Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633

Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 was a flight from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport to Lhasa Gonggar Airport on 14 May 2018, which was forced to make an emergency landing at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport after the cockpit windshield failed.[3] The aircraft involved was an Airbus A319-100. The incident has been adapted into the 2019 film The Captain.

Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633
B-6419, the aircraft involved, seen in June 2014 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
Incident
DateMay 14, 2018 (2018-05-14)
SummaryExplosive decompression due to windshield failure
Sitenear Xiaojin County, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A319-133[1]
OperatorSichuan Airlines
IATA flight No.3U8633
ICAO flight No.CSC8633
Call signSi Chuan 8633
RegistrationB-6419
Flight originChongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Chongqing, Yubei District, People’s Republic of China
DestinationLhasa Gonggar Airport, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, People’s Republic Of China
Occupants128
Passengers119
Crew9
Fatalities0
Injuries2
Survivors128 (all)[2]

Aircraft and crew

Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 was an Airbus A319-133, serial number 4660, registration B-6419.[4] It first flew on 11 July 2011 following roll-out from Airbus Tianjin final assembly line, and was delivered to Sichuan Airlines on the 26th of the same month.[5] It was powered by two IAE V2527-A5 engines. As of 14 May 2018, the aircraft had recorded more than 19,900 flight hours and 12,920 cycles before the incident.[1] In addition to the three pilots, the jetliner also carried six cabin crew and 119 passengers.

The pilots were: pilot-in-command Liu Chuanjian (Chinese: 刘传健), second-in-command Liang Peng (Chinese: 梁鹏), and the first officer Xu Ruichen (Chinese: 徐瑞辰). Before Liu joined Sichuan Airlines in 2006, he worked as a flight instructor for ten years in Sichuan's Second Aviation College of People's Liberation Army Air Force.[6]

Incident

On 14 May 2018, Flight 8633 took off from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport at 6:25 CST (22:25 UTC). Approximately 40 minutes after departure while over Xiaojin County, Sichuan at 30,000 feet, the right front segment of the windshield separated from the aircraft followed by an uncontrolled decompression.[7][8] As a result of the sudden decompression, the flight control unit was damaged, and the loud external noise made spoken communications impossible. The co-pilot however, was able to use the transponder to squawk 7700, alerting Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport control about their situation. Due to the flight being within a mountainous region, the pilots were unable to descend to the required 8,000 ft (2,400 m) to compensate for the loss of cabin pressure.

About 35 minutes later, the jetliner made an emergency landing at 7:42 CST (23:42 UTC) at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.[9] The aircraft was overweight on landing. As a result, the plane took a longer distance to come to a stop and the tires burst.[10]

Despite wearing a seatbelt, first officer Xu was partially sucked out of the aircraft.[11] He suffered facial abrasions, a minor right eye injury and a sprained waist.[12][13] One of the flight attendants on the aircraft, Zhou Yanwen (Chinese: 周彦雯), also suffered a waist injury and received treatment.[14] Due to the insulation design of the Airbus A319, the temperature did not drop immediately for the passengers, despite the cockpit's exposure to the outside environment, saving them from frostbite. The flight crew remained conscious and did not experience asphyxia or frostbite. No other crew member or passenger was injured.[3][14]

Investigations

The incident was investigated by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Airbus and Sichuan Airlines. In accordance with the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation's Annex 13 regulation, Airbus refrains from any further comments on their progress.[15] On 2 June 2020, the final report was released. The root cause of the accident was damage to the seal on the right side of the windshield as a result of moisture. Temperature changes from takeoff and landing lead to further damage to the windshield's layers as a result of pressure difference. This culminated in the windshield bursting open.[16][17]

Aftermath

The crew of Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 were hailed heroes by the public media and the captain, Liu Chuanjian was given a prize of 5 million yuan (£569,400).[18]

No other measures have been taken as a result of the incident. A similar incident would happen onboard a United Airlines A320 two years later, caused by a hailstorm.[19]

