Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

SHENZHEN Airlines flight ZH9247, an Airbus A319-133 from Xi’an to Panzhihua, missed the runway and contacted approach lights and the localizer, an antenna system, in the safety area while on its final approach to Runway No. 2 at Panzhihua Bao’anying Airport in Sichuan Province on Oct. 16.

A post-flight inspection revealed damage to the main landing tires and the belly of the fuselage, according to a release of the Southwest Region Administration of CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) on Tuesday.

The airplane touched down in the safety area at the end of the runway and did not affect airport operations, the notice said.

There were neither fatalities nor injuries.

The report also showed three flights were diverted to other airports, two flights returned, and seven flights were canceled due to the poor weather conditions at the airport that day.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, the administration said.

The Panzhihua airport, which is located at the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, was built at an altitude of 1,976 meters, by flattening two mountain peaks. Dubbed as “aircraft carrier” type of runways, they are short and face cliffs and deep valleys at both ends. To ensure flight safety, the runways were installed with the Engineering Material Arresting System developed by the China Academy of Aviation Science and Technology.