U.S., CHINA EP-3 AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT

On April 1, 2001 a U.S. Navy EP-3 maritime patrol aircraft on a routine surveillance mission over international waters in the South China Sea was intercepted by two People's Republic of China fighter aircraft. Contact with one of the Chinese aircraft damaged the U.S. Navy plane, forcing it to make an emergency landing on Hainan Island in China. No U.S. crewmembers were injured. The Chinese fighter that made contact with the U.S. plane crashed, and
the pilot is presumed dead.