China Airlines Flight 120

China Airlines Flight 120

Burnt-out wreckage of Flight 120 at Naha Airport.
Accident summary
Date	August 20, 2007 (2007-08-20)
Type	Fire, caused by fuel leak
Site	Naha Airport, Okinawa, Japan
Passengers	157
Crew	8
Injuries	3 (and 1 ground crew)[1]
Fatalities	0
Survivors	165 (all)
Aircraft type	Boeing 737-809[2]
Operator	China Airlines
Tail number	B-18616[3]
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 County, Taiwan to Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan. On August 20, 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.

Background

The China Airlines aircraft, with registration number B-18616,^[3] had been delivered in July, 2002. Like other Next Generation Boeing 737 aircraft, it was equipped with CFM56-7B26 engines.^[4]

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.^[5] The crew of eight^[3] were mostly Taiwanese, with one Japanese flight attendant.

Accident sequence

The plane landed normally at 10:26 a.m. local time and taxied to the gate area by 10:34. Ground crew noticed flames coming from engine number 2 as the captain shut it down in anticipation of gate connection.^[6] Informed about the situation by air-traffic controllers, the captain ordered an emergency evacuation.^[7][8] All passengers and flight attendants managed to leave the aircraft safely through the four hatches 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 right 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.^[9][10] A 57-year old Taiwanese man suffered from hypertension and an 8-year-old girl from Hong Kong 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.^[7]

Due to the accident, 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 accident, 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.^[11]

George Ishizaki recorded a raw video of the accident. The video is now copyrighted by the Associated Press.^[12] Another raw video from a different angle captured by Katsutoshi Yuasa has been submitted to Sankei Shimbun.^[13][14]

China Airlines continues to operate Flight 120 from Taipei to Okinawa/Naha.

Investigation

The cause of the accident was investigated by the Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission of Japan.^[3][4] The crew, as confirmed by the recording in the cockpit voice recorder, did not observe any abnormalities before the incident.^[6]

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 focused on the possibility that a fuel leak led to the fire.^[4] At a news conference on August 24, investigators revealed that a bolt, which had come loose from the slat track,^[15] had punctured the right wing fuel tank, creating a hole 2–3 centimetres in diameter.^[16]

Aftermath

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.^[17]

In the stock trading after the accident, China Airlines stock fell along with Taiwan Fire & Marine Insurance Co.^[18]

Due to the accident, 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.^[15] 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 were then required to perform the inspection on Next Generation Boeing 737 aircraft within 10 days instead of 24 days. In addition, the AD required a one-time torquing of the nut and bolt in the downstop assembly for the slat track within 24 days.^[19]

On 28 August 2009. Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) published the results of the investigation. It is considered highly probable that this accident occurred through the following causal chain: When the Aircraft retracted the slats after landing at Naha Airport, the track can that housed the inboard main track of the No. 5 slat on the right wing was punctured, creating a hole. Fuel leaked out through the hole, reaching the outside of the wing. A fire started when the leaked fuel came into contact with high-temperature areas on the right engine after the Aircraft stopped in its assigned spot, and the Aircraft burned out after several explosions.

With regard to the cause of the puncture in the track can, it is certain that the downstop assembly having detached from the aft end of the above-mentioned inboard main track fell off into the track can, and when the slat was retracted, the assembly was pressed by the track against the track can and punctured it.

With regard to the cause of the detachment of the downstop assembly, it is considered highly probable that during the maintenance works for preventing the nut from loosening, which the Company carried out on the downstop assembly about one and a half months prior to the accident based on the Service Letter from the manufacturer of the Aircraft, the washer on the nut side of the assembly fell off, following which the downstop on the nut side of the assembly fell off and then the downstop assembly eventually fell off the track. It is considered highly probable that a factor contributing to the detachment of the downstop assembly was the design of the downstop assembly, which was unable to prevent the assembly from falling off if the washer is not installed.

With regard to the detachment of the washer, it is considered probable that the following factors contributed to this: Despite the fact that the nut was in a location difficult to access during the maintenance works, neither the manufacturer of the Aircraft nor the Company had paid sufficient attention to this when preparing the Service Letter and Engineering Order job card, respectively. Also, neither the maintenance operator nor the job supervisor reported the difficulty of the job to the one who had ordered the job.

The Japan Transport Safety Board recommends the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States of America to supervise the Boeing Company, the manufacturer of the Aircraft, to take the following actions: When preparing maintenance job instructions for airlines such as Service Letters/Bulletins, the scopes of jobs should be clearly defined and the working conditions and environments including accessibilities to job areas should be appropriately evaluated in order to prevent maintenance errors.

