- China Airlines Flight 605
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China Airlines Flight 605 Accident summary Date 4 November 1993 Type Overran runway, pilot error (failure to initiate mandatory missed approach procedure when severe airspeed fluctuations were observed) Site Kai Tak International Airport, Hong Kong Passengers 374 Crew 22 Injuries 22 Fatalities 0 Aircraft type Boeing 747-409 Operator China Airlines Tail number B-165 Flight origin Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan Destination Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong China Airlines Flight 605 (callsign "Dynasty 605") was a daily non-stop flight departing from Taipei at 6:30 a.m. and arriving at Kai Tak Airport at 7:00 a.m. local time. The accident occurred on November 4, 1993.[1] It was the first major loss of a Boeing 747-400.
Contents
Accident
Flight 605, a Boeing 747-400, touched down more than 2,100 feet past the runway's displaced threshold, at a speed of 150 knots, following an IGS runway 13 (non-precision) approach. Tropical Storm Ira was generating 20 knot crosswinds on that runway, gusting to 38 knots, from a heading of 070 degrees. [2]
The pilots received several computer-generated wind shear and glide slope deviation warnings, and observed severe airspeed fluctuations, during the last mile before touchdown. The auto brakes were set at only the number two level and then were turned off moments after touchdown, when the Captain elected to use manual braking and thrust reversal. The speedbrakes were extended momentarily, but then retracted. This caused the plane to "float," making the brakes ineffective until the speed brakes were extended again.
The Captain deliberately turned the plane to the left when he realized the plane would go off the end of the runway, and into the approach lighting system (ALS) for runway 31. That action caused a "ground loop", making the plane slide off the left side of the runway into Victoria Harbour, thereby preventing a collision with the ALS for runway 31. It finally came to rest in shallow water, with a heading of almost 180 degrees out from the direction of runway 13.
A British Airways pilot had refused to make the approach to Kai Tak runway 13 minutes before the CAL 605 Captain decided to attempt it.
The investigation indicated that the accident was caused by the Captain's failure to initiate the mandatory missed approach procedure when he observed the severe airspeed fluctuations, combined with the wind shear and glide slope deviation alerts.
Aftermath
There were 22 minor injuries among passengers or crew and the plane was written off as a total hull loss. The vertical stabilizer on the plane interfered with the accuracy of the ILS signals for runway 31, so it was removed with dynamite shortly after the crash. That permitted airliners to make safe ILS approaches whenever the wind patterns mandated the use of runway 31 (the reciprocal direction of runway 13).[3] After the accident, the aircraft was stored by the HAECO building to be used for firefighting practice.
China Airlines continues to operate Flight 605 from Taipei to Hong Kong.
References
See also
- Air France Flight 358
- Southwest Airlines Flight 1248
- Lion Air Flight 538, overran runway after failing to land in storm
- Lion Air Flight 793, overran runway at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in a storm.
External links
- http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/ci605/photo.shtml by the Airdisaster
- Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
Apr 26 Indian Airlines Flight 491
Apr 27 Zambia national football team disaster
May 19 SAM Colombia Flight 505
Jul 23 China Northwest Airlines Flight 2119
Jul 26 Asiana Airlines Flight 733
Sep 14 Lufthansa Flight 2904Sep 21–23 Transair Georgia airliner attacks
Oct 26 China Eastern Airlines Flight 5398
Oct 27 Widerøe Flight 744
Nov 04 China Airlines Flight 605
Nov 13 China Northern Airlines Flight 6901
Nov 26 Auckland mid-air collision
Dec 1 Northwest Airlink Flight 5719Incidents resulting in at least 50 deaths shown in italics. Deadliest incident shown in bold smallcaps. Categories:- Aviation accidents and incidents in Hong Kong
- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1993
- Accidents and incidents on commercial airliners caused by bad weather
- Aviation accidents and incidents officially attributed to pilot error
- Runway overruns
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 747
- China Airlines accidents and incidents
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