Air China Flight 129
The aircraft involved in the accident at Beijing Capital International Airport in 1997
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 15, 2002 |
| Summary |
Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error |
| Site | Mount Dotdae, Busan, South Korea Coordinates: 35°13′58″N 128°55′41″E / 35.2327°N 128.9280°E |
| Passengers | 155 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Fatalities | 129 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 37 |
| Survivors | 37 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 767-2J6ER |
| Operator | Air China |
| Registration | B-2552 |
| Flight origin | Beijing International Airport, Beijing, China |
| Destination | Gimhae International Airport, Busan, South Korea |
 Photos of B-2552 at Airliners.net
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Air China Flight 129 (CCA12/CA129) is a scheduled international passenger flight, operated by People's Republic of China's flag carrier Air China, from Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing, People's Republic of China to Gimhae International Airport, Busan, South Korea. On April 15, 2002, the jet on this route, a Boeing 767-200ER, crashed into a hill near Busan, killing 129 of the 166 people on board.
The Korea Aviation Accident Investigation Board finally published the final report on 4 March 2005 and concluded that the cause of the crash was due to pilot error. The final report stated that the crew was inadvertently flying below the minimum safe altitude. Detailed information from the report also revealed that the pilots were trained to conduct an approach to an airport in the airline's simulator, but only for an approach to Beijing International Airport and never conducted a simulation for an approach to Gimhae Airport or any other airport. Subsequently, the report also blamed the minimal lighting in Gimhae Airport at the time of the accident.
Flight 129 is Air China's first aircraft accident, and is currently recorded as the deadliest aviation accident in South Korea. It was also the third-deadliest accidental crash of a Boeing 767, after EgyptAir Flight 990 and Lauda Air Flight 004 and the fifth-deadliest disaster involving the type if the September 11 attacks are counted.
The flight took off at 08:37 local time (0037 UTC). After nearly 2 hours in flight, it arrived near Gimhae Airport in light rain and mist. At 11:20 local time (0220UTC), CA129 received clearance to land at runway 36L from Gimhae tower, but the aircraft circled the runway again after a missed approach due to low visibility. After an attempt to circle to land on runway 18R (the same runway from the opposite direction), the crew concentrated too much on the weather and ATC communications while going below the minimum safe altitude (MSA), and crashed into a hill at 11:40 local time (02:40UTC). The aircraft made an initial contact with terrain when its right wing clipped a tree. It then impacted the ground, and the force of the impact broke the airplane apart. The right wing, empennage, left wing, parts of the fuselage and two engines separated. The plane then burst into flames, engulfing the cockpit and forward fuselage. The aircraft slid and destroyed several trees and 12 graves. 37 of those on-board survived, including the Captain. The post impact fire was so hot that it melted the aluminum and other metals of the fuselage. The front part of the fuselage was completely destroyed, making it difficult for investigators to recognize it.
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