I hope we wont need these today.
Posted on 06/03/2003 5:16:52 AM PDT by KneelBeforeZod
TAOYUAN, Taiwan (Reuters) - A probe into last year's crash of a China Airlines jet, which plunged into the sea killing all 225 people aboard, found metal fatigue cracks that penetrated the skin of the aircraft, Taiwan investigators said Tuesday.
The cracks -- as well as signs of metal corrosion -- had been covered by a patch called a "repair doubler," which was added as reinforcement to the plane after its tail struck a runway over 20 years earlier.
The Boeing 747-200 disintegrated in mid-flight near Taiwan's Penghu islands while on its way to Hong Kong on May 25 last year.
"There is what we call multiple site fatigue cracks...with the length of about nearly 70 inches, 69.5 inches (177 cm)," said Kay Yong, managing director of the Taiwan government's Aviation Safety Council. Some of the cracks completely penetrated the skin of the aircraft, he said.
Yong would not immediately attribute the faults to the cause of the crash -- the Taiwan flag carrier's fourth fatal accident since 1994 -- saying the investigation had just finished collecting data and had not yet reached a final conclusion.
The majority of the fatigue cracks were extensions of scratches left behind from the 1980 incident, Yong said.
He said repairs in 1980 followed proper procedure, but declined to comment on the quality of those undertaken.
The jet had been scheduled for an in-depth check-up on possible damage caused by old repairs, in line with a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites) (FAA) program announced in 2000 following the 1998 Aloha Airlines crash.
The China Airlines plane was about 600 takeoffs and landings away from the deadline for that assessment, Yong said.
JIGSAW PUZZLE
The rear section of the plane had been partially re-assembled in an air force hangar near Taiwan's main international airport in northern Taoyuan after a total of 1,432 pieces of wreckage had been recovered from the ocean.
The reassembly appeared like a half-completed jigsaw puzzle of dirty white pieces of fuselage attached to an orange wire frame. The jet's tail lay atop a heap of twisted aluminum in the corner, its pink, plum-blossom China Airlines logo visable under encrusted marine life.
Investigators said they had not assembled the entire plane as they felt the rear section was most relevant to the probe.
Yong said it was interesting that investigators found paint deposits between the repair doubler and the skin of the aircraft, but declined to say if it indicated the patch had not been properly attached.
In February, evidence from the China Airlines crash led the FAA to require U.S. airlines flying 747s to report if they had placed covers over repaired cracks or scratches on the underside of aircraft near the tail.
Aviation experts have floated several theories for the China Airlines crash including metal fatigue, an internal explosion, a mid-air collision or a military accident.
Yong said data collected so far had ruled out air traffic control, weather, engines, flight operations, security or outside forces as a cause. They also found no signs of fire, smoke or explosives.
Yong said the final report on the accident would be released in August or September next year. (US$1 = T$34.7)
I hope we wont need these today.
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