China airlines 742 crashed into the sea.

hernan · 05-25-2002, 11:22 AM

A china airlines 742 with 225 passengers and crew crashed into the sea shortly after take off today en route from taiwan to hong kong.

Bill G · 05-25-2002, 12:59 PM

Man, I hate hearing about this. Still no word on survivors.

Bill G

Starliner · 05-25-2002, 02:01 PM

Sounds like it was a catastrophic in flight explosion. Now we suddenly begin to look back at TWA 800...............

Scott · 05-25-2002, 02:42 PM

My condolences to the survivors of passengers and crew, particularly in a region hard-hit by aviation disasters in recent weeks. A tantalizing clue appears in a CNN report of "cabin interior items" recovered 40 miles from the impact zone.

MarinerOne · 05-25-2002, 05:07 PM

I read somewhere on CNN that there may have been a midair breakup of the plane as the structure had two debris fields. One being the ocean and another being on land. Some sort of structural breakup I would imagine, due to structural failure or an internal explosion.

Not that we have any idea, but with all this terrorism talk, you just can't rule anything out anymore.

So sad.

9V-SVC · 05-25-2002, 09:42 PM

I think China Airlines doesn't know how to maintain their planes .

UALsprtofSEA2 · 05-26-2002, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Starliner
Sounds like it was a catastrophic in flight explosion. Now we suddenly begin to look back at TWA 800...............

This was the first think I also thought about after hearing of this sad story. The news said the aircaft was at 35,000 when it disappeared from radar. Plus as said in other posts, they found pieces of paper on land apprx. 47 miles from where the oil slick was located at sea.

I think its safe to say that being only a 80 minute flight that the center fuel tank should of been empty.

My thoughts go out to all the families who lost their loved one.

BHopper88 · 05-26-2002, 05:47 AM

the ironic part to this story is that this flight was the LAST FLIGHT for this aircraft before being sold to a thailand charter company...

weird huh... .yet the whole thing is sad... and makes ya wonder how safe is it to fly china airlines....

in my mind i wouldnt feel comfortable to fly on China airlines or korean airlines since their latest crash records are quite bad....

MarinerOne · 05-26-2002, 07:46 AM

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

PENGHU, Taiwan -- The China Airlines jet that crashed Saturday with 225 people aboard broke up into four parts in the sky before plunging into the Taiwan Strait, the chief Taiwanese crash investigator said Sunday. No survivors have been found.

Military radar provided a clear picture of the Boeing 747-200 splitting into four pieces, said Kay Yong, managing director of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council. "There was an in-flight breakup above the altitude of 30,000 feet. We are very positive about this," he said.

He did not say what might have caused the plane to break apart.

------------------------

Link to Seattle P-I article

Link to CNN article

Link to AirDisaster.com

Now this is getting stranger ... why would the plane break up in flight into four pieces?

MarinerOne · 05-27-2002, 11:31 AM

I find these type of mid-air mishaps very interesting, a la TWA 800. Although we can speculate all we want about the causes of a mid-air breakup, there are really only three 'schools of thought'.

a) Structural failure
b) Bomb
c) External causes (missiles)

Structural failure is a definite probability. The plane was 20 years old, and as we know, 747s, such as a United one have experienced problems with cargo doors detaching in flight and causing major structural problems. Fortunately, in the case of the United plane, it was able to make a safe landing at LAX, even with the gaping hole in the side of the plane. This could have very well happened at 35,000 with the China Air plane. Or something similar to it.

The bomb theory - sure, it could also have been a bomb. That was easily explain the plane breaking up into four sections. With terrorism being such a major concern these days, there could have been bombs planted on the plane, or even a suicide bomber on board. A definite probability if you can prove it.

Ahhh ... the most interesting to me. The "missile theory". Very hard to prove, but also a strong candidate. In the below article, China claims to have not fired a missile at the plane. Well what did you expect them to say?

I'm not saying that they did, as I have no proof, but on the other hand, supposing they did. China hates Taiwan with a passion. The two countries are almost at war. China wants to take over Taiwan again and regain control over their government. They loathe the fact that Taiwan is independently ruled. There is major friction between the two countries.

I'm not implying that this is the case, but I for one, do not trust the mainland Chinese. This government will shoot and kill thousands of their own in political rallies just to suppress their movement, a la the Tienamen Square massacre. Historically, China has been a corrupt government run by power-hungry dictators willing to suppress the individuals to control and manipulate the lives of honest civilians. Communism at its worst.

Without getting into the political aspects of China any more, I'll leave it at that, as I'm sure some of you are going to think that I am a conspiracy theorist. Maybe I am, but I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility either. Just as in TWA 800, we may never know the "truth", even if the NTSB says that it was due to an unexplained spark in the central fuel tank that caused the explosion.

Yeah right.

And my name is Spock and I'm from the planet Vulcan.

LINK to latest CNN article

05-25-2002, 11:22 AM	#1
hernan Senior Collector Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: CAROLINA,PUERTO RICO Age: 42 Posts: 426	China airlines 742 crashed into the sea. A china airlines 742 with 225 passengers and crew crashed into the sea shortly after take off today en route from taiwan to hong kong. __________________ FLY SOUTHWEST. THE ONLY WAY TO FLY ! COLLECT STAR JETS. THE BEST MODELS!

