2023 Bailuyuan, Shaanxi helicopter crash

The 2023 Bailuyuan, Shaanxi helicopter crash refers to an accident at 13:59 on 2 May 2023 in which a Robinson R44 helicopter registered B-70YA crashed in a cherry orchard near Fengguang Road, Dizhai Subdistrict, north of the Bailucang Scenic Area in Baqiao District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. The aircraft's fuselage was visibly damaged. The accident killed 3 people and injured 1. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Course of events

The Bailuyuan Bailucang Scenic Area is located on the famous Bailuyuan plateau of the ancient city of Xi'an, in the near suburbs of Xi'an, 5 kilometres from the East Third Ring Road; to the south is the Jingyugou scenic area; in the middle is a modern agricultural demonstration park; and to the north is the Cherry Valley tourist area, from which the urban area of Xi'an can be seen from above on clear days. It is a national AAAA-rated tourist attraction.

The Bailucang aviation flight camp currently comprises two main sections, a hot-air balloon camp and a flying town, and operates helicopter flight experience activities as well as serving as an aviation flight camp. The camp has more than 200 mu of lawn and several helipads; it is one of China's first general aviation flight camps and also the venue of a hot-air balloon carnival. Scenic area staff confirmed that the scenic area was currently operating normally. The helicopter flight experience is an outsourced service, and detailed information about the accident should be sought from the operator. At the same time, staff noted that whether the accident caused casualties would be announced by the authorities.

On 2 May, the incident attracted media attention; staff of the Publicity Department of the Baqiao District Committee told a reporter from China Youth Daily's Qingfengxia that they were dealing with the matter. Staff of the Baqiao District Emergency Management Bureau said that after the accident, personnel from the district emergency bureau and other relevant departments had gone to the scene to carry out rescue work, and that for the specific progress of the rescue and the cause of the accident, inquiries should be made to the Baqiao District publicity department. They added: "We have been carrying out the relevant work from yesterday (the 2nd) until now."

Footage of the scene captured on video showed a white helicopter with visibly damaged fuselage, surrounded by many broken branches. In another video, someone said "the Bailucang helicopter has fallen into the villagers' cherry field" and warned onlookers not to touch it casually; at the same time someone at the crash site called the police.

On the morning of 3 May, a reporter from Jimu News repeatedly called the operator's telephone number provided by the scenic area, but no one answered. Baqiao District police said that on the day of the accident, the local police station had sent officers to deal with the incident.

In the afternoon, a CCTV News reporter learned from the hospital that received patients from the accident scene that 3 people in the accident had died despite resuscitation efforts. The helicopter was an R44 helicopter belonging to Shaanxi Longyi General Aviation, and the operator of the Bailucang flight camp was Longyi General Aviation. Longyi General Aviation staff said that, following a notice from the Civil Aviation Administration, all flight activities within the jurisdiction had been grounded.

Cause of the accident

The relevant Baqiao District departments said that the specific cause of the accident was under investigation. The rescue work had ended and the handling of the aftermath was under way.

Similar accidents

On 21 July 2018, an R44 helicopter carrying out an agricultural and forestry spraying flight near Santaishan National Forest Park, Suyu District, Suqian, Jiangsu Province, struck high-voltage lines, broke up in the air into three parts and crashed; the 1 pilot on board died despite resuscitation efforts.

At around 11:00 on 26 October 2018, an R44 helicopter carrying out a training mission at the Yuanmingshan temporary landing site in Qinhuangdao crashed and caught fire, killing all 3 people on board.

On 11 July 2019, an R44 helicopter of a Jiangsu general aviation company crashed during flight training at Zhenjiang Dalu General Aviation Airport, killing 2 people.

On 3 March 2021, an R44 helicopter of Qingdao Xianglong General Aviation, carrying out an aerial survey mission in Sanlihe Subdistrict, Jiaozhou, suffered a power system failure after takeoff and rolled over on its side during a forced landing. The helicopter was damaged after rolling over, but there were no casualties.