The crew and pilots continue to work for Sichuan Airlines and the airline continues to keep flight 3U8633 in operation, flying the same route.[20] The aircraft B-6419 was repaired and returned to service with Sichuan Airlines on 18 January 2019.[21]

The incident has been adapted into the film The Captain, directed by Andrew Lau. The film, released during the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China in 2019, ranked second in box office during the national holiday.[22]

See also

References
  1. "三个数字 7700、32000英尺、13秒 还原史诗级备降震撼细节" [Three numbers: 7700, 32,000 feet, 13 seconds, Restore epic-level diversion shocking details]. Chengdu Economic Daily (in Chinese). 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. "20分钟 奇迹备降" [20 minutes, miracle diverted]. West China City Daily (in Chinese). 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  3. Goh, Brenda (15 May 2018). "Sichuan Airlines co-pilot 'sucked halfway' out of cockpit, captain says". Reuters. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  4. "川航客机脱落玻璃未进行过维修更换" [The fell glass of Sichuan Airlines has not been repaired or replaced] (in Chinese). The Beijing News. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  5. "A319-133, Sichuan Airlines, B-515L, B-6419 (MSN 4660)". The A320 Family Archive. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018.
  6. Zhuang, Pinghui (16 May 2018). "'Best of the best': pilot said to have drawn on air force training to land Sichuan Airlines jet". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  7. Wilkinson, Bard; Wang, Serenitie (16 May 2019). "Sichuan Airlines co-pilot sucked halfway out of cockpit window". CNN. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  8. "空客：已派出技术团队，川航风挡玻璃破裂航班已飞近2万小时" [Airbus: A technical team has been dispatched, and the Sichuan Airlines flight of windshield bursting has flown nearly 20,000 hours] (in Chinese). The Paper. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  9. "川航航班因驾驶舱风挡破裂安全备降成都" [Sichuan Airlines flight safely diverts to Chengdu due to cockpit windshield rupture] (Press release) (in Chinese). Southwest Regional Administration of Civil Aviation Administration of China. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  10. Sichuan flight 8633 blown windshield (Report). Sylvia Wrigley's Fear Of Landing. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  11. "英雄机长 副驾半身被吸出窗外 靠手动和目视继续开" [Heroic captain: the half-body of copilot was sucked out of the window and keep flown by manual and sight]. Chengdu Economic Daily (in Chinese). 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  12. "川航3U8633航班经历空中惊魂" [Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8633 experienced an airborne crash]. China Youth Daily (in Chinese). 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  13. "川航举行3U8633航班当班机组人员媒体见面会 27名旅客留院观察后已全部出院" [Sichuan Airlines hosted flight 3U8633 crew members's media conference, 27 passengers has been discharged after them were hospitalized]. Chengdu Daily (in Chinese). 17 May 2018. Archived from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  14. "川航超高难度备降机长刘传健：非常荣幸能保证所有旅客的安全" [Liu Chuanjian, captain of Sichuan Airlines' super-high difficulty diverted, said very honored to guarantee the safety of all passengers]. The Paper (in Chinese). 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  15. "Airbus responds after Sichuan Airlines windshield blowout". China Daily. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  16. Hradecky, Simon. "Accident: Sichuan A319 near Chengdu on May 14th 2018, burst windshield". avherald.com. The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  17. "Final report" (PDF) (in Chinese). Civil Aviation Administration of China. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  18. "Heroic flight of Chinese pilot to be turned into movie". The Telegraph. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  19. "United Airlines A320 returns to Chicago after windshield is cracked due to hail". simpleflying.com. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  20. "(3U) Sichuan Airlines 8633 Flight Tracker". www.flightstats.com. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  21. "B-6419 Sichuan Airlines Airbus A319-100". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  22. Yau, Elaine (2 October 2019). "Chinese national day holiday box office winners and losers: from My People, My Country to The Captain, patriotism rules". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
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