Hainan Island incident

The damaged EP-3 on the ground on Hainan Island

Date	April 1, 2001
Location	Hainan Island, People's Republic of China South China Sea
Result	American crew detained, later released. One Chinese J-8 pilot MIA.

Belligerents

China

United States

Strength

2 J-8IM aircraft

1 EP-3E SIGINT aircraft

Casualties and losses

1 J-8 destroyed
1 pilot missing, assumed dead

1 EP-3E damaged and captured
24 aircrew captured and detained

On April 1, 2001, the Hainan Island incident occurred when a mid-air collision between a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet resulted in an international dispute between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China.

The EP-3 was operating about 70 miles (110 km) away from the PRC island province of Hainan, and about 100 miles (160 km) away from the Chinese military installation in the Paracel Islands, when it was intercepted by two J-8 fighters. A collision between the EP-3 and one of the J-8s caused the death of a PRC pilot, and the EP-3 was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan. The 24 crew members were detained and interrogated by the Chinese authorities until a statement was delivered by the United States government regarding the incident. The exact phrasing of this document was intentionally ambiguous and allowed both countries to save face while defusing a potentially volatile situation between militarily strong regional states.

This sea area includes the South China Sea Islands, which are claimed by the PRC and several other countries. It is one of the most strategically sensitive areas in the world. The United States and the People's Republic of China disagree on the legality of the overflights by U.S. naval aircraft of the area where the incident occurred. This part of the South China Sea comprises part of the PRC's exclusive economic zone based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Chinese claim that Paracel Island belong to China (This and similar claims have been persistently contested by Vietnam, the Philippines, and international observers). The PRC interprets the Convention as allowing it to preclude other nations' military operations within this area, but the United States does not recognize China's claim over the Paracel Island and maintains that the Convention grants free navigation for all countries' aircraft and ships, including military aircraft and ships, within a country's exclusive economic zone.

...
Wikipedia