Shanxi Airlines Flight 4218
Ilyushin Il-14P · Mechanical failure, passenger overload
From Linfen Yaodu Airport, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China to Linfen Yaodu Airport, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 46 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- 2
- Occupants
- 48
- Survivors
- 4
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- 4
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
Ilyushin Il-14P
- Aircraft type
- Ilyushin IL-14
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- B-4218
- Operator
- Shanxi Airlines
- Onboard fatalities
- 44
- Route
- From Linfen Yaodu Airport, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of ChinaTo Linfen Yaodu Airport, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China
Cause areas
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Not plotted · Not plotted: the Wikipedia article gives no coordinates, and its site names no town or airport that matches exactly.
From the Wikipedia article
Shanxi Airlines Flight 4218 was a sightseeing flight operated by Shanxi Airlines. On October 7, 1988, the flight was carried out by an Ilyushin Il-14 with the registration number B-4218. At around 13:30 that day, the plane took off from Linfen Yaodu Airport. About one minute later, the No. 1 engine failed. Due to uneven thrust and overloading, the aircraft crashed into a restaurant fifteen seconds later, resulting in the deaths of 44 people on board, with only 4 survivors. Two people on the ground also died.
Incident
On the day of the incident at around 13:30, Flight 4218 took off from Linfen Yaodu Airport. About 90 seconds after takeoff, the aircraft's number one engine malfunctioned and stopped working, causing severe imbalance between the left and right sides of the plane. Additionally, the aircraft was above its maximum takeoff weight. Fifteen seconds after the engine failure, it crashed onto a nearby restaurant and factory near the airport. 44 people on board were killed, with only 4 survivors, and two people on the ground also died.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
The Civil Aviation Administration of China published a report explaining the crash and the cause of the accident. They had concluded that the Il-14 transport aircraft had a maximum passenger capacity of 14, while Shanxi Airlines had arranged seating for 12. However, at the time, the plane was carrying a total of 48 people, almost three times its capacity. In addition, the engine failure was caused due to the drive shaft of the left engine becoming twisted due to fatigue which stopped the oil supply. The loss of engine power lead to a loss of thrust which meant the pilot could not recover and stop sinking. The CAAC concluded that the engine failure was the main cause of the accident. A propeller malfunction caused the aircraft to tilt, which was also a major factor in the engine failure.
The CAAC suggested that Shanxi Airlines "firmly establish the mindset of 'safety first'", and should ensure that safety is the top priority of the airline. The authority also said that Shanxi Airlines must enforce its own regulations in accordance with the CAAC and State Council, especially those in relation to aircraft safety and maintenance. Strict medical examinations for aircrew were also mentioned, with those who failed not being allowed to operate aircraft. The report concluded by saying that Shanxi Airlines could only continue operations after passing acceptance inspections.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Shanxi Airlines Flight 4218” (revision 1358580282, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: Shanxi Airlines Flight 4218
- Article
- Shanxi Airlines Flight 4218
- Revision
- 1358580282 · 2026-06-09 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q107010382
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "Shanxi Airlines Flight 4218" (page 81517958, revision 1358580282)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- none
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- flight number in the article title
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: total_fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: ground fatalities
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.