Last remnants of US spy plane leaves Hainan

The last parts of a US Navy spy plane that collided with a Chinese fighter jet, sparking a crisis in US-China relations, have been flown off southern China's Hainan island.

The fuselage of the EP-3E and equipment used to dismantle the plane were packed onto an AN-124 cargo aircraft that refuelled in the Philippines capital, Manila, on Tuesday evening before taking off for Honolulu, Hawaii.

The EP-3, packed with sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment, made an emergency landing April 1 on Hainan after colliding with a Chinese fighter sent to intercept it over the South China Sea.

The collision and China's 11-day detention of the American crew caused the worst tensions between Beijing and Washington since the bombing of China's embassy in Yugoslavia by US aircraft in 1999.