Editor's Note: A passenger on a Shenzhen Airlines flight from Taizhou to Guangzhou attempted to start a fire while the plane was in midair. This translated QQ News article gives a firsthand account of the incident as told by one of the other passengers on the plane. The passenger describes the struggle between the arsonist and the other passengers and crew. It seems that passengers and crew reacted quickly and intelligently to minimize the arsonist's damage. It is still unknown how the arsonist was able to bring a knife, gasoline and a lighter on board a Chinese domestic flight.

A passenger was arrested on a Shenzhen Airlines flight for trying to light a fire on board, and injuring two passengers with a knife. The man was subdued by the plane's crew and other passengers. The injuries sustained by the two passengers were minor and they were hospitalized on arrival.

On July 26, around 11 pm, passengers boarded flight ZH9648 at Luqiao Airport in Taizhou heading to Guangzhou. A passenger surnamed Zhang was on board the flight when the man tried to start a fire and told the media his account of what happened that night.

The First Flames

Zhang said the flight got off to a rocky start. The plane was scheduled to take off at 9:00 pm, but was delayed two hours until 11:00 pm. He fell asleep and woke up shortly after take off.

Then, he saw a 40 year old man carrying a black satchel stand up and walk towards the first class section. The man had a stack of papers in his hand, and Zhang assumed that he was going to switch out the newspaper he was reading for a different one.

The man entered the first class area. As soon as he closed the curtain between first and economy class, passengers became aware of a pungent odor coming from first class. Zhang said that later that he was glad that he chose a seat in the rear of the aircraft.

Another passenger opened the curtain, and Zhang saw the man holding burning newspaper surrounded by black smoke. First class flight attendants quickly put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.

An Armed Arsonist

The arsonist passenger then pulled out a knife and shouted, “I'll cut anyone who moves!” Two male passengers stood up and blocked the aisles. The man brandished the knife, and lunged towards the two men, injuring them.

A flight attendant got on the loudspeaker and told all women and children to go to the rear of the cabin, and ordered the men to stand up and use luggage to block the aisle. Many passengers followed her instructions at once. The arsonist was blocked off from most of the plane and the passengers continued to push him towards the first class section.

Then, the arsonist lit his newspaper on fire again. Smoke filled the cabin. Zhang said that the smoke made it difficult to breathe. The man splashed a transparent liquid onto the newspaper that “smelled very much like gasoline,” said Zhang. Investigators later found evidence of fire on seats in the cabin and the aircraft door.

Safe Landing

Three minutes later, at 1:58 am, the aircraft landed safely in Guangzhou. Passengers and crew were quickly evacuated. Zhang saw the arsonist taken away by police on the tarmac. He said that all of the passengers remained in the airport until 7 am because of the public security investigation.

A spokesperson from Taizhou's Luqiao Airport said that the arsonist did go through security checks at the airport. The airport is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Civil Aviation.

Zhang Qihuai of Beijing Aviation Law Research Center said that a pilot will signal “mayday,” to the ground control tower in the face of a major security threat such as a hijacking or arson. Ground control will arrange for the plane to make a priority emergency landing, arrange medical assistance, police and other emergency personnel on standby. 

Flammable and explosive materials, and knives are never allowed on an aircraft in China, said Zhang Qihuai. Moreover, China has some of the best security technology in the world. Knives and flammable material cannot get past China's airport scanners. The arsonist was able only to smuggle these items aboard because of negligent security staff or collusion with security staff. In short, Zhang Qihuai said, he was able to get these items on board because of human factors, not technology failure.

It was smart to push the man towards the first class section because most of the flight attendants and undercover air marshals are in the front of the plane said Zhang Qihuai. There were also less passengers in the front. Therefore the fire was controlled and the number of passengers hurt was minimized.

Source: QQ News

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Keywords: China fire on plane Shenzhen Airlines ZH9648