China Airlines Flight 611
China Airlines Flight 611 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan to Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong.
B-18255, the aircraft involved, seen while on final approach at Hong Kong International Airport, in 2000. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 May 2002 |
| Summary | In-flight breakup and structural failure due to improper repairs following a tailstrike in 1980 |
| Site | Taiwan Strait, 45 kilometers (28.1 miles) northeast off Penghu islands, Taiwan 23°59′23″N 119°40′45″E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-209B |
| Operator | China Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | CI611 |
| ICAO flight No. | CAL611 |
| Call sign | DYNASTY 611 |
| Registration | B-18255 |
| Flight origin | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan, Taiwan |
| Destination | Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong |
| Occupants | 225 |
| Passengers | 206 |
| Crew | 19 |
| Fatalities | 225 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 25 May 2002, the Boeing 747-209B operating the route disintegrated in midair and crashed into the Taiwan Strait, 23 nautical miles (26 mi; 43 km) northeast of the Penghu Islands, 20 minutes after takeoff, killing all 225 people on board. The in-flight break-up was caused by metal fatigue cracks resulting from improper repairs to the aircraft 22 years earlier.
The crash remains the deadliest in Taiwan, as well as the most recent accident with fatalities involving China Airlines, and the second-deadliest accident in China Airlines history, behind China Airlines Flight 140.