);
- Flight Attendants: Huang Chongyan (黄崇燕), Shi Meimian (史美棉);
- Security Police: Jiang Chaohong (姜朝宏).
Passengers
52 of the total 53 passengers on board were Chinese citizensNationality Law of the People's Republic of China
The Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China regulates citizenship in the People's Republic of China . Such citizenship is obtained by birth when at least one parent is of Chinese nationality or by naturalization....
, and 1 was from Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Weather
Weather at the time of crash was fine, although the temperature was below zero degrees Celsius. There was a rumor stating that the fuel was "frozen", causing the disaster. This was immediately proved to be impossible.Investigation
The investigation revealed that the RegionalJet B-3072 aircraft was parked overnight at the Baotou AirportBaotou Airport
Baotou Airport is an airport in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China . Baotou Airport was founded preliminarily in 1934 and opened in 1956. The airport is 14 miles from downtown areas and taxi or bus is available....
in cold weather conditions, which caused it to collect a layer of frost
Frost
Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...
.
The aircraft was not de-iced
Deicing
For snow and ice control on roadways and similar facilities, see Snow removalDe-icing is defined as removal of snow, ice or frost from a surface...
prior to flight, and during takeoff the frost contamination severely degraded its aerodynamic performance. As the jet rotated, it entered a stall
Stall (flight)
In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases. This occurs when the critical angle of attack of the foil is exceeded...
from which the flight crew was unable to recover. The aircraft crashed into a frozen lake in Nanhai Park, about two kilometers from the runway, and also struck a park ticket office, killing two park employees, in addition to all 53 persons on board.
Aftermath
In 2006, twelve people of China Eastern Airlines were found to be responsible and received administrative punishment.China Eastern no longer operates this route. All flights between Baotou and Shanghai are now operated by its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines
Shanghai Airlines
Shanghai Airlines is an airline headquartered in the Jing'an District, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, but its operations remain separate post-merger, retaining its distinct brand and livery....
as Flights 9438 and 9136.
External links
- http://www.people.com.cn/GB/shehui/8217/40946/index.htmlTopic on "11.21 Air Disaster" from People's DailyPeople's DailyThe People's Daily is a daily newspaper in the People's Republic of China. The paper is an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. In addition to its main Chinese-language edition, it has editions in English,...
(in simplified Chinese)] - Accident database from airdisaster.com
- Accident aircraft photos from airliners.net