China Airlines Flight 006 - Aftermath

Aftermath

There were two serious injuries on board: a fracture and laceration of a foot; and an acute back strain requiring two days of hospitalization. The aircraft was significantly damaged by the aerodynamic forces. The wings were permanently bent upwards by 2 inches (50 mm), the inboard main landing gear lost two actuator doors, and the two inboard main gear struts were left dangling. Most affected was the tail, where large outer parts of both horizontal stabilizers had been ripped off. The entire left outboard elevator had been lost along with its actuator, which had been powered by the hydraulic system that ruptured and drained.

After substantial investigation, this accident brought to international attention the problem of jet lag as a contributing factor to pilot errors. The captain was considered to be highly experienced and had flown six international flights in the previous two weeks. Though he testified that he did not believe he was tired, NTSB investigators suggest that his inability to sleep during his rest period and the fact that the accident took place at 2 am Taipei time contributed to his inability to focus on and process important details about the aircraft's behavior that could have averted the accident.

After repairs were made to correct the significant damage to the plane, it returned to service on April 25, 1985. It continued in service for nearly 12 years until it was leased to China Airlines' sister company, Mandarin Airlines, on January 1, 1997. This plane remained in daily service with Mandarin Airlines until the end of 1997 when the carrier retired it and put it to McCarran International Airport for storage. Since April 2002 it was owned and operated by a religious organization known as Gospel to the Unreached Millions or GUM headed by K. A. Paul and christened 'Global Peace One'. On July 17, 2005 the FAA suspended its operating certificate due to insufficient maintenance. It was then due major maintenance work, but was never completed. As of May 20, 2010, the aircraft is kept in a large hangar at General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport, in Tijuana, Baja California and it is possible that the aircraft will be scrapped as it is reported to be in very poor condition. The aircraft can be seen using Google Earth at the coordinates 32°32′38.42″N 116°57′56.10″W / 32.5440056°N 116.965583°W / 32.5440056; -116.965583.

The flight was documented on the television program Mayday (otherwise known as Air Emergency or Air Crash Investigation), title is Panic Over the Pacific.

China Airlines continues to operate Flight 6 from Taipei to Los Angeles using a Boeing 747-400.