Chery Fengyun X3L, under China's Chery Automobile Company, encountered an accident while attempting to climb the “Heavenly Ladder” at Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain, losing control halfway up the steep slope and sliding down, crashing into part of the guardrail, which sparked widespread discussion.
According to comprehensive reports from Chinese media, the incident occurred at noon on November 12. A yellow Chery Fengyun X3L off-road vehicle tried to take on the challenge of Tianmen Mountain’s 999-step “Heavenly Ladder,” with many tourists watching at the scene.
Videos circulating online show the Chery off-roader climbing at a steady and rapid pace until it suddenly lost control halfway up. The vehicle then quickly slid backwards, directly hitting the guardrail beside the stairs and knocking down a large section before coming to a stop.
It is understood that as the main route to the Tianmen Cave, the “Heavenly Ladder” is nearly 300 meters long, with a vertical drop of about 150 meters, totaling 999 steps. The steps have an average gradient of 45°, with some sections exceeding 60°; the steps are slippery and narrow, making the challenge extremely difficult.
This kind of challenge is not unprecedented—Land Rover models successfully completed the Tianmen Mountain “99 Bends and 999 Stairs” challenge in 2018, setting a record of 9 minutes and 51 seconds, becoming the first vehicle to successfully climb to the Tianmen Cave.
According to preliminary investigation and verification, the direct cause of the accident was that the safety harness shackle fixing point for the testing equipment accidentally fell off, causing the harness to wrap around the right side wheel, obstructing the power output and resulting in the vehicle sliding down and crashing into the guardrail, causing partial damage. Fortunately, no injuries or environmental damage occurred during this incident.
The company stated that this outcome exposed insufficient risk assessment and oversight of details in the planning and execution process of the test. In particular, the decision to conduct the test publicly in a scenic area raised public concerns, for which the company is deeply reflective.
For the damage caused to the Tianmen Mountain site during this test, the company expressed deep apologies, promising to fully restore and bear all compensation responsibilities as well as carry out all follow-up work. The incident has generated extensive discussion online and occupied valuable public resources, for which the company feels deeply uneasy and apologetic. Chery further thanks the public for their oversight and criticism, stating that it will learn from this lesson and move forward in a more solid and steady manner.