Hainan Island incident

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}} On April 1, 2001, a [[mid-air collision]] between a [[United States Navy]] [[Lockheed EP-3|EP-3E ARIES II]] [[SIGINT|signals intelligence]] aircraft and a [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] (PLAN) [[Shenyang J-8|J-8II]] [[interceptor aircraft|interceptor]] [[fighter aircraft|fighter]] [[jet aircraft|jet]] resulted in an [[international incident|international dispute]] between the United States and the [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) called the '''Hainan Island incident'''. The EP-3 was operating about {{convert|70|mi|km}} away from the PRC island province of [[Hainan]], and about {{convert|100|mi|km}} away from the Chinese military installation in the Paracel Islands, when it was intercepted by two J-8 fighters. A collision between the EP-3 and one of the J-8s caused the death of a PRC pilot, while the EP-3 was forced to make an [[emergency landing]] on Hainan. The 24 crew members were detained and interrogated by the Chinese authorities until a statement was delivered by United States government regarding the incident. The exact phrasing of this document was intentionally ambiguous and allowed both countries to save [[Face (sociological concept)|face]] while simultaneously defusing a potentially volatile situation between militarily strong regional states. ==Background== The United States and the People's Republic of China disagree on the legality of the overflights by U.S. naval aircraft of the area where the incident occurred. This part of the [[South China Sea]] comprises part of the PRC's [[exclusive economic zone]] based on the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]]. The PRC is a signatory to this Convention and while the United States is not, according to naval officials it "operate[s]...within the provisions of the Law of the Sea Convention in every area related to navigation." Part V, Article 58 of the Convention states in relation to exclusive economic zones that: "all States...enjoy...the freedoms...of navigation and overflight," but notes that "States...shall comply with the laws and regulations adopted by the coastal State...in so far as they are not incompatible with this Part." The PRC interprets the Convention as allowing it to preclude other nations' military operations within this area, while the United States maintains that the Convention grants free navigation for all countries' aircraft and ships, including military aircraft and ships, within a country's exclusive economic zone. A PRC [[Sukhoi Su-27|Su-27]] force is based at Hainan. The island also houses a large [[signals intelligence]] facility which tracks U.S. activity in the area and monitors traffic from commercial communications satellites. As early as May 22, 1951, Hainan was targeted at the behest of U.S. Naval Intelligence for [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] [[photo-reconnaissance]] overflights, using [[Supermarine Spitfire (Griffon powered variants)#Mk XIX (Mk 19) (types 389 and 390)|Spitfire PR Mk 19s]] based at [[Kai Tak Airport]] in Hong Kong. This sea area includes the [[South China Sea Islands]], which are claimed by the PRC and several other countries. It is one of the most strategically sensitive areas in the world. ==In the air== [[File:LockheedEP-3E VQ-1 2001-2009-29-03.jpg|left|thumb|An EP-3E of VQ-1]] The EP-3 (BuNo ''156511''), assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1, "World Watchers"), had taken off as Mission PR32 from [[Kadena Air Base]] in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], Japan. At about 09:15 local time, toward the end of the EP-3's six-hour [[ELINT]] mission, two Chinese J-8s from Lingshui airfield, on the Chinese island of [[Hainan]], approached the EP-3 as it flew at {{convert|22000|ft|m}} and {{convert|180|kn|mph}}, on a heading of 110°, about {{convert|70|mi|km}} away from the island. One of the J-8s (''81192''), piloted by [[Lieutenant Commander|Lt. Cdr.]] [[Wang Wei (pilot)|Wang Wei]], made two close passes to the EP-3. On the third pass, it collided with the larger aircraft. The J-8 broke into two pieces, while the EP-3's [[radome]] detached completely and its No. 1 (outer left) propeller was severely damaged. [[Airspeed]] and altitude data were lost, the aircraft depressurized, and an [[antenna (radio)|antenna]] became wrapped around the tailplane. The J-8's tail fin struck the EP-3's left [[aileron]] forcing it fully upright, and causing the U.S. plane to roll to the left at 3-4 times its normal maximum rate. [[File:Hainanincidentmap.png|thumb|right|Area of the collision in the South China Sea]] The impact sent the EP-3 into a 30° dive at a bank angle of 130°, almost inverted. It dropped {{convert|8000|ft|m}} in 30 seconds, and fell another {{convert|6000|ft|m}} before the pilot, [[Lieutenant|Lt.]] [[Shane Osborn]], got the EP-3's wings level and the nose up. In a September 2003 article in ''Naval Aviation News'', Osborn said that once he regained control of the plane he "called for the crew to prepare to bail out." He then managed to control the aircraft's descent by using emergency power on the working engines, such that an emergency landing on Hainan became a possibility. For the next 26 minutes the crew of the EP-3 