China Airlines Flight 831

China Airlines Flight 831

B-1876, an aircraft similar to the one involved
Hijacking
Date	March 9, 1978 (1978-03-09)
Summary	Aircraft hijacking
Site	Hong Kong
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 737-281
Operator	China Airlines
Registration	B-1870
Flight origin	Kaohsiung International Airport
Destination	Kai Tak Airport
Passengers	92
Crew	9
Fatalities	1 (hijacker)
Injuries	2
Survivors	100

China Airlines Flight 831 was a scheduled passenger flight from Kaohsiung in Taiwan to British Hong Kong that was hijacked on March 9, 1978.

Aircraft

The tail assembly of B-1870, the aircraft involved

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-281, MSN 20226, registered as B-1870, that was manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 1969. It was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 engines.

Hijacking

The flight, operated by a Boeing 737-281 registered as B-1870, departed at 16:08 local time and was uneventful until 17:00, when one of the crew members, 34-year-old Shi Mingzhen, broke into the cockpit and demanded the pilots to fly to Mainland China. Captain Gao Zhixian and First Officer Gong Zhongkang (both former Republic of China Air Force pilots) refused the demands and were beaten by Shi. Despite having injuries from the beating, the pilots managed to order an on-board security guard to the cockpit. The guard broke down the cockpit door using a fire extinguisher, shot and killed the hijacker. The flight landed at Kai Tak Airport at 17:20, after which the Airport Security Unit searched the aircraft for potential accomplices and questioned passengers. The pilots were then taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital due to their injuries.

Aftermath

The aircraft involved later crashed as Flight 2265 near Penghu Airport, killing all 13 people on board.