CAL plane 'disintegrated' in mid-air
May 26, 2002 Posted: 2:53 PM EDT (1853 GMT)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- The China Airlines passenger jet that crashed into the Taiwan Strait with 225 people on board "disintegrated" into several pieces, aviation officials say.

"We are very certain the plane disintegrated while above 30,000 feet (9,144 metres)," Kay Yong, managing director of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council, told a news conference.

Military radar provided a clear picture of the Boeing 747-200 splitting into four pieces, he said.

Kay Yong's comments have been the first major insight into the cause of the disaster.

So far, more than 35 bodies as well as sections of debris have been recovered from Flight CI 611, which crashed en route from Taipei to Hong Kong on Saturday. Officials say they hold little hope of finding any survivors.

The plane, a 22-year-old Boeing 747-200, was carrying 19 crewmembers and 206 passengers when it disappeared off radar screens about 20 minutes after taking off at around 3:00 p.m. (0700 GMT) from Taiwan's Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei.

More at:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/05/26/taiwan.crash/index.html

Tragedy sounds like TWA 800 but guess one shouldn't jump to conclusions:

China Denies Missile Caused Taiwan Crash

May 27, 2002

Taiwan has dismissed speculation that a Chinese missile may have been responsible for Saturday's air disaster in which 225 people died.

The People's Republic have denied playing any part in the downing of the China Airlines Boeing 747-200 which plunged into the sea on a flight from Taipei to Hong Kong.

The 22-year-old plane is now known to have broken up into four parts as it cruised over the Taiwan strait, but what caused it to disintegrate in mid-air is still a mystery.

Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council director, Kay Yong, confirmed that military radar had shown clear evidence of the plane splitting up and said: "We are quite sure now that the Boeing suffered in-flight break-up above an altitude of 30,000 feet and broke into four large parts."

No military testing or missile firing was taking place in the area at the time the plane vanished from radar screens, according to the authorities. A spokesman dismissed the theory that a Chinese missile might have hit the aircraft. "Communist China has denied it. We think its denial is highly credible," he said .



http://news.airwise.com/stories/2002/05/1022495966.html

From USA Today:

'Black boxes' elude investigators in Taiwan crash

PENGHU, Taiwan (AP) — Strong, shifting currents frustrated efforts Monday to find the "black boxes" from a China Airlines jet that broke up high over the Taiwan Strait, killing 225 passengers and crew.

For the second time since Saturday's crash, investigators announced they had picked up beacon signals from the black boxes — or voice and flight data recorders — only to announce hours later that they were mistaken.

"We were very upset, but we'll regroup and thoroughly plan out what to do next," said David Lee, the lead investigator for Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council.

Lee said that the strait's strong currents have complicated the search and might have carried the black boxes away from where officials thought they were. He also said that the signals might have come from the dozens of ships searching for bodies and the wreckage of the Boeing 747-200.

He doubted the recorders were damaged because the devices are rugged and designed to survive some of the worst accidents.

The black boxes — which are actually bright orange — might offer the best clues to why Hong Kong-bound Flight CI611 split into four pieces 20 minutes after taking off from Taipei in clear weather.

The plane crashed near the Penghu island chain, off Taiwan's western coast and about 180 miles from Taipei.

Investigators have declined to speculate on the cause of the crash, and security officials said there was no evidence the plane was brought down by a terrorist or missile attack.

One theory is that structural problems caused the break up of the 22-year-old jetliner, which the airliner planned to retire from its fleet next month.

Another theory is that the plane's cargo or fuel tanks exploded, causing it to break up. Radar showed that one chunk of the jet shot backward at a high speed, as if propelled by a blast. The other three parts kept going forward.

More at:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/05/27/taiwan-crash.htm