China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146 was an Ilyushin Il-18 that crashed near Chongqing, China, on 18 January 1988 with the loss of all 108 passengers and crew.

China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146
An Il-18D similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date18 January 1988
SummaryIn-flight fire causing structural failure and loss of control
Site32 km SW of Chongqing Airport
Aircraft
Aircraft typeIlyushin Il-18D
OperatorChina Southwest Airlines
RegistrationB-222
Flight originBeijing Capital International Airport
DestinationChongqing Airport
Passengers98
Crew10
Fatalities108
Survivors0

Flight

Flight 4146 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing to Chongqing Airport, Chongqing, with 98 passengers and a crew of ten on board. As Flight 4146 neared Chongqing, the aircraft's Number Four engine (the outer engine on the right wing) caught fire. The fire burned the engine mount and the engine fell off the aircraft's wing. This caused a loss of control. Flight 4146 hit a power line and two farmhouses before bursting into flames.[1] Everyone on board the Ilyushin Il-18 perished in the crash.[2] The occupants consisted of 104 Chinese, three Japanese, and one Briton. [1]

The engine fire was the result of an oil leak. The engine was shut down and its propeller feathered due to severe vibrations. However, the starter/generator fitted to the engine had overheated to such an extent that it had burnt the tube supplying oil at high pressure to feather the propeller. When the crew feathered the propeller, the tube burst and the leaking oil caught fire.[2]

Aftermath and cause

Not long after the crash of Flight 4146, the Civil Aviation Administration of China ordered safety checks that found mechanical problems leading to the grounding of at least 17 aircraft.[3]

The crash of Flight 4146 was blamed on poor maintenance.[4]

See also

References
  1. "108 die as Chinese plane crash-lands". The Age. Melbourne. 20 January 1988. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2012 – via Google Newspapers.
  2. Aircraft accident Ilyushin Il-18D B-222 near Chongqing Airport retrieved 10 August 2012
  3. "Safety fear bugs Chinese airline". New Straits Times. Singapore. 1 September 1988. p. 13. Retrieved 10 August 2012 – via Google Newspapers.
  4. Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 203.

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