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China Airlines Flight 676

Coordinates: 25°05′22″N 121°13′42″E / 25.089512°N 121.228268°E / 25.089512; 121.228268
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China Airlines Flight 676
B-1814, the aircraft involved in the accident, in May 1997
Accident
Date16 February 1998
SummaryStalled and crashed on approach to land
SiteChiang Kai-Shek International Airport (Short of airport), Taoyuan, Taiwan
25°05′22″N 121°13′42″E / 25.089512°N 121.228268°E / 25.089512; 121.228268
Total fatalities202
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A300B4-622R
OperatorChina Airlines
IATA flight No.CI676
ICAO flight No.CAL676
Call signDYNASTY 676
RegistrationB-1814
Flight originNgurah Rai International Airport,
Bali, Indonesia
DestinationChiang Kai-Shek International Airport,
Taoyuan, Taiwan
Occupants196
Passengers182[1]: 52 [2]
Crew14[1][2]
Fatalities196[3]
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities6

China Airlines Flight 676 was a scheduled international passenger flight. On Monday, 16 February 1998, the Airbus A300 jet airliner operating the flight crashed into a road and residential area in Tayuan, Taoyuan County (now Taoyuan City), near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Taiwan.

The Airbus A300 was en route from Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia, to Taipei, Taiwan. The weather was inclement, with rain and fog, when the aircraft approached Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, so the pilot executed a missed approach. After the jet was cleared to land at runway 05L, the autopilot was disengaged, and the pilots then attempted a manual go-around. The jet slowed, pitched up by 40°, rose 1,000 feet (300 m), stalled, and crashed into a residential neighbourhood, bursting into flames. All 196 people on board were killed (including the governor of Taiwan's central bank, Sheu Yuan-dong, his wife, and three central bank officials[4][5]), along with six people on the ground. Hsu Lu, the manager of the Voice of Taipei radio station, said that one boy was pulled alive from the wreckage and later died.[4][6][7]

At the time of the crash, it was the deadliest aviation accident on Taiwanese soil until the crash of China Airlines Flight 611. As of 2024, the crash remains the third deadliest accident in the history of China Airlines.[3] China Airlines had 12 A300s in its fleet at the time of the accident.

Background

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Aircraft

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The aircraft involved was an Airbus A300B4-622R, registered as B-1814. It was delivered to China Airlines on 14 December 1990 and was powered by two Pratt and Whitney PW4156 engines. The aircraft's serial number was 578 and it first flew on 16 October 1990. It was 7.3 years old at the time of the accident and had completed 20,193 flight hours.[8][9]

Crew

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In command was Captain Kang Long-lin, aged 49, who had joined China Airlines in 1990, and had logged 7,226 hours total flight time, 2,382 of which were logged on the Airbus A300. First Officer Jiang Der-sheng, aged 44, had joined China Airlines in 1996, and had 3,550 hours total flight time, including 304 on the Airbus A300. Both pilots were formerly with the Republic of China Air Force.[10] The flight consisted of 175 Taiwanese nationals, 5 Americans, 1 French, and 1 Indonesian.[4][11][12]

Nationality Passengers Crew Ground Total
Taiwan 175 14 6 195
United States 5 0 0 5
France 1 0 0 1
Indonesia 1 0 0 1
Total 182 14 6 202

Accident

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The plane took off from Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, en route to Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan, with 182 passengers and 14 crew at 15:27.

The Airbus carried out an instrument landing system/distance-measuring equipment (ILS/DME) approach to runway 05L at Taipei Chiang Kai Shek Airport in light rain and fog, but came in 1,000 feet (300 m) too high above the glide slope (at 1,515 feet (462 m) and 1.2 nautical miles (1.4 mi; 2.2 km) short of the runway threshold). Go-around power was applied 19 seconds later, and the landing gear was raised and the flaps set to 20° as the aircraft climbed through 1,700 feet (520 m) in a 35° pitch-up angle.[13][14][15]

Reaching 2,751 feet (839 m) (42.7° pitch-up, 45 knots (52 mph; 83 km/h) speed), the A300 stalled. Control could not be regained, as the aircraft fell and smashed into the ground 200 feet (61 m) left of the runway. It then surged forward, hit a utility pole and a median strip of Provincial Highway 15 and skidded into several houses, surrounded by fish farms, rice paddies, factories, and warehouses, and exploded, killing all on board and 6 people on the ground.[16]

