China Airlines Flight 605

1993 aviation accident

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China Airlines Flight 605

CI605 after the tail was removed soon after the accident

Accident
Date| 4 November 1993 (1993-11-04)
Summary| Runway overrun due to unstable approach caused by pilot error
Site| Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong
22°19′06″N 114°11′51″E﻿ / ﻿22.3183°N 114.1976°E﻿ / 22.3183; 114.1976
Aircraft
Aircraft type| Boeing 747-409
Operator| China Airlines
IATA flight No.| CI605
ICAO flight No.| CAL605
Call sign| DYNASTY 605
Registration| B-165
Flight origin| Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan
Destination| Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong
Occupants| 296
Passengers| 264
Crew| 22
Fatalities| 0
Injuries| 10
Survivors| 296

China Airlines Flight 605 was a daily non-stop flight departing from Taipei, Taiwan at 6:30 a.m. and arriving in Hong Kong at 7:00 a.m. local time. On 4 November 1993, the aircraft went off the runway and overran attempting to land during a storm.[1] It was the first hull loss of a Boeing 747-400.[2][3]

## Background

[edit]

B-162, an aircraft similar to the one involved

### Aircraft

[edit]

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 747-409, registered as B-165, was a 5-month-old Boeing 747-400 manufactured in June 1993. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney PW4056 turbofan engines and had only logged 1,969 flight hours in 359 takeoff and landing cycles at the time of the accident.[3]: 11–17

The 47-year-old captain had previously served with the Republic of China Air Force and joined China Airlines in 1984. He started flying the 747 (the older -200 variant) in 1988 and was upgraded to a captain of the 747-400 in 1990. At the time of the accident, the captain had logged a total of 12,469 flight hours, including 3,559 hours on the Boeing 747. The 37-year-old first officer joined the airline in 1992, having previously served with the Republic of China Army. He had logged 5,705 hours, though only 953 of them were on the Boeing 747.[3]: 8–9

Crew:  | Commander (Captain)  | Co-pilot (First-Officer)

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Sex:  | Male  | Male
Age:  | 47  | 36
License:  | Airline Transport Pilot's License  | Senior Commercial Pilot's License
Type-Rating:  | Boeing 747-400 Series  | Boeing 747-400 Series
Instrument Rating:  | Instrument Rating renewed 28 August 1993  | Instrument Rating renewed 7 September 1993
Medical Certificate:  | Valid with requirement to wear medical glasses  |
Last Base Check:  | 15 July 1993  | 7 September 1993
Last Route Check:  | 10 June 1993  | 17 July 1993
Last Emergency Drills Check:  | 3 June 1993  | 9 October 1993
Flying Experience:  |  |
Total, All types  | 12,496 hours  | 5,705 hours
Total, On type  | 3,559 hours  | 908 hours
Total, Last 30 days  | 85 hours  | 70 hours
Duty Time:  |  |
On the day of the accident:  | 3 hours, 52 minutes  | 3 hours, 52 minutes
On the day before the accident:  | No duties  | No duties

## Accident

[edit]

A British Airways pilot had refused to make the approach to Kai Tak runway 13 minutes before the CAL 605 captain decided to attempt it.

Flight 605 touched down more than 2,100 feet (640 m) past the runway's displaced threshold, at a speed of 150 knots (278 km/h; 173 mph), following an IGS runway 13 approach. Typhoon Ira was generating 20-knot (37 km/h; 23 mph) crosswinds on that runway, gusting to 38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph), from a heading of 070 degrees.[2][4]

Track of Typhoon Ira

The pilots received several computer-generated wind shear and glide slope deviation warnings, and observed severe airspeed fluctuations, during the last mile before touchdown. The captain, who was the pilot flying, disconnected the auto-pilot and began flying the plane manually. He also disconnected the auto-throttle as he was dissatisfied with its performance. After the aircraft landed, the first officer took control of the plane and attempted to keep the aircraft on the centerline (of the runway). However, his inputs were too severe and the captain was forced to aid him. Meanwhile, the captain inadvertently increased engine power rather than activating the thrust reversers. The auto-brakes were set at only the number two level and then were turned off seconds after touchdown due to the increase in power. The speedbrakes were extended briefly, but then retracted, also due to the power increase. This caused the plane to "float", making the brakes ineffective until the speed brakes were extended again. When the First Officer finally noticed that the auto-brakes were disarmed and the thrust reversers had not deployed, the captain immediately applied manual braking and thrust reversal.

The captain deliberately turned the plane to the left when he realized the plane would overrun the runway and hit the approach lighting system (ALS) for runway 31. That action caused a "ground loop", making the plane slide off the left side of the runway into Victoria Harbour. The plane came to rest in shallow water, with a heading of almost 180 degrees out from the direction of runway 13.

The flight crew did not warn the cabin crew that the plane was about to overrun the runway. After the aircraft came to rest in the water, the cabin crew performed an unplanned ditching of the aircraft. Communication was hindered as the PA system was damaged and not functional; additionally, megaphones were not used. The captain and first officer performed the emergency checks from memory but did not use a written checklist. Crew members ensured that all passengers donned life jackets, and after permission from the captain, evacuated out of eight of the ten main deck emergency exits. These exits (as on all 747s) are equipped with inflatable evacuation slide/rafts for ditching emergencies. The passenger cabin remained completely above water during the evacuation, although eventually sinking tail-first. Additional damage to the nose and first-class cabin was noted. There were 23 minor injuries among passengers and crew.[3]

## Aftermath

[edit]

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One passenger in seat 55J was determined to have not worn their seat belt during the crash and was standing up, causing them to be thrown forward into the seat of 54J and the left side of seat 54K. This resulted the passenger in 54K being seriously injured, with a dislocated left shoulder and subsequent hospitalisation (for five days). The seat and seatbelt in 55J was found to be undamaged, but 54J and 54K were partially damaged. The passenger in 55J suffered minor leg injuries. Several other minor injuries across the plane were reported, including injuries caused by luggage bins opening during the crash.[3]

The airport fire service was on standby due to the increased wind conditions. After an alarm was raised by the control tower, they immediately responded. The first rescue vehicle arrived within one minute of the plane crashing. Ladders were placed along the seawall, and inflatable life-rafts alongside divers were deployed. Rescue was aided by several nearby vessels including a tugboat, several small private motorised boats, and vessels from the Marine Department and Marine Police (Region). The rescue operation was completed within 30 minutes without any major difficulty.[3]

The aircraft photographed a few days after the accident, without its vertical stabilizer.

