China Airlines Flight 120

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China Airlines Flight 120

Burned wreckage of Flight 120
Summary
Date 20 August 2007
Type Fire
Site Naha Airport, Okinawa, Japan
Passengers 157
Crew 8
Injuries 3 (and 1 ground crew)[1]
Fatalities 0
Survivors 165 (all)
Aircraft type Boeing 737-800
Operator China Airlines
Tail number B-18616[2]
Flight origin Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
Destination Naha Airport

China Airlines Flight 120 was a regularly scheduled flight from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan to Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan. On 20 August 2007, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating the flight caught fire and exploded after landing and taxiing to the gate area at Naha Airport. Four people (three from the aircraft and one ground crew) sustained injuries in the accident.

Contents

[edit] Background

The China Airlines aircraft, with registration number B-18616,[2] had been delivered in July, 2002. Like other Next Generation Boeing 737 aircraft, it was equipped with CFM56-7B26 engines.[3]

There were 157 passengers aboard, including 2 infants. Of the number, 110 passengers were from Taiwan, 23 were from Japan, and 24 were from other countries. [4] The crew of eight[2] were mostly Taiwanese, with one Japanese flight attendant.

[edit] Incident

The plane landed normally at 10:26 a.m. local time and taxied to the gate area by 10:34. Ground crew noticed fumes coming from engine number 2 as the captain shut it down in anticipation of gate connection.[5] Informed about the situation by air-traffic controllers the captain ordered an emergency evacuation.[6][7] All passengers and flight attendants managed to leave the aircraft safely through the four hatches and using slides. The first officer and the captain left the aircraft through the cockpit windows when the last flight attendant had fled from the right aft hatch. Immediately after the evacuation of the last person (the Taiwanese captain), the number 1 engine and port wing fuel tanks exploded and burst violently into flames, igniting a blaze that destroyed the aircraft. A statement from the airline confirmed that all passengers and crew members were evacuated safely.[8][9] A 57-year old Taiwanese man suffered from hypertension and an 8-year-old Hong Kong girl felt unwell; both were sent to a hospital nearby. An airport ground crew member was hurt during evacuation on the ground, and a flight attendant, who was the last person to leave the cabin, fell over on the ground when the aircraft exploded.[6]

Due to the incident, the taxiways of Naha Airport were closed until 11:03 a.m.

According to Naha Airport air traffic control, there was no report of any abnormal situation of the aircraft during cruising and landing, and the status of the aircraft was normal.

Following the incident, the Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Administration grounded all 14 remaining Boeing 737-800s of China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines and the Republic of China Air Force for inspection of the fuel systems. The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau asked Japanese operators of 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft to similarly inspect their aircraft. No anomalies were found and the aircraft returned to service.[10]

George Ishizaki recorded a raw video of the incident. The video is now copyrighted by the Associated Press [11].

[edit] Investigation

The cause of the incident is being investigated by the Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission of Japan.[2][3] The crew, as confirmed by the recording in the cockpit voice recorder, did not observe any abnormalities before the incident.[5]

The investigating team confirmed that the aircraft caught fire in the gate area and there was no sign of fuel leakage during taxiing to the gate. The investigation is focusing on the possibility that a fuel leak led to the fire.[3] At a news conference on August 24, investigators revealed that a bolt, which had come loose from the slat track,[12] had punctured the right wing fuel tank, creating a hole 2–3 centimetres in diameter.[13]

[edit] Aftermath

Wikinews

China Airlines stated they would compensate passengers NT$1000 for every kilogram of luggage lost, for a maximum of NT$20,000 for checked-in pieces of luggage and another NT$20,000 maximum for carry-on luggage.[14]

In the stock trading after the accident, China Airlines stock fell along with Taiwan Fire & Marine Insurance Co. [15]

Due to the incident, on August 25, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered emergency inspections of wing leading-edge slat tracks on all Next Generation Boeing 737 aircraft. The emergency airworthiness directive (EAD) from the FAA requires operators to inspect the slat track downstop to check for missing parts, ensure proper installation, and check the inside of the slat can for foreign object debris and damage. The directive requires operators to inspect within 24 days and every 3000 flight cycles thereafter.[12] Following feedback from completed inspections revealing loose parts in several other aircraft and one with a damaged slat can, the FAA issued a new emergency airworthiness directive on August 28. Airlines are now required to perform the inspection on Next Generation Boeing 737 aircraft within 10 days instead of 24 days. In addition, the AD requires a one-time torquing of the nut and bolt in the downstop assembly for the slat track within 24 days.[16]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "4人受傷　兩乘客一地勤一機組員 (Four injuries, including two passengers, one ground crew and one flight crew)", ETtoday, 2007-08-20. Retrieved on 2007-08-24. (Chinese) 
  2. ^ a b c d Brief. National Transportation Safety Board (2007-08-20). Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  3. ^ a b c Francis, Leithen. "Fuel leak focus of investigation into CAL 737-800 fire", Flight International, 2007-08-23. Retrieved on 2007-08-23. 
  4. ^ "Fire Erupts on China Airlines Jet at Japanese Airport"
  5. ^ a b "爆発・炎上の中華航空機、駐機後に燃料が一気に漏れる (China Airlines aircraft explosion: fuel leaked suddenly after parking)", Yomiuri Shimbun, 2007-08-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-24. (Japanese) 
  6. ^ a b "剛滑出機外 爆炸聲響 (Explosion occurred just after escaping from the aircraft)", United Daily News, 2007-08-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-24. (Chinese) 
  7. ^ "Miracle escape from blazing jet", Herald Sun, 2007-08-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-24. 
  8. ^ "All safe after fire guts airliner", CNN, 2007-08-20. Retrieved on 2007-08-24. 
  9. ^ Cooper, Chris and Sun, Yu-Huay. "All safe after fire guts airliner", Bloomberg.com, 2007-08-20. Retrieved on 2007-08-24. 
  10. ^ Francis, Leithen. "CAL completing inspections of 737-800 fuel systems", Flight International, 2007-08-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-23. 
  11. ^ Raw Video of Plane Exploding As Passengers Flee at YouTube
  12. ^ a b Warwick, Graham. "FAA orders wing slat checks on all Boeing 737NGs", Flight International, 2007-08-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-28. 
  13. ^ Francis, Leithen. "CAL 737-800 that caught fire had punctured fuel tank", Flight International, 2007-08-24. Retrieved on 2007-08-24. 
  14. ^ "Trip Payment and Baggage Compensation Set for CI 120 Passengers", China Airlines, 2007-08-23. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. 
  15. ^ "Taipei Shares close weaker", Forbes, August 21, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-21. 
  16. ^ "FAA orders quicker 737 wing inspections", Flight International, 2007-08-29. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. 

[edit] External links