Weather was 2,400 feet (730 m) visibility, runway visual range runway 05L of 3,900 feet (1,200 m), 300 feet (91 m) broken ceiling, 3,000 feet (910 m) overcast.[3] According to the cockpit voice recorder, the last words, from the first officer, were "Pull it up, too low!" This was surrounded by the terrain alarm and stall warnings.[17]

Investigation and conclusion

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On initial approach to land, the aircraft was more than 300 m above its normal altitude when it was only 6 nautical miles away from the airport. Nonetheless, it continued the approach. Only when approaching the runway threshold was a go-around initiated. During this time, the pilot had pushed the yoke forward and the plane's autopilot was disengaged, but he was not aware of it, so during the go-around, he did nothing to actively take control of the plane, as he thought the autopilot would initiate the maneuver. For 11 seconds, the plane was under no one's control.[16]

Following a formal investigation that had continued for nearly 2 years, a final report by a special task force under the Civil Aviation Administration concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash of Flight 676.[18] The report concludes by criticizing China Airlines for "insufficient training" and "poor management of the resources in the pilot's cabin".[19]

Aftermath

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Some remains of the wreckage of flight 676, stored in a box.

After the accident, China Airlines flight number 676 was retired and changed to Flight 772; it was still operated by the Airbus A300 until they were replaced by Airbus A330 aircraft.[20]

The Airbus A300 was in the fleet of China Airlines until 2006, when it was replaced by the Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

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The crash was featured in season 24, episode 5 of the Canadian documentary series Mayday, titled "Eleven Deadly Seconds".[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "台灣飛安統計 1996-2005" [Taiwan Fei'an Statistics 1996-2005] (PDF). asc.gov.tw (in Chinese). Taiwan: Aviation Safety Council. p. 63. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b "華航失事班機罹難者名單公佈" [List of victims of China Airlines' wrecked flight announced]. Chinese Television System (in Chinese). Taiwan. 16 February 1998. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Ranter, Harro (16 February 1998). "ASN Accident Description (China Airlines 676)". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Gargan, Edward A. (17 February 1998). "Over 200 Die as Taiwan Jet Crashes in Bad Weather". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  5. ^ Shen, Deborah (20 February 1998). "CBC governor killed in plane crash". Taiwan Journal. Archived from the original on 25 May 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Mourners gather to identify victims of Taiwan crash". CNN. Associated Press and Reuters. 17 February 1998. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  7. ^ "205 dead as China Air jet slams into Taiwan neighborhood". CNN. Associated Press and Reuters. 16 February 1998. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  8. ^ "B-1814 China Airlines Airbus A300B4-622R – cn 578". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  9. ^ "China Airlines B-1814 (Airbus A300 - MSN 578)". www.airfleets.net. Airfleets aviation. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  10. ^ Ladkin, Peter M. "The Crash of Flight CI676". 18 March 1998. The RVS Group. RVS-J-98-01. Archived from the original on 16 July 2001. Retrieved 30 May 2007. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ Farley, Maggie (17 February 1998). "203 Die in Jet Crash Near Taiwan Airport". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  12. ^ Mufson, Steven (18 February 1998). "CRASH RAINS TERROR ONTO COMMUNITY". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  13. ^ Thomas, Geoffrey; Sparaco, Pierre (23 February 1998). "Retracted Landing Gear Cited in China Airlines Crash". aviationweek.com. Aviation Week Network. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  14. ^ Thomas, Geoffrey (16 March 1998). "Extreme Pitch-up Noted in Taipei Crash". aviationweek.com. Aviation Week Network. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  15. ^ "China Airlines Offers Restitution To Families Of Crash Victims". aviationweek.com. Aviation Week Network. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Aircraft Accident Investigation Report – China Airlines Airbus A300B4-622R, B-1814 Da-Yuang, Tao-Yuang February 16, 1998" (PDF). Civil Aeronautics Administration. 18 May 2000. Retrieved 21 April 2019 – via Aviation Safety Network.
  17. ^ "China Airlines 676 CVR Transcript". Airdisaster.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013.
  18. ^ Thomas, Geoffrey (12 July 1999). "Poor Approach Cited". aviationweek.com. Aviation Week Network. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  19. ^ Yu-hui, Su (4 January 2000). "Official report says CAL crash was caused by pilot". Taipei Times.
  20. ^ "China Airlines (CI) #772". FlightAware. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  21. ^ Mayday 24x05 "Eleven Deadly Seconds (China Airlines Flight 676)". Retrieved 9 June 2024 – via trakt.tv.
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External images
image icon Photos of B-1814 at Airliners.net
image icon Picture of the crash
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