Posted: 8/20/2007 9:07:14 AM EDT
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apnews.myway.com//article/20070820/D8R4RLCO0.html Taiwan Jet Explodes Into Fire in Japan Email this Story Aug 20, 11:59 AM (ET) By DEBBY WU NAHA, Japan (AP) - Passengers used emergency slides to evacuate a China Airlines jet just minutes before the plane burst into a fireball Monday on the tarmac. All 165 people aboard escaped unhurt, including the pilot, who jumped from the cockpit at the last second. Transport Ministry official Akihiko Tamura told reporters that airport traffic controllers had received no report from the pilot indicating anything was wrong with the Boeing 737-800. "The fire started when the left engine exploded a minute after the aircraft entered the parking spot," Tamura said. The plane burst into flames seconds after what the last crew member escaped from a rear door and the pilot jumped from the cockpit window, according to footage from national broadcaster NHK. (AP) A China Airlines Boeing 737-800 explodes into flames at Naha Airport, Okinawa Prefecture (state),... Full Image The aircraft skidded on the tarmac on its way from the runway to the gate after landing, starting a fire that prompted the emergency evacuation, according to China Airlines spokesman Sun Hung-wen. "After the plane landed, there were flames, and I heard explosions a few times, then saw black smoke," Hideaki Oyadomari, an airport worker, told NHK. "We felt the hot air coming our way." Japan's National Police Agency said terrorism was not suspected. Initial reports from ground personnel showed that a fuel leak from the right engine could have led to a series of explosions, according to another Transmport Ministry official, Fumio Yasukawa. Local fire official Hiroki Shimabukuro said two passengers - a 7-year-old girl and a man in his 50s - were hospitalized because they felt unwell, but not because they were injured. A ground engineer was knocked off his feet by the force of the blast, but was not hurt, the ministry said. The fire was put out about an hour later, leaving the aircraft charred and mangled. (AP) Firefighters and fireengins surround a China Airlines plane that burst into a fireball following... Full Image Several passengers told NHK they were preparing to get off the plane after what seemed like an ordinary landing when they were suddenly told to use the emergency slides to evacuate. Some said they saw smoke and flames entering the cabin and that there was a stampede to exit. Minutes later, many said, they heard explosions. "I suddenly saw flames beside me, and everybody started rushing to get out," a male passenger told NHK. "People were pushing and shoving in panic," he said. "I felt the boom of the explosion behind me as soon as I got off," a female passenger said. Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration head Chang Kuo-cheng said authorities ordered China Airlines and its subsidiary Mandarin Airlines to ground their 13 other Boeing 737-800s pending a thorough inspection. (AP) Passengers flee from a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 after it exploded into flames at Naha Airport,... Full Image Japanese aviation authorities also ordered an emergency inspection of all Boeing 737-800 planes owned by Japanese airlines, as well as some 737-700 models that carry a similar engine. China Airlines' 737-800 had CFM 56 engines, made by CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aviation, a unit of General Electric Co. (GE), and France's Snecma, Boeing spokesman Jim Proulx said. All 737-800s are built with the same engine. Proulx said Japan requested technical assistance from and a Boeing investigator was expected to arrive by Wednesday. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration sent investigators to examine the scene, spokeswoman Laura J. Brown said in Washington. The Okinawa fire is a setback to China Airlines, which in recent years appeared to have improved on a troubled safety record among international carriers. A China Airlines 747 crashed in 2002 as it flew from Taipei to Hong Kong, leading to 225 deaths, and some 450 people died in China Airlines accidents during the 1990s. "We are prepared to do its best to get to the bottom of this incident," China Airlines president Zhao Guoshi told reporters at a press conference at Naha airport late Monday. "I apologize for the trouble we have caused our passengers." |
Imagine trying to get to the door while the plane is burning and someone is blocking the isle trying to get their carry on out of the overhead compartment. |
Sounds like a dandy way to become roadkill to me. 
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There's your problem right there... the engine just gave up. |
ROC, PRC, it's all the same. 
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China Airlines is the absolute worst - by a considerable margin... Airline Accident Rates Ranked 87th out of 87 |
Do people walk up to you on the street, concerned . . . that you might reproduce?
Yeah, this is why I won't fly CAL. BTW, about the carry-on luggage . . . guys, we're talking about the Taiwanese here. Believe me, they are not the sharpest spoons in the drawer. Every time someone spouts the old "the Chinese make plans for generations ahead!" line, I just have to laugh -- Chinese culture doesn't even teach people to think two months ahead. I'm sorry, but it's true. Speaking as a former Sinophile who learned better the hard way. . . . |
| Video of plane exploding, captured by a passenger on the terminal itself. |
They should have put less lead in it. 
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I remember that, but to be fair that was for transport and not for in flight use. It did not instill confidence though... |
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I saw a news article about this earlier tonite. What struck me right off, and I bet it made the rounds here, was in the opening paragraph, the one that is always bolded, and is the summary on the webpages, ie First Thing You Read, the 4th sentence was 'Not related to Terrorism.' (I apologize for that farked up run on sentence.) I just thought it was odd that here (at the time) we have an aircraft that just exploded and is burning on the tarmac, but they know, right now while they're still fighting the fire, that it wasn't terrorists... *British Bobby Cop Voice* Move along, move along, nothing to see here! No terrorism about. Move along, move along. ETA: I'm not saying it was terrorism, it doesn't appear so. I'm just getting a bit tired of the Not Terrorism claims minutes after something happens. Like the pilot shouts: 'MAYDAY!!! Oh, but it's not terrorism! Mayday anyways though...' |
I'm confused. Is China Airlines a Taiwanses outfit, or PRC? |
That was a Korean Air Lines 747-400. And they were using it for a revenue flight at the time. When they had to make a diversion to FRA due to increased fuel burn for more gas, the JAA shut them down. |
Are these the pictures?   
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 Holy Crap! What happened to that engine?
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Yep those are the pics, I was looking for those. Dilbert what happened there was called FOD or Foreign Object Debris. Something besides air entered the engine, and jet engines don't like that. The reason that they secured the fan with seatbelt extensions was that even as it flies through the air, the air will force the engine to spin causing a condition known as windmilling, which will destroy that engine even more. |
China Air is the national carrier of As opposed to those pretenders over on the mainland, who call themselves the People's Republic of China, who merely claim to govern China and Taiwan. Different outfit. Totally illegitimate. Pay no attention to them. |
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Mechanics too. |
I dont know why but when that thing blew and everyone scurried away, it gave me a good laugh. |