Investigation Summary
The accident involved CAAC Flight 264, a civilian Hawker Siddeley Trident 2E (MSN 2169) bound for Beijing, and a Harbin H-5, a Chinese-built version of the Ilyushin Il-28 jet bomber. At approximately 09:34 local time, the Trident was taxiing along a taxiway preparing for departure. Simultaneously, the H-5 bomber was in its landing phase but apparently suffered a loss of control or crashed during the landing roll, leading to a collision with the stationary or slow-moving Trident. The impact was severe, with the bomber's structure tearing into the forward section of the Trident's fuselage. While all six crew members on the Trident survived, 11 of the 100 passengers—all reported to be foreign citizens—were killed. The fate of the military crew on the Harbin H-5 was not publicly disclosed, which was typical for military-involved accidents in China during that era.
Final Conclusions
The accident was attributed to a combination of pilot error and controller error. The primary factors included the failure of air traffic control to maintain adequate separation between civilian and military movements and the failure of the flight crews to maintain visual awareness of other traffic on the airfield. The incident underscored the inherent risks of mixed-use military and civilian airfields without strictly segregated control protocols.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
CAAC CAAC 264 — Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 2E · B-264
Systems & Failure Modes
Air Traffic Control (ATC)
The coordination system responsible for separating civilian and military traffic at the joint-use airport failed to prevent the two aircraft from occupying the runway area simultaneously.
Fuselage Structure
The forward fuselage of the HS-121 Trident suffered a catastrophic breach when struck by the landing Harbin H-5 bomber.
Interesting Facts
- 01The CAAC Trident (B-264) was 8 years old at the time of the accident, manufactured in 1975 with Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) 2169.
- 02Guilin Qifengling Airport was a joint-use military and civilian airfield.
- 03The Harbin H-5 involved was a tactical bomber operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
- 04All 11 fatalities were foreign citizens.
- 05There is a discrepancy in injury reports: BAAA reports 27 injuries, while Wikipedia cites 21.
- 06All 6 crew members on the CAAC flight survived the accident.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Civil-Military Coordination Review
The accident led to a review of air traffic control procedures at joint-use airfields in China to improve the segregation of military training flights and scheduled civilian services.