(Disclaimer: I wrote the following report last year (2004). Some URLs may have become dead links now (April 2005).)
In the authoritative Chinese (China) news site Xin Hua Net, an article dated 13 May 2004 at
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2004-05/13/content_1466781.htm
is about the PLAAF JH-7 (FBC-1) Fei Bao (Flying Leopard) fighter-bomber, its test pilots, and its accidents.
Evidence that for military test pilots, regardless of nationality, “The Excitement Never Stops.”
1. 14 December 1988
At Yan Liang AB, Shaan Xi Province, the JH-7 first flight was (presumably) simple. Take off, circle around the AB once, and land.
Its pilot was HUANG Bing Xin.
After it took off, at altitude 1,000 m, as it turned left, it began to shake. In its cockpit, the speed indicator and other gauges malfunctioned, and warning lights were flashing red.
Huang decided to not eject, and to save the aircraft.
As it continued to shake and approached the runway, Huang was about to lower the landing gear and flaps, when more round gauges fell out of the instrument panels, including the radio altimeter (radar altitude indicator).
After its emergency landing was successful, 2/3 of the gauges had fallen off the instrument panels and were dangling by their colourful wires.
Flight time was 18 minutes.
In an interview at
http://www.china-airforce.org/qwfb_fbc.htm
Huang recalled he took off at 15:27, and his co-pilot was XING Yan Cai.
2. 8 July 1991
In He Nan Province, pilot LU Jun’s JH-7, callsign 5, accelerated to speed 2,000 km/h. He glanced at the fuel gauge, and it was rapidly decreasing. He reported the suspected fuel leak to the AB, callsign 1, and RTB for a straight-in emergency landing.
It was visibly leaking a trail of fuel.
After its emergency landing was successful, its tanks had only 30 litres of gas.
The cause was a flexible fuel pipe had loosened.
3. 19 August 1992
Pilot HUANG Bing Xin and co-pilot YANG Bu Jin were test-flying a JH-7, carrying four missiles.
The last two times Huang flew it, at high altitude, it severely shook. The shaking couldn’t be duplicated on the ground, so additional instruments were installed, and Huang was tasked with finding the cause in the air.
At altitude 5,000 m, and speed 1,150 km/h, when it dived to its left, Huang heard a loud noise. He thought an engine had flamed out, but it didn’t. He asked Yang to see if any of the missiles had detached, but Yang said they didn’t.
Huang stepped on the foot pedals, but no effect. He suspected the rudder on the tail fin had detached. He and Yang decided to not eject, and to save the aircraft.
Its emergency landing was successful.
In an interview at
http://www.china-airforce.org/qwfb_fbc.htm
Huang recalled the date as 25 August 1992. After the rudder fell off, he steered the aircraft by its ailerons and by varying the thrusts of its two engines.
An article about the JH-7 at
http://army.cycnet.com/three/000829001.htm
reported after the rudder was believed as the primary cause of the vibrations, the engineers spent two months to restructure the rudder, and solved this problem that had troubled them for two years.
4. 4 April 1994
During a training sortie, LU Jun was martyred.
Further details unknown.
5. 19 June 1997
Pilot TAN Shou Cai and co-pilot PENG Lian Qi, callsign 03, were test-flying at supersonic speed.
At 11:05, altitude 7,000 m, and speed 1,000 km/h, they were RTB when warning lights began to flash, and the cockpit lost pressure. Pain to Tan’s ears, eyes, and head caused him to momentarily lost consciousness. When he awoke, he reported to the AB and descended the aircraft.
At altitude 1,540 m, the front canopy fell off. They decided to not eject, and to save the aircraft; but without his canopy, Tan’s seat might eject itself anytime.
The emergency landing was successful.
The cause was at the factory, the workers assembling the canopy installed its bolts in reverse.
An article about the JH-7 at
http://jczs.news.sina.com.cn/2004-09-24/1111230061.html
also mentioned the above accident.
The original article (Xin Hua Net, 13 May 2004) mentioned three JH-7 pilots who were martyred:
LU Jun, was 38 years old.
YANG Xiao Bin, 39.
TANG Chun Wen, 45.
The interviews at
http://www.china-airforce.org/qwfb_fbc.htm
mentioned another JH-7 incident:
6. August 1994
A JH-7, with TANG Chun Wen as its co-pilot, took off with 12 bombs. In an exercise area in Gan Su Province, it could not release its bombs. It RTB and made an emergency landing successfully.
Its bombs didn’t detach or detonate.
An article about the JH-7 at
http://www.china-airforce.org/qwfb_yang.htm
was written by the above-mentioned YANG Bu Jin, when the PLAAF appointed him as a consultant for a movie about the JH-7 and its test pilots, that came out in the same year as the 50th anniversary of the PRC. In a control tower scene, he also acted as a ground controller.
In his article, Yang mentioned this fatal JH-7 accident:
On 12 August 1996, at 10:57, at an AB in the Bo Hai Wan (Bo Sea Bay) area, after an aborted test flight, pilot YANG Xiao Bin and navigator TANG Chun Wen were martyred when they tried to save their JH-7 and crash-landed.
An article about the JH-7 and dated 23 August 2004 at
http://military.china.com/zh_cn/bbs/11018441/20040823/11841905.html
*claimed*:
The location was Xing Cheng AB, a Naval Aviation training base in Hu Lu Dao City, Liao Ning Province.
After Yang and Tang took off, their aircraft had a serious problem. They decided to not eject, to save the aircraft, and to RTB.
They couldn’t lower the landing gear, and tried to belly-land, but on the runway, their aircraft became inverted, and the canopies and cockpits… were destroyed.
For half a year, their division didn’t play any music. Normally, they played music during meals.
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April 30, 2005 at 6:11 pm