The Japan Transport Safety Board recommends the Civil Aeronautics Administration of Taiwan to supervise China Airlines to take the following actions: When planning and implementing maintenance jobs, the scopes of jobs should be fully ascertained and the working conditions and environments should be appropriately evaluated, and the countermeasures to prevent maintenance errors including the actions taken in 2009 against the recurrence of this accident should be steadfastly implemented and enhanced.^[20]

See also

	Republic of China portal
	Japan portal
	Aviation portal

• Air Canada Flight 797
• Valujet Flight 592
• Saudia Flight 163
• Swissair Flight 111
• Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, overran, on fire after hit barrier fence
• South African Airways Flight 295

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)" (in Chinese). ETtoday. 2007-08-20. http://www.ettoday.com/2007/08/20/334-2144923.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-24. 
2. ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "Brief". National Transportation Safety Board. 2007-08-20. http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070820X01212&key=1. Retrieved 2007-08-23. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Francis, Leithen (2007-08-23). "Fuel leak focus of investigation into CAL 737-800 fire". Flight International. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/08/23/216256/fuel-leak-focus-of-investigation-into-cal-737-800-fire.html. Retrieved 2007-08-23. 
5. ^ "Fire Erupts on China Airlines Jet at Japanese Airport"
6. ^ ^{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)" (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. 2007-08-21. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20070821it01.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-24. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ ^{a b} "剛滑出機外 爆炸聲響 (Explosion occurred just after escaping from the aircraft)" (in Chinese). United Daily News. 2007-08-21. http://udn.com/NEWS/NATIONAL/NATS1/3979625.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-24. ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Miracle escape from blazing jet". Herald Sun. 2007-08-21. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22279195-663,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-24. 
9. ^ "All safe after fire guts airliner". CNN. 2007-08-20. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/20/japan.plane/index.html. Retrieved 2007-08-24. 
10. ^ Cooper, Chris and Sun, Yu-Huay (2007-08-20). "All safe after fire guts airliner". Bloomberg.com. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aN5ivBNs8cdo&refer=japan. Retrieved 2007-08-24. 
11. ^ Francis, Leithen (2007-08-21). "CAL completing inspections of 737-800 fuel systems". Flight International. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/08/21/216229/cal-completing-inspections-of-737-800-fuel-systems.html. Retrieved 2007-08-23. 
12. ^ Raw Video of Plane Exploding As Passengers Flee on YouTube
13. ^ "那覇空港で中華航空機炎上 乗員乗客は全員無事" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. 2007-08-20. http://sankei-hito.iza.ne.jp/blog/entry/274294. Retrieved 2008-08-08. 
14. ^ China Airline flight 120 fire accident at Naha Airport on YouTube
15. ^ ^{a b} Warwick, Graham (2007-08-27). "FAA orders wing slat checks on all Boeing 737NGs". Flight International. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/08/27/216334/faa-orders-wing-slat-checks-on-all-boeing-737ngs.html. Retrieved 2007-08-28. 
16. ^ Francis, Leithen (2007-08-24). "CAL 737-800 that caught fire had punctured fuel tank". Flight International. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/08/24/216283/cal-737-800-that-caught-fire-had-punctured-fuel-tank.html. Retrieved 2007-08-24. 
17. ^ "Trip Payment and Baggage Compensation Set for CI 120 Passengers". China Airlines. 2007-08-23. http://www.china-airlines.com/en/newsen/newsen000417.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-29. 
18. ^ "Taipei Shares close weaker". Forbes. August 21, 2007. http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/08/21/afx4038208.html. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
19. ^ "FAA orders quicker 737 wing inspections". Flight International. 2007-08-29. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/08/29/216348/faa-orders-quicker-737-wing-inspections.html. Retrieved 2007-08-29. 
20. ^ http://www.mlit.go.jp/jtsb/eng-air_report/B18616.pdf

External links

• Final Accident Report - Japan Transport Safety Board
• (Japanese) Final Accident Report - Japan Transport Safety Board
• All Passengers Are Safe from Flight CI 120 - China Airlines
• Trip Payment and Baggage Compensation Set for CI 120 Passengers - China Airlines
• CAL Completes 737-800 Fleet Inspections In Accordance with CAA & FAA Directive - China Airlines
• Plane gutted at Japanese airport (BBC)
• In pictures: Taiwan plane on fire (BBC)
• Ask the Pilot: What the media didn't tell you about a near disaster in Asia - Patrick Smith, Salon.com (Sep, 2007).