Air China Flight 129

The flight took off at 08:37 Beijing local time CST (00:37 UTC). After nearly two hours in flight, it began to approach Gimhae Airport in light rain and mist. At 11:16 Korean local time KST (02:16 UTC), CA129 received clearance to use the ILS approach to runway 36L, then circle to runway 18R (the same runway from the opposite direction) from Gimhae tower. During the circling approach to land on runway 18R, the crew exercised poor crew resource management and lost sight of the runway while delaying the base turn and flying outside of the circling approach area, and crashed into a hill named Mt. Dotdae at 11:21 local time (02:21 UTC). The aircraft made initial contact with the terrain when its right wing clipped a tree. It then impacted the ground, and the force of the impact broke the airplane apart. The right wing, empennage, left wing, parts of the fuselage, and both engines separated. The plane then burst into flames, engulfing the cockpit and forward fuselage. The aircraft slid and destroyed several trees and 12 graves. Thirty-seven of those on board survived, including the captain. The post-impact fire was so hot that it melted the aluminum and other metals of the fuselage. The front part of the fuselage was destroyed, making it difficult for investigators to recognize it. == Aircraft ==

The aircraft was a Boeing 767-200ER delivered in 1985, and registered in China as B-2552. It was previously operated by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and then transferred to Air China after CAAC's split. It had accumulated more than 39,500 flight hours and about 14,300 flights. == Passengers and crew ==

Among the 155 passengers, 135 were from South Korea, 19 were from China, and one passenger was from Uzbekistan. All 11 of the crew were from China. Many of the South Koreans were returning to South Korea after visiting China. The flight deck crew was: • Captain Wu Xinlu (30). Captain Wu Xinlu entered the Civil Aviation Flying University of China in September 1990 and graduated in 1994. He then joined Air China, and in 2001, he was promoted to captain. After 26 November 2001, he began officially flying as a captain. He had 6,497 hours of flying experience (including 6,287 hours on the Boeing 767) and had flown five times to Busan. == Investigation ==

Weather At Gimhae Airport, the winds come from the north in autumn and winter. However, in spring and summer, the winds come from the south. Visibility is often partially poor due to sea fog, since the southern part of the airport is located close to the sea. Mountainous terrain in the north with southerly winds prevailing may cause a mass of low clouds and fog to occur along the mountainous area north of Runway 18R, with a probability of increased precipitation in the area. The weather at the time of the crash was poor. Satellite imagery retrieved from the Korea Meteorological Administration radar showed that a large, wide area of rain clouds could be seen, starting from Busan to the southeast as far as Japan and moving slowly to the east. The clouds moved very slowly, and heavy clouds were seen lying in the sea south of Gimhae. Gusts of up to were also observed. Rescue squads at the crash site also reported that it was covered with thick fog, with the precipitation heavier than a drizzle. Official report by South Korea Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were retrieved from the crash site and examined by investigators. The FDR data did not show any defect in the aircraft's controls and instruments. The official accident report by the Korea Aviation Accident Investigation Board was released on 4 March 2005. The Probable Cause read: • The flight crew of flight 129 performed the circling approach, not being aware of the weather minima of wide-body aircraft (B767-200) for landing, and in the approach briefing, did not include the missed approach, etc., among the items specified in Air China's operations and training manuals. • The flight crew exercised poor crew resource management and lost situational awareness during the circling approach to runway 18R, which led them to fly outside of the circling approach area, delaying the base turn, contrary to the captain's intention to make a timely base turn. • The flight crew did not execute a missed approach when they lost sight of the runway during the circling approach to runway 18R, which led them to strike high terrain (mountain) near the airport. • When the first officer advised the captain to execute a missed approach, about five seconds before impact, the captain did not react, nor did the first officer initiate the missed approach himself. Official comments by China The Civil Aviation Administration of China published a 28-page side-by-side comparison of South Korea's official report. Liu Yajun, the head of the Chinese investigation team, pointed out, • An ATC official in the airport, Park Junyong, was not licensed for air traffic control by the South Korean Construction and Transportation Ministry. • Park did not know the properties of the aircraft, a Boeing 767, and mistakenly directed the airliner to descend to 700 feet (213.5 m) instead of directing the airliner to descend to 1,100 (335.5 m), which is the recommended safe altitude for a Boeing 767. • The airport did not inform the crew of the weather conditions at the time. Eight flights before CA129 had been directed to land at other airports because of bad weather. • There were also problems with the radar system and lighting at Gimhae Airport. Television portrayal The investigation was covered in "Turning Point", a 2017 episode (S17E03) of Mayday, a Canadian documentary television series about air crashes. == See also ==