China Airlines Flight 611
| China Airlines Flight 611 | |
|---|---|
 Computer animation of the misfortune machine |
|
| Accident summary | |
| Accident type | Structural failure due to material fatigue and poor repairs |
| place | Formosa Strait near Penghu Islands , Taiwan |
| date | May 25, 2002 |
| Fatalities | 225 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-209B |
| operator | China Airlines |
| Mark | B-18255 |
| Departure airport | Taiwan Taoyuan Airport |
| Destination airport | Hong Kong International Airport |
| Passengers | 206 |
| crew | 19th |
| Lists of aviation accidents | |
China Airlines flight 611 ( flight number : CI611) was an international scheduled flight operated by the Taiwanese airline China Airlines from Taiwan to Hong Kong on May 25, 2002, when a Boeing 747-209B crashed into Formosa Strait near the Penghu Islands .
plane
The machine used was a Boeing 747-209B with registration number B-18255 (originally B-1866), which made its maiden flight on July 16, 1979 and was delivered by Boeing to China Airlines on July 31, 1979 ; at the time of the accident, the aircraft was around 22 years and eleven months old. It had completed 64,810 flight hours since its commissioning and was equipped with four Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7AW engines. Before the unfortunate flight, China Airlines sold the B-18255 to Orient Thai Airlines for US $ 1.45 million . After the return flight from Hong Kong, the machine should have been transferred to this.
The B-18255 was the last passenger version of the Boeing 747-200 in service with China Airlines. The two sister machines were converted into freighters in 1999, one of which crashed in 2008 in service with Centurion Air Cargo after an engine failure in Bogotá, Colombia, killing two people on the ground.
course
The gate at Taiwan Airport closed at 2:50 p.m., ten minutes after the scheduled departure time, and the plane left its parking position. The crew prepared to take off. At 3:07 p.m. the aircraft received clearance to take off ( cleared for take off ) and took off. After take-off, air traffic control issued the instruction to climb to an altitude of almost 8,000 meters (26,000 feet). At 3:16 p.m., clearance was given to climb to 10,600 meters (35,000 feet). About 13 minutes later, the aircraft disappeared from the radar at this altitude. The machine broke apart during the flight and crashed into the sea about 45 kilometers northeast of the Penghu Islands . Wreckage was also found in Changhua , 45 kilometers from the crash site. All 225 people on board were killed.
Weather conditions
The weather conditions in Taiwan were good. It was sunny and 28 degrees Celsius. In addition, a light wind with a strength of nine knots was blowing from the east.
Passengers and crew
Most of the 206 passengers and the entire 19-person crew were from Taiwan. In addition, nine citizens of the People's Republic of China , five from Hong Kong , one from Singapore and one from Switzerland were on board the plane. There were also three infants among the passengers.
Cause of accident
A tailstrike repair carried out 22 years earlier had not been carried out in accordance with the applicable repair regulations. As a result, structural integrity has not been fully restored. Undetected during routine checks, this led to fatigue cracks over the years. Investigators considered it very likely, based on the location of the pressure equalization panels and the said repair, that there had been a structural failure in the rear lower fuselage section. It was believed that a 1.8 m long crack severed one of the lower fuselage segments, ultimately causing the aircraft to break apart in midair.
consequences
The four Boeing 747-200s, which were operated by China Airlines for cargo flights, had to undergo a security check. The NTSB issued four safety recommendations on April 8, 2003 for improper repairs to the pressure valves, hidden damage, fatigue damage, and structural failure.
Similar aviation accidents
- Japan Air Lines flight 123
- Aloha Airlines Flight 243
- British European Airways Flight 706
- Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103
Web links
- Investigation report of the competent authority ASC (Aviation Safety Council)
- Aircraft accident data and report in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
- During, Rainer W. "Back then it was a bomb" ( Archive ( Memento from November 2, 2015 on WebCite )). The daily mirror . May 28, 2002.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kalitta Air N714CK (Boeing 747 - MSN 22446) (Ex B-18753 B-1886) . In: Airfleets.net . Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ↑ Crash: Kalitta B742 at Bogota on Jul 7th 2008, engine fire, impacted a farm house . In: Aviation Herald . July 11, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2008397.stm
- ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/Catastrophic-failure-but-how/articleshow/14080745.cms ?
Coordinates: 23 ° 59 ' N , 119 ° 41' E