The aircraft was written off as a total hull loss. Since the aircraft's vertical stabilizer interfered with the accuracy of the instrument landing system signals for runway 31 – which allowed aircraft to make safe ILS approaches whenever the wind patterns mandated the use of runway 31 (the reciprocal direction of runway 13) – the vertical stabilizer was removed with dynamite shortly after the crash. The China Airlines lettering and the Chinese characters were removed, as was part of the livery on the fuselage, to conceal the identity of the aircraft as belonging to China Airlines. After the accident, the aircraft was stored near the HAECO building for use in firefighting practice.

The investigation indicated that the accident was caused by the captain's failure to initiate the mandatory missed approach procedure when he observed the severe airspeed fluctuations, combined with the wind shear and glide slope deviation alerts. The first officer was also found to not have enough experience to handle the aircraft while landing in crosswind conditions. China Airlines was also criticized for not having a clear crosswind landing procedure in their manuals to aid pilots. The investigation recommended that the airline revise its manuals and flight training.

## See also

[edit]

* TAM Airlines Flight 3054
* Air France Flight 358
* American Airlines Flight 1420
* American Airlines Flight 331
* Lion Air Flight 538
* Lion Air Flight 904
* Southwest Airlines Flight 1248
* Sky Lease Cargo Flight 4854
* China Airlines Flight 6
* Korean Air Flight 631

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "293 Rescued in Hong Kong After Jet Lands in the Water". New York Times. Associated Press. November 4, 1993. ISSN 0362-4331.
2. ^ a b Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-409 B-165 Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
3. ^ a b c d e f "Aircraft Accident Report 1/95 Report on the accident to Boeing 747-409B B-165 at Hong Kong International Airport on 4 November 1993" (PDF). Hong Kong: Civil Aviation Department. August 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2020-05-18. \- Entry from the HKU Library
4. ^ "香港天文台警告及信號資料庫" [Hong Kong Observatory Warning and Signal Database]. www.hko.gov.hk (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-05-18.

## External links

[edit]

* Aircraft Accident Report 1/95 Report on the accident to Boeing 747-409B B-165 at Hong Kong International Airport on 4 November 1993 (Archive) - Civil Aviation Department (Hong Kong)
* Transcript of the CAL605 Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) — includes brief overview, 3m24s of cockpit dialog prior to "splash," photo of aircraft in final position.

* v
* t
* e

Aviation accidents and incidents in Hong Kong

British Hong Kong
(1841-1997)|

* US Marines KC-130 (August 1965)
* Thai Airways International Flight 601 (June 1967)
* China Airlines Flight 831 (March 1978)
* CAAC Flight 301 (August 1988)
* China Airlines Flight 605 (November 1993)

Hong Kong SAR
(1997-)|

* China Airlines Flight 642 (August 1999)
* Cathay Pacific Flight 780 (April 2010)

* v
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* e

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1993 (1993)

Jan 6

Lufthansa Cityline Flight 5634

Feb 8

Tehran mid-air collision

Feb 11

Lufthansa Flight 592

Mar 5

Palair Macedonian Airlines Flight 301

Mar 31

Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E

Apr 1

Alan Kulwicki Swearingen crash

Apr 6

China Eastern Airlines Flight 583

Apr 14

American Airlines Flight 102

Apr 18

Japan Air System Flight 451

Apr 24

Indian Airlines Flight 427

Apr 26

Indian Airlines Flight 491

Apr 27

Zambia national football team plane crash

May 19

SAM Colombia Flight 501

Jul 1

Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724

Jul 23

China Northwest Airlines Flight 2119

Jul 26

Asiana Airlines Flight 733

Jul 31

Everest Air Dornier 228 crash

Aug 12

Llyn Padarn helicopter crash

Aug 18

American International Airways Flight 808

Aug 26

Sakha Avia Flight 301

Aug 28

Khorog Tajikistan Airlines Yakovlev Yak-40 crash

Sep 14

Lufthansa Flight 2904

Sep 21

Sukhumi airliners attacks

Oct 26

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5398

Oct 27

Widerøe Flight 744

Nov 4

China Airlines Flight 605

Nov 13

China Northern Airlines Flight 6901

Nov 20

Avioimpex Flight 110

Nov 26

Auckland mid-air collision

Dec 1

Northwest Airlink Flight 5719

Dec 26

Kuban Airlines Flight 5719

1992  ◄ ► 1994

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China Airlines Group

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Headquarters|

* CAL Park

History|

| Accidents and incidents|

* Flight 206 (1970)
* Flight 825 (1971)
* Flight 831 (1978)
* Assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr. (1983)
* Flight 006 (1985)
* Flight 2265 (1986)
* Flight 334 (1986)
* Flight 204 (1989)
* Flight 358 (1991)
* Flight 605 (1993)
* Flight 140 (1994)
* Flight 676 (1998)
* Flight 642 (1999)
* Flight 611 (2002)
* Flight 120 (2007)

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