China Airlines Flight 605 was a scheduled passenger flight from Taipei, Taiwan to Hong Kong International Airport. On February 16, 2002, the Boeing 747-400 operating the flight, registration number B-18211, experienced a catastrophic failure of its number 2 engine, which led to the loss of the aircraft and all 225 people on board. It was the first hull loss (an aviation accident in which the aircraft is destroyed and not repairable) of a Boeing 747-400.
The flight took off from Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek International Airport at 12:55 PM local time, with a crew of 14 and 211 passengers on board. About 20 minutes into the flight, while the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 11,000 feet, the number 2 engine (located on the plane’s right side) suddenly and catastrophically failed. Pieces of the engine detached and damaged the aircraft’s wing, tail and fuselage, causing the plane to lose control and crash into the Taiwan Strait.
The aircraft’s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) were recovered, and they provided valuable information to the investigation team. The investigation revealed that the engine’s failure was caused by a fatigue crack in the low-pressure turbine (LPT) shaft, which is a component that connects the fan and the compressor in the engine. The crack was initiated by a metallurgical defect in the shaft’s manufacturing process, and it had been growing for over four years without being detected.
The investigation also identified several other contributing factors, including inadequate maintenance procedures, inadequate regulatory oversight, and poor communication between the manufacturer and the operators.
The crash of China Airlines Flight 605 was a tragic and devastating event for the families of the passengers and crew, as well as for the airline and the aviation industry as a whole. It led to several changes in the way aircraft engines are manufactured, maintained, and inspected, with the goal of preventing similar accidents from happening in the future.
As the first hull loss of a Boeing 747-400, the accident of China Airlines Flight 605 is considered as one of the most unfortunate accidents in aviation history and It serves as an important reminder of the need for constant vigilance and attention to safety in the industry.
As a result of the accident, the Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) recommended several changes to improve safety and prevent similar incidents in the future. One of the main recommendations was to improve the maintenance and inspection procedures for the low-pressure turbine (LPT) shafts, in order to detect and correct any manufacturing defects before they can cause an engine failure.
In response to this recommendation, the manufacturer of the engine, Pratt & Whitney, issued a service bulletin to all operators of the affected engines, outlining new procedures for inspecting and maintaining the LPT shafts. The bulletin also called for the use of improved manufacturing processes, to ensure that similar defects would not occur in the future.
The investigation also revealed that the Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing the safety of the country’s civil aviation industry, had not adequately monitored the airline’s maintenance and inspection procedures. In response, the CAA announced plans to increase its oversight of the industry, and to work more closely with the airlines and manufacturers to ensure compliance with safety standards.
In addition to these specific changes, the accident of China Airlines Flight 605 also served as a reminder of the importance of effective communication and collaboration between the manufacturers, operators, and regulators in the aviation industry. The investigation found that better communication and coordination between these parties could have helped to detect and correct the defect in the LPT shaft before the accident occurred.
The accident of China Airlines Flight 605 was a tragic event that resulted in the loss of many lives and caused immense grief for the families of the passengers and crew. But it also served as an important wake-up call for the aviation industry and led to many improvements in safety, including better maintenance and inspection procedures, increased regulatory oversight, and improved communication and collaboration among the different stakeholders.
In memory of the victims, China Airlines established the Flight 605 Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization to assist the families of the victims, provide funding for education and scholarships, and also work on community and environmental protection projects.
Overall, the accident of China Airlines Flight 605 will always be remembered as a tragic event in the aviation history, but also served as a reminder of the need for constant attention to safety and the importance of taking proactive steps to improve safety in the aviation industry.
