China General Aviation Flight 7552

A China General Aviation Yak-42 similar to the one involved
Accident
Date	31 July 1992 (1992-07-31)
Summary	Pilot error leading to a loss of control
Site	near Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Yakovlev Yak-42D
Operator	China General Aviation
IATA flight No.	GP7552
ICAO flight No.	CTH7552
Call sign	Tonghang 7552
Registration	B-2755
Flight origin	Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport, Jiangsu, China
Destination	Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Occupants	126
Passengers	116
Crew	10
Fatalities	108
Injuries	18
Survivors	18

China General Aviation Flight 7552 was a China General Aviation flight from Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport to Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport. On July 31, 1992, the Yakovlev Yak-42D overran runway 06 during takeoff and impacted an embankment at 210 kilometres per hour (110 kn; 130 mph), 420 metres (1,380 ft) from the threshold.^[1]

Aircraft

The aircraft was released by the Saratov Aviation Plant on January 2, 1992, and was delivered to China General Aviation in the same month.^[2][3]

Crash

Flight GP7552 was a passenger flight from Nanking to Xiamen. There were 116 passengers and 10 crew members. At about 3:05 pm the aircraft headed for the runway 06 and, after a minute delay, started its take-off roll. The Yak-42 started to lift off the ground and began to climb, however the aircraft failed to respond to controls and slammed back down onto the runway. The takeoff was aborted and the pilots initiated an emergency braking procedure, however the aircraft was unable to stop with the remaining runway distance.

The aircraft then exited the runway, and continued rolling for on the ground 420–600 metres (1,380–1,970 ft). The aircraft then crashed into a two-meter (6.6-foot) fence, a drainage ditch and an embankment and exploded. The fuselage broke into three parts, after which a post-crash fire erupted. Part of the wreckage fell into a nearby pond. 8 of the 10 crew members and 100 of the 116 passengers died.^{[note 1][1][4][5]}

Investigation

Investigators determined that the crew did not prepare the flight according to the airline's procedures and did not follow the pre-takeoff checklist. The aircraft was unable to take off because the elevator trim was set in a landing configuration.