U.S.-China Spy Plane Incident
On April 1, 2001, a United States Navy EP-3E was intercepted by People's Liberation Army Air Force J-8 fighter jets about 70 miles (110 km) off the Chinese island of Hainan. The People's Republic of China later claimed that this plane was spying on Chinese military facilities. One of the Chinese jets bumped the wing of the EP-3E, which was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan. The Chinese pilot, Wang Wei, was missing and presumed dead following the incident.
The crew of 24 was detained and released April 11 after the U.S. issued the letter of the two sorries. The plane was airlifted to Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia on July 3, 2001.
The EP-3E was carrying sensitive listening equipment. Navy protocol calls for destruction of this equipment in the event the plane is captured or if there is a chance it will be boarded by non-U.S. personnel. Chinese military did board the plane after it landed in Hainan but it is not known if any sensitive information was retreived.
See also: Sino-American relations