Posted on 03/29/2005 4:31:57 PM PST by Paleo Conservative
Crash investigators said Friday that fatigue cracks likely caused a China Airlines jetliner to split apart shortly after take-off and plunge into the Taiwan Strait in 2002, killing all 225 people on board.
The cracks in the plane's tail section might have developed when the Boeing 747-200's tail hit the runway while taking off in Hong Kong in 1980, the Aviation Safety Council said in its final crash report.
Flight CI611 from Taipei to Hong Kong broke up shortly after takeoff in May 2002 and crashed near the Penghu island chain, 50 kilometers off Taiwan's west coast.
"The inflight breakup of CI611, as it approached its cruising altitude, was highly likely due to the structural failure" in the tail section of the fuselage, said the council, a government agency that investigates aviation accidents.
The 22-year-old plane was carrying 19 crew members and 206 passengers when it disappeared off radar screens about 20 minutes after leaving Taipei.
The crash report said numerous cracks were found near the tail of the plane, and many were associated with the 1980 incident, which it called a "tail strike."
Workers fixed the spot near the rear cargo door with an aluminum patch, or a "doubler," the report said.
But before the patch was applied, workers did not properly sand away scratches on the plane's skin, and the doubler did not extend sufficiently beyond the damaged area to restore the structural strength, the report said.
"We've ruled out engine troubles and inflight explosion, and the most likely cause was structural failure," chief investigator Wang Hsin-chung said. "Just before the breakup, there was at least a 71-inch (180-centimeter) crack, a length enough to lead to disintegration."
Kay Yong, chairman of the aviation council, said some of the fatigue cracks had pierced through the plane's skin, and repair work done after the 1980 tail strike did not fully comply with the Boeing manuals.
"There may have been communication problems" between repair workers and Boeing instructors, Yong said.
China Airlines, which has one of the industry's worst safety records, said in a statement that since much of the wreckage wasn't recovered, "the available information is not conclusive enough to determine the exact cause of the accident."
But the carrier added, "China Airlines respects the investigation report. The ASC also respects China Airlines differing opinions."
The plane broke up about 35,000 feet (1,380 meters) in the air. Workers recovered the four engines and 1,500 other pieces, or 75 percent, of the plane's wreckage from the sea. Investigators then reconstructed the plane in a lengthy probe of the crash's cause, Yong said.
The plane had been repaired with 31 patches, and the airline failed to perform a range of tests on the jet, investigators have said.
In recent years, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has become concerned about aging planes and their structural repairs.
The FAA adopted new regulations for inspecting repairs, and the rules became effective in May 25, 2000.
I'm wondering if it was this China Airlines 747-400 that was bought back by Boeing to be rebuilt as the second of three 747 LCF aircraft.
Boeing.com | Feb. 22, 2005 | Boeing's 747 Large Cargo Freighter Development on Plan | Post #91
If you want on or off my ping list, please contact me by Freep mail not by posting to this thread.
But the carrier added, "China Airlines respects the investigation report. The ASC also respects China Airlines differing opinions."
The plane had been repaired with 31 patches, and the airline failed to perform a range of tests on the jet, investigators have said.
Note to self: NEVER get NEAR a China Air plane.
I would imagine most tail strikes happen in Asia.
I'm no expert but I bet tails aren't meant to hit the runway during takeoff with any frequency.
Absolutely wonderful! LOL!
And during landing too. . .not a good thing.
Airliners.net apparently does not allow external linking.
One would have to download the photo then store it on the net somewhere in order to display it here.
I saw the airbus tail strike at that site. Pretty impressive with the flame or sparks or whatever that is.
I guess I lucked out.
But before the patch was applied, workers did not properly sand away scratches on the plane's skin, and the doubler did not extend sufficiently beyond the damaged area to restore the structural strength, the report said.
Still lasted 22 years before failure. Go Boeing.
I bet the relatives of the 225 people who died on that flight might not be so enthusiastic. Follow the links in post #3.
They preferred to have Boeing pilots deliver the new planes so that any accidents would happen on foreign turf instead of right in front of the factory.
Workers recovered the four engines and 1,500 other pieces, or 75 percent,
I guess it depends on your definition of "much". Mine would differ from that of China Airlines.
One would have to download the photo then store it on the net somewhere in order to display it here.
I wouldn't do that. Airliners.net and its photographers are fiercely protective of their photographs. Doing so would only get you a nasty letter from the photographer with demands for money for using his photograph.
Best thing to do is just link to it.
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