Henan Airlines has sacked its general manager Li Qiang after one of the carrier's passenger aircraft crashed Tuesday, killing 42 people and injuring 54, China's aviation authority said on Wednesday.

The Zhengzhou-based carrier had appointed Cao Bo as the acting general manager, Xinhua learned from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The Embraer E-90 aircraft had 96 people on board when it crashed near the Lindu airport on the outskirts of Yichun, in the northeastern Heilongjiang Province.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.