Chinese airport in jet crashcriticised over landing safety

SAFETY concerns had already been raised about night-time landings at a new airport in north-east China where a passenger jet crashed and burned while trying to land at night on a fog-shrouded runway, killing 42 people and injuring 54.

The Henan Airlines plane crashed in a grassy area near Lindu airport in the Heilongjiang province city of Yichun yesterday.

Survivors among the 96 passengers and crew described scenes of horror, with luggage falling down and escapes through flames and broken holes in the fuselage.

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It was China’s first major commercial air disaster in nearly six years. The plane’s two black boxes were recovered yesterday, but the cause of the accident is still not known.

The newly-built airport in Yichun sits in a forested valley and has operated for a year.

China Southern Airlines decided last August to avoid night flights in and out of Yichun, over concerns about the airport’s surrounding terrain, runway lighting and wind and weather conditions.

“Principally, there should be no night flights at Yichun airport,” said the notice from China Southern’s Heilongjiang branch which was posted online.

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One survivor told Xinhua that there was strong turbulence just after the announcement that the plane was about to land.

“There were four or five bad turbulence (jolts) and luggage in the overhead bin was raining down,” he was quoted as saying. “Everyone panicked. Those sitting in the back began rushing to the front of the cabin.

n All 14 people on board a small passenger plane which crashed while flying to the Mount Everest region of Nepal were confirmed dead yesterday. They included a Briton Jeremy Taylor, four Americans and a Japanese national.

The private Agni Air plane came down about 50 miles south of Katmandu on Tuesday on its way to Lukla.

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