What happened
On April 15, 1999, at 16:01 local time, a Korean Air cargo flight, identified as KE6316, departed from runway 18 at Shanghai-Hongqiao International Airport. The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F with registration HL7373, was en route to Seoul, Korea, carrying two pilots and one flight technician.
Shortly after departure, the autopilot was disengaged. The flight path initially involved a rightward maneuver followed by a period of level flight on a 200-degree track. While the crew was cleared to climb to an altitude of 1,500 meters, the aircraft began a turn toward NHW at 900 meters. After passing through 1,310 meters, the aircraft reached 1,370 meters before entering a sudden and rapid descent. The plane disappeared from radar screens at 16:04:19 and impacted the ground at 16:04:35.
The crash site was located approximately 11.6 kilometers from the airport runway centerline. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. The accident caused 8 fatalities, including all three crew members and five individuals on the ground, while 36 injuries were reported, four of which were classified as serious.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary factor in the accident was a loss of altitude situational awareness by the flight crew. This was triggered by an incorrect altitude clearance relayed by the first officer and exacerbated by the crew's decision to use abrupt flight control inputs in response to the situation.