China Northern Airlines MD-82 plane crash

The aircraft was on a passenger flight from Beijing (China) and Dalian (China). The MD-82 was due to land at Dalian Airport at 9:40pm local time. At 9:20, the Captain reported a 'cabin fire' to air traffic controllers, and four minutes later, at 9:24, radio contact was lost as the aircraft disappeared from radar. The aircraft crashed into the Yellow Sea about 6 miles (10 kilometers) off the Dalian coast.

A few months later, the Chinese government issued a report which blamed the crash on a fire started intentionally by a passenger, who was a terminally ill cancer patient. Before the flight, this passenger reportedly purchased seven flight insurance policies totalling more than 1.5 million RMB ($187,500 US Dollars). Additionally, investigators searching his apartment found a number of mineral water bottles filled with gasoline.

All 112 passengers and crew members were killed in the accident.