Date April 6, 1993 Crew 20 | Passengers 235 Fatalities 2 | |
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Summary Pilot error, loss of control Site near the Aleutian Islands | ||
China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 was a China Eastern Airlines flight from Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai, to Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles.
On April 6, 1993, the McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 was cruising above the Pacific Ocean at Mach 0.84 when a crew member accidentally deployed the slats near the Aleutian Islands. The plane then encountered severe oscillations and made an emergency landing at Shemya Air Force Base in Shemya, Semichi Islands, Alaska, United States.
Of the 255 passengers and crew, 60 were hospitalized. Two ultimately died; Sam Keung, an American, died of his injuries in hospital. Of the cockpit crew, 5 received no injuries and 3 received serious injuries. Of the flight attendants, 8 received no injuries and 4 received serious injuries. Of the surviving passengers, 84 received no injuries, 96 received minor injuries, and 53 received serious injuries. By April 24, 1993 all but three of the surviving passengers were discharged from the hospital.
Michael Crichton's novel Airframe opens with a fatal incident based on Flight 583.
The airframe, redesignated as N951AR, now serves as a cargo freighter for Miami based Sky Lease Cargo.