# Wasn't it an act of war when China downed our surveillance plane in 2001? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-it-an-act-of-war-when-china-downed-our-surveillance-plane-in-2001/156068 "2003-02-19T04:48:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-it-an-act-of-war-when-china-downed-our-surveillance-plane-in-2001/156068/41 "2003-02-20T02:52:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flyboy88 \* > **Sorry for being vague, but that’s about all I can say about that without a stu-III** Oh, just _gimme_ a DSN prefix. 🙂 Tripler Like USAF CE or the SeaBees have any juicy secrets. . . ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-it-an-act-of-war-when-china-downed-our-surveillance-plane-in-2001/156068/42 "2003-02-20T03:32:51Z")
> [@](#): > > All accounts I read stated that it was forced down to the Chinese Island. ?? The U. S. DoD does not say that:[DefenseLINK](http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2001/n04132001_200104135.html): > [@](#): > > Rumsfeld noted that Osborn decided to make for Hainan Island to land the stricken EP-3, which had sustained damage to two engines, its fuselage, and lost its nose cone in the collision with the Chinese F-8 jet. The damaged jet plunged into the sea and the pilot is still missing. > > “I’m told that the crew made some 25 to 30 attempts to broadcast mayday and distress signals and to alert the world, as well as Hainan Island, that they were going to be forced to land there,” he said. > > After making a safe landing on Hainan, Rumsfeld noted that Osborn and his crew “were greeted with armed [Chinese] troops.” > > “So, I suspect that the people at the airfield knew that they were coming,” he added. > > Bits of metal from the collision had pierced portions of the EP-3’s fuselage, Rumsfeld remarked, making such noise from the rushing air that it was very difficult for the crew to hear. > > “Therefore, they really could not be aware as to whether or not their distress signals had been acknowledged,” he said. In the context of the other remarks, “going to be forced to land there” would indicate that they were forced _by circumstances_, not by the Chinese military. An article in [Jane’s](http://www.janes.com/aerospace/military/news/misc/ep3_010518_1_n.shtml) detailing the incident supports that interpretation: > [@](#): > > Having regained (relative) control of the aircraft, Lt Osborn and his flightcrew selected an emergency landing at the nearest field as their best possible option. This turned out to be Lingshui airbase on Hainan Island since the nearest allied fields were over 600 nautical miles away. The option of ditching, given the level of damage the aircraft had sustained and the tenuous degree of control maintained, would almost certainly have led to a number of the 24 crewmembers losing their lives. As to “spy” vs “surveillance,” the DoD position was > [@](#): > > Rumsfeld told reporters that the EP-3 wasn’t conducting espionage and was justified in flying its mission over the South China Sea. > > “Our EP-3 was flying an overt, reconnaissance and surveillance mission in international airspace in an aircraft clearly marked ‘United States Navy,’” he said. "It was on a well-known flight path that we had used for decades. > > “Many countries perform such flights, including China.” ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-it-an-act-of-war-when-china-downed-our-surveillance-plane-in-2001/156068/43 "2003-02-21T21:35:53Z")
These flights have been going on for decades and have caused many incidents with China: [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB41/](http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB41/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-it-an-act-of-war-when-china-downed-our-surveillance-plane-in-2001/156068.md?page=2)