What happened
On the flight from Enshi to Wuhan, Wuhan Airlines flight 343 encountered intense meteorological conditions, including heavy rain and thunderstorms accompanied by windshear. While the aircraft was in the vicinity of Wuhan, the crew spent approximately 30 minutes circling the area in an attempt to wait for the storm to subside. During this period, local weather monitoring recorded an extremely high frequency of lightning, with 451 thunderclaps occurring within a 10-minute window.
As the aircraft proceeded with its approach, the first officer suggested diverting to an alternate airfield. However, the captain elected to proceed toward the destination in Wuhan. During the final stages of the flight, the aircraft type encountered severe windshear, leading to a crash near Sitai Village in Yongfeng Township, roughly 20 to 30 kilometers from Wuhan. The impact was distributed across two locations: one portion of the aircraft type struck a farmhouse, while the remaining wreckage settled on a dike along the Han River. The accident resulted in 7 fatalities, involving workers who were performing generator installations on a nearby vessel.
Findings
- The flight encountered extreme thunderstorm activity and significant windshear.
- The decision to continue the approach to Wuhan despite the suggestion to divert to an alternate airport was a critical factor in the sequence of events.