On April 1, 2001, a U.S. Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet collided in mid-air, resulting in an international dispute. The Chinese jet was conducting an interception of the U.S. aircraft, a type of reconnaissance plane. The Chinese jet collided with the U.S. plane during the interception attempt, leading to the Chinese pilot's death and the U.S. aircraft's emergency landing at Lingshui airfield on Hainan, the largest island in South China.

The 24 crew members of the U.S. aircraft were detained and interrogated by Chinese authorities. The U.S. government claimed that the crew members were conducting routine surveillance in international airspace, while the Chinese government argued that the U.S. plane had violated international law and was spying on China.

The crew members were released after being detained for 11 days, following a letter from the United States government in which they expressed sorrow for the pilot's death and for entering China's airspace and making the emergency landing without verbal clearance.

The EP-3E plane was stripped of most sensitive and classified equipment by the U.S. crew before they were detained. However, the plane itself remained on Hainan Island for months before being dismantled and returned to the U.S., which further strained U.S.-China relations. The incident highlighted the risks and tensions associated with close military encounters, and it led to a temporary halt of U.S. surveillance flights near China.