Passengers 98 Survivors 0 Date 18 January 1988 Total fatalities 108 (all) Passenger count 98 | Crew 10 Aircraft type Ilyushin Il-18D Operator China Southwest Airlines Survivor 0 | |
 | ||
Summary In-flight fire causing structural failure and loss of control Site 32 km SW of Chongqing Airport Destination Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Similar Avianca Flight 410, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 604, CAAC Flight 301, LOT Flight 703, Uganda Airlines Flight 775 | ||
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.
Contents
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. Everyone on board the Ilyushin Il-18 perished in the crash.
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.
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.
The crash of Flight 4146 was blamed on poor maintenance.