Structural fatigue caused 2002 China Airlines crash - report

Airline Industry Information, Feb 28, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Taiwanese investigators said on Friday (25 February) that the most likely cause of the crash of a China Airlines jet in 2002 was a structural failure that was not properly repaired.

On 25 May 2002 a China Airlines Boeing 747-200 flying from Taipei to Hong Kong broke up shortly after takeoff and crashed near the Penghu islands, killing all 225 people on board.

A continuous crack in the tail section of the aircraft of at least 71 inches (180 cm) in length was present before the inflight break-up of the aircraft. The crack might have developed when the Boeing 747-200's tail hit the runway while taking off in Hong Kong in 1980, the Taiwan Aviation Safety Council (ASC) said in its final crash report. China Airlines had failed to repair the crack in accordance with Boeing Co's maintenance procedures, said the ASC.

China Airlines said in a statement that the available information is not conclusive enough to determine the exact cause of the accident.

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