Plane crash time line

(All dates Washington time)

March 31   April 1   April 2   April 3   April 4   April 5   
April 6   April 7   April 8   April 11    

March 31:
 •  A U.S. electronic surveillance plane and a Chinese fighter jet collide over the South China Sea. The Chinese plane crashes; the U.S. plane, a Navy EP-3 Aries II, makes an emergency landing at a Chinese air base on Hainan Island.

April 1:
 •  Military attaches from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing leave for Hainan to visit the plane's 24-member crew.
 •  The Pentagon warns Chinese authorities they have no right to board the aircraft, which is packed with highly sensitive electronic equipment.
 •  China says the pilot of its plane is still missing and blames the U.S. plane for the collision. U.S. Adm. Dennis Blair blames Chinese pilots' "aggressive" tactics for the incident.

April 2:
 •  U.S. President George W. Bush demands the "prompt and safe" return of the crew and says the plane should be returned without "further damaging or tampering."
 •  Chinese sources tell CNN the plane was boarded by Chinese troops upon landing on Hainan. Joseph Prueher, the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, says: "There is little doubt that they have been over the airplane."

April 3:
 •  U.S. diplomats and Chinese officials meet with the spy plane's crew. It is the first contact U.S. authorities have had with the crew since the plane landed on Hainan.
 •  Chinese President Jiang Zemin calls for a U.S. apology over the collision and demands that American spy flights stay away from Chinese territory.
 •  The Pentagon says Chinese troops have boarded the grounded spy plane and begun removing gear from the aircraft.

April 4:
 •  U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell expresses U.S. "regret" over the loss of the Chinese jet's pilot, Wang Wei. China calls the comments a step in the right direction.
 •  Pentagon sources say the Aries crew destroyed the most sensitive equipment aboard the Aries before landing in China.
 •  China's ambassador to the United States tells CNN the crew will remain in China while Chinese authorities investigate the incident.

April 5:
 •  China Foreign Ministry says U.S. regrets are "a step in the right direction" but repeats demand for full apology. China will consider second meeting between crew and U.S. officials only if Washington takes "cooperative approach."
 •  Bush says he regrets the apparent loss of the Chinese pilot. He does not want the dispute to destabilize Sino-U.S. relations but says the crew should come home.
 •  Jiang, in Chile, says China and the United States should give top priority to bilateral relations in resolving the dispute; says the crisis must be handled with care.

April 6:
 •  China welcomes Bush's expression of regret but holds out for a full U.S. apology for the midair tangle.
 •  U.S. diplomats meet plane's crew for a second time. China promises a third meeting Saturday.
 •  Bush says efforts to resolve dispute are "making progress." Powell tells reporters the two countries are "exchanging rather precise ideas."
 •  Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner says the two sides are working on a written agreement on what happened Sunday, which would be approved by the leaders of both countries.

April 7:
 •  U.S. officials say detained crew are being treated well after hour-long visit with the group.
 •  Top Republican lawmaker, Henry Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, calls crew "hostages".
 •  Washington rebuffs another Beijing demand for an apology.
 •  White House says Washington and Beijing making progress working on a written accord on the midair incident. The document is expected to include an expression of regret for the loss of the Chinese pilot, but will not contain apology wanted by China.

April 8:
 •  As air crew begin their second week in detention, U.S. diplomats press for unrestricted access twice daily.
 •  The United States warns that long-term relations are at risk because of the dispute and Vice President Dick Cheney insists Washington will not apologize over the incident.
 •  U.S. President Bush sends a letter to the missing pilot, Wang Wei's wife, expressing his "regret" to the wife for her loss.
 •  Secretary of State Colin Powell says the letter is "very personal" and "not part of the political exchange". It does not bear the President's signature.
 •  Powell insists they have no reason to apologize But he appears on TV saying, "we have expressed regrets and we have expressed our sorrow, and we are sorry that the life was lost."

April 11:
•  12:45 a.m. -- U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice receives call from the U.S. State Department notifying her that Chinese officials want to see full text of letter from the U.S. ambassador to China.
•  5 a.m. -- U.S. Ambassador to China Joseph W. Preuher meets with Chinese officials who at some point provide the verbal assurances that the U.S. crew will be released.
•  5:40 a.m. -- Rice calls U.S. President George W. Bush to inform him of the commitment from the Chinese to release the U.S. crew. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says that at this point the president turns to the first lady to tell her the good news.
•  6:30 a.m. -- Chinese television reports the planned release of the U.S. crew, providing crucial confirmation to U.S. officials that all is going according to plan. Rice calls Bush a second time to confirm the release.
•  6:50 a.m. EDT -- Bush arrives at the Oval Office, meets with senior advisers, and prepares to make an official announcement.