China Airlines blasts findings on 1999 Chek Lap Kok accident
A deadly combination of bad weather and pilot error was responsible for the fatal 1999 crash of a China Airlines jet as it landed in Hong Kong in a typhoon, a public inquiry has found.
The first official report to be released into the crash, in which three people were killed and 200 injured when the MD-11 airliner flipped over and burst into flames, concludes pilot Gerrardo Lettich's actions were a 'significant factor'.
The inquiry report - which was handed to Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's office seven weeks ago - describes mix-ups and errors by Mr Lettich and his co-pilot as they approached Chek Lap Kok, culminating in a final rate of descent that gave the plane no chance of staying in one piece when it hit the ground.
One wing of Flight CI642 broke off before the aircraft cartwheeled onto its back and caught fire after the flight from Bangkok during Typhoon Sam on August 22, 1999.
China Airlines, which claims the crash was caused by wind shear knocking the plane off course 1.5 seconds before landing - last night called the Board of Review's findings unacceptable.
The panel had overlooked abundant evidence bad weather was the primary cause of the only fatal crash at Chek Lap Kok, the Taipei-based airline said.