Company Watch - China Airlines

Aug 27, 2007

China Airlines Criticized Over Evacuation. Passengers on a China Airlines plane that caught fire at Okinawa Airport criticized the flight crew on Thursday, saying they gave unclear evacuation instructions that could have caused potentially fatal delays. China Airlines defended its crew's reactions. Passengers got at least USD$857 apiece in compensation, and more if their luggage was burned, Chen said. Aug 23, 2007

China Air 737 Explodes In Japan Passengers slid down emergency chutes with moments to spare before their Taiwanese airliner exploded and caught fire on Monday, a few minutes after the jet landed on Japan's southern resort island of Okinawa. Aug 20, 2007

A China Airlines aircraft made an emergency landing at an airport in western Japan after it ran out of fuel following the temporary closure of its destination airport, officials said. The jet, an Airbus A330 with 163 people on board, was on its way from Taipei to Chubu international airport in central Japan when that airport's runway was closed for about 30 minutes due to a minor incident involving another plane. Aug 22, 2007

According to many in a group of about 30 passengers of the China Airlines 737 who returned to Taipei on Thursday and spoke to reporters, passengers were crying and screaming for help inside the 737-800 aircraft that caught fire on Monday after landing on the southern Japanese island. The fire had broken out as the plane neared its gate following its flight from Taipei to Okinawa's Naha Airport. All 157 passengers and eight crew escaped unhurt minutes before the plane's left engine exploded and ripped the plane apart, sending flames and columns of black smoke billowing into the air. Aug 23, 2007

China Airlines 737 crew-members did not see the fire as early as passengers looking through the plane windows did, causing panic among the 157 passengers and attempts to open the doors, the returning passengers said. They said emergency exits didn't open fast enough and they didn't know where to gather for evacuation. "Inside it was normal, but outside you could see smoke," said Lin Hsiu-cheng, 52, a returning tourist from southern Taiwan. "Everyone was scared, and why couldn't (the crew) see it? A Japanese Transport Ministry team investigating the fire said a bolt on the right wing of the plane appeared to have ripped through a fuel tank. China Airlines has a troubled safety record, with four deadly accidents in the past 13 years, including a crash in the Japanese city of Nagoya in 1994 in which 264 people were killed. Aug 23, 2007

China Airlines Boeing 737 maintenance error cited in jet blaze. Joints of a fuel pipe inside the pylon holding the engine under the right wing of the China Airlines airplane that burst into flames Monday at Naha Airport were not properly secured, according to investigators. Accident investigators believe the joints were knocked out of position when the plane landed, causing a large amount of fuel to leak and trigger an explosion. A China Airlines spokesman said the airline had carried out a regular inspection on the aircraft's engine in July--including an endoscopy of the inside of the combustion chamber and turbine. Aug 23, 2007

China Airlines Boeing 737-800 CFM56 engine fuel pipes are made of metal and have a diameter of about three centimeters. They are strong enough not to rupture under high pressure and curved sections are connected using joints. The Boeing 737-800 had such joints in several locations, held in place by metal bolts passed through rubber O-rings to prevent fuel leaking through gaps. The thickness, material and replacement date of O-rings are clearly determined so that fuel, lubricating oil, water or other fluids does not wear away the components they protect. The component may deteriorate if the wrong type of O-ring is fitted. Aircraft always undergo a heavy impact during landing. A great deal of force is exerted on the pylons, which shake violently when planes decelerate to land. These vibrations also affect the fuel pipes. The accident investigators believe that before the accident, the joints on pipes that pass through the inside of the pylon came loose, making it likely the joints were jerked far out of position when the plane landed at the airport. Aug 23, 2007

The Construction and Transport Ministry's Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission suspects a mistake was made during maintenance or other work on the China Airlines Boeing 737-800, which underwent a regular inspection in July, and is looking into whether appropriate maintenance was carried out. The investigators believe fuel that leaked from the pylon under the right wing was heated by the second engine causing the fuel to vaporize and ignite. It is not thought that fuel leaked during flight, but a ground mechanic confirmed that a large volume of fuel had leaked at the aircraft parking apron, leading the investigators to believe the leak started while the airplane was moving between the runway and the taxiway. Aug 23, 2007