05-25-2002, 12:59 PM	#2
Bill G Insane Collector Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: St. Charles, MO Posts: 1,248	China 747 Crash Man, I hate hearing about this. Still no word on survivors. Bill G __________________ *Ozark Flies Your Way* FEES DON'T FLY AT SOUTHWEST

05-25-2002, 02:42 PM	#4
Scott Insane Collector Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Escondido, Ca. USA Age: 50 Posts: 2,763	My condolences to the survivors of passengers and crew, particularly in a region hard-hit by aviation disasters in recent weeks. A tantalizing clue appears in a CNN report of "cabin interior items" recovered 40 miles from the impact zone. __________________ Fly the Friendly Skies of United uniTED takes wing Feb 12, 2004

05-25-2002, 05:07 PM	#5
MarinerOne Insane Collector Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: SAN Age: 40 Posts: 1,355	EXPLOSION??? I read somewhere on CNN that there may have been a midair breakup of the plane as the structure had two debris fields. One being the ocean and another being on land. Some sort of structural breakup I would imagine, due to structural failure or an internal explosion. Not that we have any idea, but with all this terrorism talk, you just can't rule anything out anymore. So sad.

05-25-2002, 09:42 PM	#6
9V-SVC AirBoeingBus Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Singapore Posts: 4,587	I think China Airlines doesn't know how to maintain their planes . __________________ My jetphotos.net photos Plane pictures.net photos Let's welcome Boeing newest product, the Boeing 7E7.

05-25-2002, 02:01 PM	#3
Starliner Senior Collector Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Norman OK USA Posts: 452	Sounds like it was a catastrophic in flight explosion. Now we suddenly begin to look back at TWA 800...............

05-26-2002, 05:47 AM	#8
BHopper88 Master Collector Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Home: Beverly Hills, Michigan (burb of Detroit), School: Grand Forks, North Dakota Age: 30 Posts: 547	the ironic part the ironic part to this story is that this flight was the LAST FLIGHT for this aircraft before being sold to a thailand charter company... weird huh... .yet the whole thing is sad... and makes ya wonder how safe is it to fly china airlines.... in my mind i wouldnt feel comfortable to fly on China airlines or korean airlines since their latest crash records are quite bad....

05-26-2002, 07:46 AM	#9
MarinerOne Insane Collector Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: SAN Age: 40 Posts: 1,355	Plane BROKE UP at 30,000 feet!!! From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer PENGHU, Taiwan -- The China Airlines jet that crashed Saturday with 225 people aboard broke up into four parts in the sky before plunging into the Taiwan Strait, the chief Taiwanese crash investigator said Sunday. No survivors have been found. Military radar provided a clear picture of the Boeing 747-200 splitting into four pieces, said Kay Yong, managing director of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council. "There was an in-flight breakup above the altitude of 30,000 feet. We are very positive about this," he said. He did not say what might have caused the plane to break apart. ------------------------ Link to Seattle P-I article Link to CNN article Link to AirDisaster.com Now this is getting stranger ... why would the plane break up in flight into four pieces? Last edited by MarinerOne; 05-26-2002 at 10:55 AM.

05-27-2002, 11:31 AM	#10
MarinerOne Insane Collector Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: SAN Age: 40 Posts: 1,355	China Denies Firing a MISSILE! I find these type of mid-air mishaps very interesting, a la TWA 800. Although we can speculate all we want about the causes of a mid-air breakup, there are really only three 'schools of thought'. a) Structural failure b) Bomb c) External causes (missiles) Structural failure is a definite probability. The plane was 20 years old, and as we know, 747s, such as a United one have experienced problems with cargo doors detaching in flight and causing major structural problems. Fortunately, in the case of the United plane, it was able to make a safe landing at LAX, even with the gaping hole in the side of the plane. This could have very well happened at 35,000 with the China Air plane. Or something similar to it. The bomb theory - sure, it could also have been a bomb. That was easily explain the plane breaking up into four sections. With terrorism being such a major concern these days, there could have been bombs planted on the plane, or even a suicide bomber on board. A definite probability if you can prove it. Ahhh ... the most interesting to me. The "missile theory". Very hard to prove, but also a strong candidate. In the below article, China claims to have not fired a missile at the plane. Well what did you expect them to say? I'm not saying that they did, as I have no proof, but on the other hand, supposing they did. China hates Taiwan with a passion. The two countries are almost at war. China wants to take over Taiwan again and regain control over their government. They loathe the fact that Taiwan is independently ruled. There is major friction between the two countries. I'm not implying that this is the case, but I for one, do not trust the mainland Chinese. This government will shoot and kill thousands of their own in political rallies just to suppress their movement, a la the Tienamen Square massacre. Historically, China has been a corrupt government run by power-hungry dictators willing to suppress the individuals to control and manipulate the lives of honest civilians. Communism at its worst. Without getting into the political aspects of China any more, I'll leave it at that, as I'm sure some of you are going to think that I am a conspiracy theorist. Maybe I am, but I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility either. Just as in TWA 800, we may never know the "truth", even if the NTSB says that it was due to an unexplained spark in the central fuel tank that caused the explosion. Yeah right. And my name is Spock and I'm from the planet Vulcan. LINK to latest CNN article Last edited by MarinerOne; 05-28-2002 at 03:04 AM.

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