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)
SummaryDecompression due to windshield failure
Sitenear Xiaojin County, Sichuan, China
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A319-100[1]
OperatorSichuan Airlines
IATA flight No.3U8633
ICAO flight No.CSC8633
Call signSi Chuan 8633
RegistrationB-6419
Flight originChongqing Jiangbei International Airport
DestinationLhasa Gonggar Airport
Occupants128
Passengers119
Crew9
Fatalities0
Injuries2
Survivors128[2]

Aircraft and crew

Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 was an Airbus A319-100, 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] 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 (刘传健), second-in-command Liang Peng (梁鹏), and the first officer Xu Ruichen (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 mode control panel was damaged, and the loud outside noise made 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. At the same time, there had been a storm present which the flight had initially been cruising above. As a result of the sudden loss of cabin pressure, the pilots were forced to fly through the storm as it was within the lowest altitude they could fly at safely.[6]

The jetliner then made an emergency landing at 7:42 CST (23:42 UTC), about 35 minutes later, at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.[9] During the landing however, the aircraft was overweight and the thrust reverser took a long period of time to work. As a result, the plane took a longer distance to come to a stop and the tires burst.[10]

Xu, the first officer, despite wearing a seatbelt, 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 (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, preventing any frostbite from occurring. The captain and both co-pilots present on the flight remained conscious and did not experience asphyxia or frostbite. No other crew member or passenger was injured.[3][14]

Investigations

Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633's windshield blowout's root cause has yet to be confirmed. There is an ongoing investigation 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]

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)[16]

As the root cause of the incident has not yet been identified, no other measures have been taken as a result of the incident.

The crew and pilots continue to work for Sichuan Airlines and the airline continues to keep flight 3U8633 in operation, flying the same route.[17] The aircraft B-6419 was repaired and returned to service with Sichuan Airlines on 18 January 2019.[18]

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.[19]

Similar Incident

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] (in Chinese). The Paper. 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. "Heroic flight of Chinese pilot to be turned into movie". The Telegraph. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  17. "(3U) Sichuan Airlines 8633 Flight Tracker". www.flightstats.com. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  18. "B-6419 Sichuan Airlines Airbus A319-100". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  19. 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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