Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 22 August 1981 |
Summary | Metal fatigue cracking and severe corrosion, leading to explosive decompression and in-flight break-up |
Site | Near Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Boeing 737-222 |
Operator | Far Eastern Air Transport |
IATA flight No. | FE103 |
ICAO flight No. | FEA103 |
Call sign | FAR EASTERN 103 |
Registration | B-2603 |
Flight origin | Taipei Songshan Airport |
Destination | Kaohsiung International Airport |
Occupants | 110 |
Passengers | 102 |
Crew | 8 |
Fatalities | 110 |
Survivors | 0 |
Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103 was a flight from Taiwan Taipei Songshan Airport to Kaohsiung International Airport that crashed on 22 August 1981, killing all 110 people on board. The Boeing 737-222 aircraft disintegrated in midair and crashed in the township of Sanyi, Miaoli. It is also called the Sanyi Air Disaster. The crash is the third-deadliest aviation accident on the Taiwanese soil, behind China Airlines Flight 676 and China Airlines Flight 611.[1]
Aircraft[]
- Aircraft model: Boeing 737-222
- Manufacturing serial number: 19939/151
- Registration: B-2603 (ex United Airlines N9058U)[2]
- Year of manufacture: 1969[1]
Summary[]
The aircraft had previously lost cabin pressure on 5 August; and earlier on the day of the crash, it had departed Songshan Airport, but the crew aborted the flight 10 minutes later for the same reason. After repairs were made, the aircraft departed Songshan Airport again bound for Kaohsiung International Airport. At 14 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft suffered an explosive decompression and disintegrated. The wreckage was scattered across an area 4 miles (6 km) long, located some 94 miles (151 km) south of Taipei. The nose section landed in Sanyi Township, Miaoli County. Other debris landed in the townships of Yuanli, Tongluo, and Tongxiao. All 110 passengers and crew died.[3] After the accident, due to it occurring in a mountainous region, road traffic was backed up. The remains of the victims were driven to the Shengxing railway station, where they were transported by train.[4]
Cause[]
Although early speculation indicated that the crash was caused by an explosive device, an investigation by the Republic of China Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that severe corrosion led to a pressure-hull rupture. The severe corrosion was due to the many pressurization flight cycles the aircraft had experienced, and that cracks produced were probably undetected.[1]
Victims[]
Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Taiwan | 82 | 8 | 90 |
Japan | 18 | 0 | 18 |
United States | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Total | 102 | 8 | 110 |
Notable victims[]
- Kuniko Mukōda, a Japanese TV screenwriter, was heading to Kaohsiung for a festival.[5]
See also[]
- Japan Airlines Flight 123
- China Airlines Flight 611
- Aloha Airlines Flight 243
- Continental Express Flight 2574
- BOAC Flight 781
- Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101
References[]
- ^ a b c Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-222 B-2603 Miao-Li". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ "B-2603 Far Eastern Air Transport Boeing 737-200". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "AIRLINER THAT CRASHED IN TAIWAN, KILLING 110, HAD PRESSURE SNAGS." Associated Press at The New York Times. Sunday 23 August 1981. Late City Final Edition, Section 1, Page 3, Column 1. Retrieved on 6 January 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Experts to Probe Crash". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. 30 August 1981. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ap (24 August 1981). "Around the World; One Body Still Missing In Taiwan Air Disaster". The New York Times. Associated Press. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
External links[]
- Aviation Safety Network
- Airliners.net Photos of the airline
- UK CAA Document CAA 429 World Airline Accident Summary (ICAO Summary 4/76)
- August 1981 events in Asia
- 1981 in Taiwan
- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1981
- Aviation accidents and incidents in Taiwan
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737 Original
- Airliner accidents and incidents caused by in-flight structural failure
- Airliner accidents and incidents caused by maintenance errors