Air China Flight 129

Air China Flight 129 (CCA129/CA129) was a scheduled international passenger flight, operated by Air China, from Beijing Capital International Airport to Gimhae International Airport in Busan. On 15 April 2002, the aircraft on this route, a Boeing 767, crashed into a hill named Mount Dotdae near Gimhae Airport, killing 129 of the 166 people on board.

The Korea Aviation Accident Investigation Board published the final report in March 2005 and concluded that the crash was due to pilot error. The final report stated that the crew was inadvertently flying below the minimum safe altitude. Detailed information from the report also revealed that the pilots had been trained to conduct a circling approach in the airline's simulator only for Beijing Capital International Airport and never for a circling approach to Gimhae Airport's runway 18R. Subsequently, the report also blamed the tower controllers at Gimhae Airport for not using the tower BRITE and MSAW systems after losing visual contact with the aircraft. The Civil Aviation Administration of China responded to South Korea's official report by pointing out that Park Junyong, the ATC official during the accident, was not licensed for air traffic control and issued incorrect orders due to his inexperience with the Boeing 767.

The plan to build a new airport in the southeastern region was brought forward because of this accident.

Flight 129 was recorded as the deadliest aviation accident in South Korea until the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in 2024, that killed 179.

Accident

The flight took off at 08:37 Beijing local time CST (00:37 UTC). After nearly two hours in flight, it began to approach Gimhae Airport in light rain and mist.

At 11:16 Korean local time KST (02:16 UTC), CA129 received clearance to use the ILS approach to runway 36L, then circle to runway 18R (the same runway from the opposite direction) from Gimhae tower. During the circling approach to land on runway 18R, the crew exercised poor crew resource management and lost sight of the runway while delaying the base turn and flying outside of the circling approach area, and crashed into a hill named Mt. Dotdae at 11:21 local time (02:21 UTC). The aircraft made initial contact with the terrain when its right wing clipped a tree. It then impacted the ground, and the force of the impact broke the airplane apart. The right wing, empennage, left wing, parts of the fuselage, and both engines separated. The plane then burst into flames, engulfing the cockpit and forward fuselage. The aircraft slid and destroyed several trees and 12 graves. Thirty-seven of those on board survived, including the captain. The post-impact fire was so hot that it melted the aluminum and other metals of the fuselage. The front part of the fuselage was destroyed, making it difficult for investigators to recognize it.