1990 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisions

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 the incident the deadliest aircraft hijacking prior to the September 11 attacks.

Hijacking of Flight 8301

Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, operated on a Boeing 737-200, was hijacked by Jiang Xiaofeng (蔣曉峰), born 11 August 1969 in Linli County, Hunan, on Tuesday, 2 October 1990. Jiang, a 21-year-old purchasing agent, was seeking political asylum in Taiwan.

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.

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 seat and rushed toward the cockpit holding a black plastic box about the size of a cigarette pack. 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 kilograms of explosives, demanding that the flight be diverted to Taiwan Taoyuan. He threatened to "go down together" if his demands were not met.

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. 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.

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, a Boeing 757 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.

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. Over ten hours after the incident, the Guangzhou emergency rescue team completed debris removal from the airport. The airport resumed operations the following day.