Boeing 787 incident near Hong Kong, Cn, October 20, 2018
On October 20, 2018 at about 6:14 am local time, a Boeing 787, registered VTANE, was involved in an incident during enroute (descent) near Hong Kong. It was flown under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 207 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 2018 · about 6:14 am local time
- Place
- Hong Kong, China
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 207 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 787 846 · all 787s on the register
- Registration
- VTANE · no longer on the register · serial 36280
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
The government of China has notified the NTSB of an accident involving a BOEING 787 airplane that occurred on October 20, 2018. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the government of China's investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13.All investigative information will be released by the government of China.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (descent) defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Air India
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 8 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 197 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.