Crew Error Blamed For Taipei Crash

Apr 26, 2002

A crash which killed 83 people when a Singapore Airlines plane tried to take off from the wrong runway was probably caused by a combination of pilot error and bad weather, according to investigators in Taiwan.

The Boeing 747-400 smashed into construction equipment as it attempted to take off from Taipei on a flight to Los Angeles in October 2000. A typhoon was affecting the city's Chiang Kai-Shek Airport at the time.

Ninety-six people on board survived the incident, including the captain and two other members of the cockpit crew.

The runway used by the SIA jumbo jet had been partially closed for repairs and the crash report says that confusing runway markers and broken taxiway lights may also have put the pilots at risk.

In a statement, the Taiwan Safety Council said: "The flight crew did not review the taxi route in a manner sufficient to ensure they all understood they were taking off on the correct runway."

The pilots had failed to realize they were on the wrong runway despite at least 10 opportunities en route to spot their mistake, the statement continued.

The crew were warned in a pre-flight briefing that there were problems with the runways and that the one they were supposed to use was out of commission, the report said.


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