Introduction to the near-collision incident involving two aircraft at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on October 11

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　On October 11, two planes nearly collided at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. On the 16th, media reports indicated that following the accident, all the leaders at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport’s control tower were removed from their positions on the spot and reassigned; the control tower is now under the management of the Air Traffic Control Center. Here’s roughly what happened: On October 11th, the China Eastern Airlines pilots (one captain and two first officers) carried out their flight preparations in a thorough and meticulous manner, as they always do. On that day, they would operate flight MU5643 using an A320 (aircraft registration B-2337), departing from Shanghai Hongqiao to take 147 passengers to Tianjin. 　　At 11:54, 19 minutes late, the aircraft finally received instructions from the control tower to taxi out. 　　12:03 The control tower directed the aircraft to runway 36L, and the crew proceeded onto the runway after completing the pre-departure checklist. 　　12:04 Tower controller: Runway 36L, clear for takeoff. 　　After confirming that the runway was clear, the crew proceeded with the takeoff procedure. However, when the aircraft’s speed reached around 110 knots (200 kilometers per hour), the captain suddenly noticed an A330 about to cross runway 36L. After immediately asking the control tower through the radio, the captain confirmed that the A330 was indeed crossing the runway; at that point, the aircraft’s speed had already reached 130 knots (240 kilometers per hour). In this critical moment, the captain realized that attempting to slow down and apply brakes would likely not be sufficient due to the short distance left, and since the aircraft’s speed was already close to the threshold needed to lift off, accelerating instead was the only way to avoid a collision. So it was decided to proceed with takeoff, using TOGA (maximum thrust) push-off. 　　At that time, China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5106 (operated by an A330) was carrying 266 passengers from Beijing to Shanghai, and received air traffic control instructions to cross the runway and proceed to the terminal to dock. While crossing the 36L runway, the crew of flight MU5106 also noticed that another aircraft was taking off by rolling down the runway, so they accelerated their own roll to leave the runway as quickly as possible. In the end, the China Eastern Airlines A320 flew over the A330, successfully saving 439 lives (413 passengers and 26 crew members) from a potential accident. Recommendations for handling the incident: On October 21, the Civil Aviation Administration took severe action against the leaders and individuals responsible for the \"10.11\" incident at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. It called on the entire industry to learn deeply from this incident, apply these lessons to similar situations, conduct thorough inspections to identify all potential risks, and leave no loopholes unaddressed. By adopting a stronger sense of responsibility, more comprehensive institutional measures, and higher-quality services, the industry can ensure flight safety. The Civil Aviation Administration emphasizes that civil aviation operations must adhere to the fundamental principle of flight safety, and a \"zero-tolerance\" approach must be adopted toward any potential safety hazards. 　　Upon investigation, the Civil Aviation Administration determined that this incident was a serious accident caused by human error, resulting from the tower controller’s failure to keep track of the situation and making incorrect commands. As a result, 13 senior officials from the East China Air Traffic Management Agency, its control center, and its safety management department were given party warnings, severe warnings, as well as administrative sanctions such as demotion ； Revoke the licenses of the on-duty controller* and monitoring* controller; such controllers are prohibited from engaging in control and supervision work for life ； He Chao, the captain of the China Eastern Airlines A320 aircraft who successfully resolved the crisis, was awarded a first-class merit and given corresponding rewards. 　　On the same day, the Civil Aviation Administration also held a meeting with the leadership team of the Air Traffic Control Authority, pointing out seriously the problems that emerged within the air traffic control system during the \"10.11\" safety incident. It was required that the air traffic control system adopt a problem-oriented approach, focus on key areas and units where problems frequently occur, and earnestly fulfill its responsibilities regarding safety leadership, overall safety management, and individual job responsibilities. Efforts should be made to strengthen the foundation at the grassroots level, hone essential skills, leverage the effectiveness of the safety system, and prevent the recurrence of similar problems. The diagram shows the situation as depicted by a certain pilot: yellow represents the path taken by the 330 aircraft as it crossed the runway, while green indicates the takeoff path of the 320 aircraft. More details from that incident were revealed during an emergency safety video conference held on the 14th. At that time, the vertical distance between the two planes was only 19 meters, and the distance between their wing tips was 13 meters; a collision would have occurred in just three seconds. Thanks to the decisive action and proper handling by the 320 unit, an accident was averted. 　　However, the co-pilot’s handling was also hesitant at that time; he applied the brakes briefly. Fortunately, the captain quickly took control and moved the control stick to the mechanical stop position at a rate of 7.03 degrees per second.