The A300, registered as B-1814, 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 (300m), stalled, and crashed into a residential neighborhood, 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 history of China Airlines.[3]China Airlines had 12 A300s in its fleet at the time of the accident.
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft involved in the accident was an Airbus A300B4-622R, with registrationB-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 had its maiden flight 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] The flight was flown by Captain Wees Stal-Ling, 49, who joined China Airlines in 1990, and had 7,226 hours total flight time (2,382 of them on the Airbus A300). The First Officer Jiang Der-Sheng, 44, joined China Airlines in 1996, and had 3,550 hours total flight time (304 of them on the Airbus A300). Both pilots were formerly with the Republic of China Air Force.[10] The flight consisted of 175 Taiwanese nationals, along with five Americans, one French, and one Indonesian.[4][11][12]
Nationality
Passengers
Crew
Ground
Total
Taiwan
175
14
6
196
United States
5
0
0
5
France
1
0
0
1
Indonesia
1
0
0
1
Total
182
14
6
202
B-1814, the aircraft involved in the crash, in Kai Tak Airport in 1993, with livery before 1995
Accident
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 (300m) too high above the glide slope (at 1,515 feet (462m) and 1.2 nautical miles (1.4mi; 2.2km) 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 (520m) in a 35° pitch-up angle.[13][14][15]
Reaching 2,751 feet (839m) (42.7° pitch-up, 45 knots (52mph; 83km/h) speed), the A300 stalled. Control could not be regained, as the aircraft fell and smashed into the ground 200 feet (61m) 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.
Weather was 2,400 feet (730m) visibility, runway visual range runway 05L of 3,900 feet (1,200m), 300 feet (91m) broken ceiling, 3,000 feet (910m) overcast.[3] According to the cockpit voice recorder, the last words, from the first officer, were "Pull up, too low!" This was surrounded by the terrain alarm and stall warnings.[16]
Investigation and conclusion
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 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.[17]
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]
Transcript
The transcript of the cockpit voice recording was leaked on the Internet, but has been removed as it is a property of the Taiwanese government.[citation needed]
CAM - Cockpit area microphone where sound of cockpit environment can be recorded by the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), includes descriptors of various unidentified sounds picked up by the CAM, including the GPWS
CAL - Unknown, may be intended to mean CI (China Air Lines) 676 First Officer
12:04:26 TWR Clear to land. Wind 360 at 3.
12:04:27 F/O Roger. Clear to land. Dynasty 676.
12:04:32 F/O OK. Glide Slope blue. Localiser green.
12:04:41 Capt It's 1,000 feet higher.
12:04:51 Capt It's coming. 1,000 feet.
12:04:54 Capt OK. Thirty forty.
12:04:55 F/O Thirty forty.
12:05:01 F/O Landing gear.
12:05:02 F/O Three green.
12:05:03 Capt Anti-skid
12:05:03 F/O Normal and...
12:05:05 Capt Slat flap.
12:05:05 F/O Thirty forty.
12:05:06 Capt Spoiler.
12:05:07 CAM [Sound of autopilot disconnect warning]
12:05:26 CAM [Sound of continuous repetitive chime (master warning)]
12:05:32 CAM [Sound of altitude alert]
12:05:32 CAM [Sound of selector]
12:05:33 CAM [Sound of whooler (pitch trim movement)]
12:05:34 CAM [Sound of selector]
12:05:36 CAM [Sound of stall warning]
12:05:37 CAL 676 (F/O) Tower, Dynasty
12:05:38 CAM [Sound of altitude alert]
12:05:40 CAM [Sound of single chime]
12:05:42 Capt Aio
12:05:43 CAM [Sound of single chime]
12:05:45 Capt Aio
12:05:44 CAM [Sound of single chime]
12:05:45 TWR Dynasty 676, confirm go around?
12:05:47 CAM [Sound of altitude alert]
12:05:48 CAL 676 (F/O) Confirm go around
12:05:49 GPWS Terrain
12:05:50 F/O Pull up, altitude low
12:05:51 GPWS Whoop, whoop, pull up
12:05:52 CAM [Sound of autopilot disconnect warning]
12:05:53 GPWS Whoop, whoop, pull up
12:05:56 GPWS Whoop, whoop, pull up
12:05:56 CAM [Sound of autopilot disconnect warning]
12:05:57 End of recording
Aftermath
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.
In popular culture
The crash was featured in season 24, episode 5 of the Canadian documentary series Mayday, titled "Eleven Deadly Seconds".
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