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.
 An Il-18D similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 January 1988 |
| Summary | In-flight fire causing structural failure and loss of control |
| Site | 32 km SW of Chongqing Airport |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Ilyushin Il-18D |
| Operator | China Southwest Airlines |
| Registration | B-222 |
| Flight origin | Beijing Capital International Airport |
| Destination | Chongqing Airport |
| Passengers | 98 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 108 |
| Survivors | 0 |
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
- China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509, another aviation disaster caused by poor maintenance.
References
- "108 die as Chinese plane crash-lands". The Age. Melbourne. 20 January 1988. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2012 – via Google Newspapers.
- Aircraft accident Ilyushin Il-18D B-222 near Chongqing Airport retrieved 10 August 2012
- "Safety fear bugs Chinese airline". New Straits Times. Singapore. 1 September 1988. p. 13. Retrieved 10 August 2012 – via Google Newspapers.
- Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 203.