On June 3, 2006, a People's Liberation Army Air Force KJ-200 crashed in Guangde County, Anhui Province, China.

The aircraft involved was a PRC-produced Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane, one of four that were part of the country's efforts to expand its air defences.

Carrying such a large number of people allowed the plane to avoid transmitting real time data back to the ground, which could be compromised by foreign intelligence services.

[2] While cruising at 28,000ft, the aircraft encountered icing conditions, entered an uncontrolled descent, likely stalled and partially disintegrated while in the air before crashing into a hillside, killing all 40 people on board.

The official explanation was that the accident was due to heavy ice formation on the wings after the aircraft made repeated passes in and out of clouds in bad weather.