carried out an emergency plan which included destroying sensitive items on board the aircraft, such as electronic equipment related to intelligence gathering, documents and data. Part of this plan involved pouring freshly brewed hot coffee into [[disk storage|disk drives]] and [[motherboard]]s. [[File:KampfflugzeugF-8China-2009-01-04.jpg|left|thumb|[[Shenyang J-8]] ''81192'', the aircraft that collided with the EP-3E]] The EP-3 made an unauthorized emergency landing at Lingshui airfield, after at least 15 [[distress signal]]s had gone unanswered, with the [[Transponder code|emergency code]] selected on the [[transponder]]. It landed at {{convert|170|kn|mph}}, with no [[flap (aircraft)|flaps]], no [[trim tab|trim]], and a damaged left [[elevator (aircraft)|elevator]], weighing {{convert|108000|lb|kg}}. Following the collision, the failure of the nose cone had disabled the No. 3 (inner right) engine, and the No. 1 propeller could not be [[Feathering (propeller)|feathered]], leading to increased drag on that side. There was no working [[airspeed indicator]] or [[altimeter]], and Osborn used full right aileron during the landing. Meanwhile, the surviving Chinese interceptor had landed there 10 minutes earlier. Lt. Cdr. Wang was seen to eject after the collision, but the Pentagon said that the damage to the underside of the EP-3 could mean that the cockpit of the Chinese fighter jet was crushed, making it impossible for the pilot to survive. Wang's body was never recovered and he was declared dead. ===Cause of collision=== Both the cause of the collision and the assignment of blame were disputed. The American government claimed that the Chinese jet bumped the wing of the larger, slower, and less maneuverable EP-3. After returning to U.S. soil, the pilot of the EP-3, Lt. Shane Osborn, was allowed to make a brief statement in which he said that the EP-3 was on autopilot and in straight-and-level flight at the time of the collision. He stated that he was just "guarding the autopilot" in his interview with ''Frontline''. The U.S. released video footage from previous missions which revealed that American reconnaissance crews had previously been intercepted by Lt. Cdr. Wang. During one such incident, he was shown approaching so close that his [[e-mail]] address could be read from a sign that he was holding up. Based on the account of Wang Wei's [[wingman]], the Chinese government stated that the American plane "veered at a wide angle towards the Chinese", in the process ramming the J-8. This claim cannot be verified since the Chinese government refuses to release data from the black boxes of either plane, both of which are in its possession. ==On the ground== For 15 minutes after landing, the U.S. aircraft crew continued to destroy sensitive items and data on board the aircraft, as per [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] protocol. They disembarked from the plane after soldiers looked through windows, pointed guns, and shouted through [[megaphone|bullhorns]]. The Chinese offered them water and cigarettes. Kept under close guard, they were taken to a military barracks at [[Lingshui Li Autonomous County|Lingshui]] where they were interrogated for two nights before being moved to lodgings in [[Haikou]], the provincial capital and largest city on the island. They were treated well in general, but were interrogated at all hours, and so suffered from [[sleep deprivation|lack of sleep]]. They found the [[Chinese cuisine|Chinese food]] unpalatable as it included fish heads, but this later improved. Guards gave them [[playing card|decks of cards]] and an English-language newspaper. To pass the time and keep spirits up, Lts. Honeck and Vignery worked up humorous routines based on the television shows ''[[The People's Court]]'', ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and ''[[The Crocodile Hunter]]''. These were performed as they went to meals, the only time they were together. They gradually developed good relations with their guards, with one guard inquiring of them the lyrics for the song "[[Hotel California (song)|Hotel California]]" by the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]]. Three U.S. diplomats were sent to Hainan to meet the crew and assess their conditions, and to negotiate their release. They were first allowed to meet with the crew three days after the collision. U.S. officials complained at the slow pace of the Chinese decision. The 24 crew-members (21 men and three women) were detained until April 11, shortly after the U.S. issued the "letter of the two sorries" to the Chinese. The Chinese military boarded the plane and thoroughly stripped and examined the aircraft's equipment. Reliable sources have speculated that the crew were only partially successful in their destruction of the on-board data and technology, although no official information has been released. ==Letter of the two sorries== {{Wikisource|Letter of the two sorries}} The "Letter of the two sorries" was the letter delivered by the United States Ambassador [[Joseph Prueher]] to [[Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China|Foreign Minister]] [[Tang Jiaxuan]] of the People's Republic of China to defuse the incident. The delivery of the letter led to the release of the U.S. crew from Chinese custody, as well as