SAFETY

China Airlines plane goes up in flames at Okinawa-Naha airport

China Airlines flight 120 departed Taipei at 08:14. It landed at Naha Airport (OKA) at 10:27 and taxied to the apron. Reaching the stand, ground engineers saw fuel gushing from an area near the nr.2 engine pylon.

The pilot shut off the fuel supply to the engines after he was alerted by the ground engineer about the leak. Fuel from the leak flowed beneath the aircraft towards the nr.1 engine. It remains unclear yet what ignited the fuel. The fire engulfed the airplane.

When all occupants had evacuated, a large explosion occurred in the centre of the airplane. The airplane burned out completely. Nobody was hurt.

Investigation revealed a bolt from a right wing slat piercing the fuel tank. The hole was about 0.8-1.2 inches in diameter, as shown in the following pictures.