Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316 (KE6316/KAL6316) was a scheduled
Korean Air Cargo
Korean Air Co., Ltd. (), operating as Korean Air (Korean Air Lines before 1984), is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations and international flights.
The present-day Korean Air ...
freight flight from
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
to
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
. On 15 April 1999, the
McDonnell Douglas MD-11F
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is an American tri-jet wide-body airliner manufactured by American McDonnell Douglas (MDC) and later by Boeing.
Following DC-10 development studies, the MD-11 program was launched on December 30, 1986.
Assembly of t ...
operating the route, registered as HL7373, crashed in
Xinzhuang, Shanghai
Xinzhuang () is a town located in Minhang District, Shanghai, China. The town was, by the early 21st century, essentially walking toward the greater Shanghai urban area. On April 15, 1999, Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316 crashed in Xinzhuang, killing ...
shortly after taking off from
Hongqiao Airport
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one of the two international airports of Shanghai and a significant airline hub of China. Hongqiao Airport mainly serves domestic and regional flights, although the airport also serves international fl ...
, killing all 3 crew on board, along with 5 on the ground.
Accident
Loaded with 86 tons of cargo, the MD-11F operating Flight 6316 took off from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport at around 4:00 pm. The flight crew consisted of Captain Hong Sung-sil () (54), First Officer Park Bon-suk () (35), and flight engineer Park Byong-ki () (48),. After taking off, the MD-11F received clearance to climb to after the first officer contacted Shanghai Departure.
As the aircraft climbed to , the first officer told the captain that the required altitude should be , thinking that the aircraft was too high. Therefore, the captain pushed the control column abruptly forward, causing the aircraft to descend at over . At 4:04 pm, the aircraft became uncontrollable due to the steep dive and eventually crashed into an industrial zone in Xinzhuang, which is southwest of Hongqiao Airport. The aircraft impacted the ground and exploded. Along with the 3 South Korean crew on board, 2 pupils and 3 migrant workers on the ground also perished. The crash was recorded by the nearby Shanghai Earthquake Administration which indicated that the impact forces had generated an equivalent of a 1.6 magnitude earthquake.
Aircraft
The aircraft operated Flight 6316 was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter with the registration HL7373 and
S/N 48409, powered by three
Pratt & Whitney PW4460 engines. Built-in February 1992, this aircraft was delivered to Korean Air on March 24, 1992. In 1996, the aircraft was converted to a freighter.
Investigation
On April 27, 1999, the primary investigation revealed no evidence of an explosion or mechanical failure before the impact. In June 2001, further investigation carried out by
CAAC
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; ) is the Chinese civil aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents. As the aviation authority responsible f ...
showed that the first officer had confused , the required altitude, with , causing the pilot to make the wrong decision to descend.
In almost all countries, aviation altitudes are measured in feet in compliance with the
ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
convention.
Only China, Russia, North Korea, and some nearby countries use metres.
See also
*
Korean Air incidents and accidents The article describes accidents and incidents on Korean Air and its predecessor companies Korean National Airlines and KAL (Korean Air Lines).
In the late 1990s, Korean Air was known for being "an industry pariah, notorious for fatal crashes" due t ...
*
National Airlines Flight 102
National Airlines Flight 102 was a cargo flight operated by National Airlines between Camp Bastion in Afghanistan and Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai, with a refueling stop at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. On 29 April 2013, the Boeing 747-400 operat ...
– also crashed shortly after takeoff.
*
Avient Aviation Flight 324
On 28 November 2009 at 08:12 ( UTC+8), Avient Aviation McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, registration Z-BAV (c/n 48408), on flight 324 from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, crashed during its take off r ...
– another air disaster occurred in Shanghai, also involving an MD-11F.
[The aircraft involved in this accident was initially delivered to Korean Air as HL7372, the sistership of HL7373. It crashed on November 28, 2009.]
*
Air China Flight 129
Air China Flight 129 (CCA129/CA129) was a scheduled international passenger flight, operated by Air China, from Beijing Capital International Airport to Gimhae International Airport in Busan. On April 15, 2002, the aircraft on this route, a Boein ...
– occurred in
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
three years after the Shanghai crash.
[The flight was from Beijing, China to Busan, Korea, flown by a Boeing 767-200ER registered B-2552 on April 15, 2002. 129 people were killed in that crash.]
*
Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509
Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 was a Boeing 747-200, Boeing 747-2B5F, registered HL7451 and bound for Milan Malpensa Airport, that crashed due to instrument malfunction and pilot error on 22 December 1999 shortly after take-off from London Stanste ...
– another Korean Air Cargo plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from
London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport is a tertiary international airport serving London, England, United Kingdom. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England, northeast of Central London.
London Stansted serves over 160 destinations acro ...
eight months after the Shanghai crash.
*
Air Canada Flight 143
Air Canada Flight 143, commonly known as the Gimli Glider, was a Canadian scheduled domestic passenger flight between Montreal and Edmonton that ran out of fuel on Saturday, July 23, 1983, at an altitude of , midway through the flig ...
– another aviation incident caused by the confusion between
Metric
Metric or metrical may refer to:
* Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement
* An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement
Mathematics
In mathem ...
and
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
measurements
Footnotes
References
External links
PlaneCrashInfo.Com – Entry on KE6316* ()
*
Loss: Korean Air Boeing MD-11F – HL-7373ArchiveAlternate archive
. ''Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
''. 15 April 1999.
{{Korean Air
Accidents and incidents involving cargo aircraft
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1999
Aviation accidents and incidents in China
1999 disasters in China
6316
Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error
Accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas MD-11
1990s in Shanghai
April 1999 events in Asia