Huahang - Incidents and Accidents

Incidents and Accidents

China Airlines has suffered the following incidents and accidents since its formation. The last major accident was in 2007, while the last fatal accident occurred in 2002:

• On 2 January 1969, Flight 227, a Douglas C-47A, struck the side of Mount Paku, Taiwan after encountering turbulence and a downdraft. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Taitung Airport to Kaohsiung International Airport. All 24 passengers and crew were killed.
• On 12 August 1970, Flight 206, a NAMC YS-11A, struck a ridge in thick fog while on approach to Taipei, killing 14 of 31 on board.
• On 20 November 1971, Flight 825, a Caravelle III aircraft, blew up after a bomb on it exploded, causing the deaths of 25 people over the Penghu Islands.
• On 24 March 1975, Douglas C-47A B-1553 crashed at Kompong Cham following a mid-air collision with a Cessna L-19 Bird Dog.
• On 11 September 1979, Boeing 707-320C, registration B-1834, crashed off Chiang Kai-shek International Airport shortly after takeoff during a training flight, killing all six crew on board.
• On 27 February 1980, Boeing 707-300C, registration B-1826, crashed short of the runway at Manila International Airport, killing two of 135 on board.
• On 21 August 1983, Flight 811, a Boeing 767-200 from Taipei, landed in Manila International Airport. Benigno Aquino Jr. the former senator in Philippines was assassinated after being escorted from the plane.
• On 19 February 1985, Flight 006, a Boeing 747SP, performed an uncontrolled descent over the Pacific Ocean resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft.
• On 16 February 1986, Flight 2265, a Boeing 737-200, crashed 12 mi off Makung, Penghu, killing 13. During landing, a nosewheel tire blew. The crew performed a go-around during which the aircraft crashed; the wreckage was found on March 10 in 190 feet of water.
• On 3 May 1986, Flight 334, a Boeing 747-200F, was hijacked by its pilot, who landed the plane in Guangzhou, China where he defected. The ROC government sent a delegation to discuss with their mainland counterpart regards the return of the plane and 2 remaining crew.
• On 26 October 1989, Flight 204, a Boeing 737-200, struck a mountain near Hualien, Taiwan after the crew used the climbout procedure of the incorrect runway, causing the aircraft to make a wrong turn. All 54 passengers and crew aboard were killed.
• On 29 December 1991, Flight 358, a Boeing 747-200F, hit a hillside near Wanli, Taiwan after separation of its No.3 & 4 engines, killing all five crew on board.
• On 4 November 1993, Flight 605, a brand new Boeing 747-400, overran the Kai Tak Airport runway 13 while landing during a typhoon. It had touched down more than 2/3 down the runway and was unable to stop before the end of the runway, finishing up in Hong Kong harbor. All 396 people on board were safely evacuated but the aircraft was written off. The vertical stabilizer was dynamited away due to its interference with Kai Tak's ILS systems.
• On 26 April 1994, Flight 140, an Airbus A300, crashed while landing at Nagoya, Japan due to crew error, killing 264 of 271 on board.
• On 16 February 1998, Flight 676, an Airbus A300, crashed after a failed missed-approach at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard along with 9 on the ground, including ROC Central Bank chief Hsu Yuan-Dong.
• On 22 August 1999, Flight 642, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, flipped over while landing at Hong Kong airport during a typhoon. Three people were killed.
• On 25 May 2002, Flight 611, a Boeing 747-200B, broke up in mid-air on the way to Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan. All 206 passengers and 19 crew members died. The aircraft was the last 747-200 in China Airlines' fleet. The cause was improper repair after a tailstrike incident in Hong Kong in 1980.
• On 20 August 2007, Flight 120, a Boeing 737-800 inbound from Taipei caught fire shortly after landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. After stopping on the tarmac, the engine started smoking and burning, and later exploded causing the aircraft to catch fire. A statement from the airline confirmed that all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated, and a ground engineer knocked off his feet by the blast was unhurt. The cause of the explosion has been attributed to a fuel leak caused by a bolt from the right wing slat puncturing the fuel tank.

On 23 January 2013, the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC) announced that China Airlines had the worst safety record among 60 international airlines that were reviewed.