China Airlines Flight 204 (CI204/CAL204) was a Boeing 737-209 that crashed into a mountain after takeoff from Hualien Airport, Taiwan, on 26 October 1989. The crash killed all 54 passengers and crew on board the aircraft.
 B-180, the aircraft involved, during delivery flight in 1986 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 26 October 1989 |
| Summary | Takeoff from wrong runway, wrong turn after airborne due to pilot error resulting in CFIT |
| Site | Chiashan mountain range, 5,5 km (3.4 mls) north off Hualien Airport, Taiwan 24°4′12″N 121°29′28″E / 24.07000°N 121.49111°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-209 |
| Operator | China Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | CI204 |
| ICAO flight No. | CAL204 |
| Call sign | DYNASTY 204 |
| Registration | B-180 |
| Flight origin | Hualien Airport |
| Destination | Taoyuan International Airport |
| Occupants | 54 |
| Passengers | 47 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 54 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aircraft
editThe aircraft was a Boeing 737-209, MSN 23795, registered as B-180, that was manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 1986. It was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A engines.[1]
Accident
editFlight 204 departed Hualien Airport on a short-haul domestic flight to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taoyuan International Airport) on the island of Taiwan[2] with 47 passengers and seven crew members aboard. Ten minutes after takeoff, the plane collided with a mountain in the Chiashan range at an altitude of approximately 2,100 metres (6,900 ft), 5.5 km (3.4 mi) north of the airport. All 54 passengers and crew members were killed.[1][3][4]
Cause
editThe major cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error, as the experienced pilot (15 years with China Airlines) and a novice copilot departed from the wrong runway, a mistake compounded by ground-control personnel who failed to spot the error. The aircraft then flew the climb-out procedure for the correct runway, and as a result, the aircraft made a left turn toward the mountains rather than a right turn toward the sea.[3][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Aircraft accident Boeing 737-209 B-180 Hualien Airport (HUN)". Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ "Database Thursday 26 October 1989". Aviation Safety Network by Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Crashed 737 'turned wrong way'". Flight International, 4 November 1989, p. 8.
- ^ "Accident Details". planecrashinfo.com. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ "CVR reveals pilot error". Flight International, 6–12 December 1989, p. 8.
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