the eventual return of the disassembled plane. The letter stated that the United States was "very sorry" for the death of Chinese pilot Wang Wei, and "We are very sorry the entering of China's airspace and the landing did not have verbal clearance..." The United States stated that it was "not a letter of apology," but "an expression of regret and sorrow"; some state-run Chinese media outlets characterized it as such at the time. While China had originally asked for an apology, the US explained, "We did not do anything wrong, and therefore it was not possible to apologize." There was further debate over the exact meaning of the Chinese translation issued by the U.S. Embassy. A senior administration official was quoted as saying "What the Chinese will choose to characterize as an apology, we would probably choose to characterize as an expression of regret or sorrow." ==Aftermath== [[File:EP-3's crew return.jpg|thumb|right|EP-3 crew arrives at Hickam AFB in Hawaii. (Pictured saluting is U.S. Air Force [[Senior Airman]] Curtis Towne.)]] The crew of the EP-3 was released on April 11, 2001, and returned to their base at [[Naval Air Station Whidbey Island|Whidbey Island]] via [[Honolulu]], Hawaii, where they were subject to two days of intense debriefings, followed by a hero's welcome. The pilot, Lt. [[Shane Osborn]], was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] for "heroism and extraordinary achievement" in flight, while the J-8 pilot, Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei, was posthumously honored in China as a "Guardian of Territorial Airspace and Waters". His widow received a personal letter of condolence from President [[George W. Bush]]. U.S. Navy engineers said the EP-3 could be repaired in 8–12 months, but China refused to allow it to be flown off Hainan island. The disassembled aircraft was released on July 3, 2001, and was returned to the United States by the [[List of airlines of Russia|Russian airline]] [[Polet Airlines|Polet]] in an [[Antonov An-124|Antonov An-124-100]]. It was eventually reassembled and returned to duty. In addition to paying for the dismantling and shipping of the EP-3, the United States paid for the 11 days of food and lodging supplied by the Chinese government to the aircraft's crew, in the amount of $34,000. The Chinese had demanded one million dollars compensation from the U.S. for the lost J-8 and their pilot, but this was declined and no further negotiations were held. One Republican congressman, [[Tom DeLay]], described the episode as "communist piracy" and Chinese demands for compensation as "the deluded daydreams of a despotic regime." The incident took place ten weeks after the inauguration of George W. Bush as president and was his first foreign policy crisis. Both sides were criticized following the event; the Chinese for making a bluff which was called without any real concessions from the American side other than the "Letter of the two sorries," and the Americans first for being insensitive immediately after the event, and then later for issuing the letter rather than taking a harder line. Following the collision, China's monitoring of reconnaissance flights became less aggressive. As of 2011, flights of US spy planes near the Chinese coastline continue to complicate US-China relations. Hainan is currently the home of the PLAN [[Hainan Submarine Base]], an underground facility capable of supporting nuclear [[ballistic missile submarine]]s. In March 2009, the [[USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS-23)#South China Sea incidents|USNS ''Impeccable'']], an [[ocean surveillance ship]] of the [[U.S. Navy]] was on several occasions approached by Chinese ships and aircraft while operating {{convert|75|mi|km}} south of Hainan in actions Pentagon officials characterized as "aggressive" and "harassment." ==See also== {{div col}} * [[Cathay Pacific VR-HEU]] (1954 shoot-down near Hainan Island) * [[1960 U-2 incident]] * [[Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253|Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253 (1968)]] * [[EC-121 shootdown incident|EC-121 shootdown incident (1969)]] * [[Gulf of Sidra incident (1981)]] * [[Korean Air Lines Flight 007|Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (1983)]] * [[Iran Air Flight 655|Iran Air Flight 655 (1988)]] * [[Gulf of Sidra incident (1989)]] * [[List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (2000-present)]] * [[USS Pueblo (AGER-2)]] (1968 capture of US ELINT and SIGINT ship) * [[USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS-23)#South China Sea incidents|South China Sea Incident (2009)]] {{div col end}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Hainan Island incident}} * [http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/02/china.aircollision.03/ CNN article covering the incident early on] * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1260290.stm BBC article] * [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/china/interviews/osborn.html Frontline interview with the EP-3 pilot, Shane Osborn] * [http://www.cctv.com/news/special/zt1/crash/more1.html Chinese CCTV Media Coverage in Chinese] {{Aviation incidents and accidents in 2001}} {{coord missing}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hainan Island Incident}}