Landing

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    Brazil Seizes Flight Control Data

    According to the Tam Airlines transcript, the pilots panicked, crying “Oh my God!, Oh my God!” as they tried to slow down the jetliner which landed with inoperable spoilers and a thrust reverser.

    “Come on! Come on! Turn, turn, turn, turn!” cried the co-pilot moments before a final utterance, “Oh no!,” was heard. The tape goes blank as the jetliner slammed into a cargo building at 137 mph and exploded.

    In the wake of the airliner crash in Sao Paulo last month, Brazil’s top prosecutor Matheus Baraldi Magnan, seized records from key flight control centers in response to concern over Brazil’s civil aviation system.

    Explaining the surprise data impoundment, Magnani said the military hindered his seizure, and “holds on to the information. It is not possible today to know the extent and frequency of problems. Only with that information will it be possible to evaluate and improve the system…The goal is to assure seizure of the incident records, and any information about problems in the air traffic control system, which will allow us to assess the risks passengers and crew face aboard aircraft.”

    The government confirmed that France and aircraft builder Airbus filed a complaint over leaks of the Tam airlines flight’s black box.

    The French bureau’s response on August third was that “All sorts of information, correct or incorrect, is circulating, along with speculation and attempts at explanations.”

    “It is a serious error to try to draw conclusions on the basis of incomplete and unanalyzed information.”

    A transcript of the cockpit voice recorder was released last week by a congressional committee investigating the accident on.
    July 17 when the TAM Airbus 320 carrying 187 people overran the runway while landing at Sao Paulo’s Congonhas airport, crossed a road and slammed into an airport building.

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    Brazil Air

    “How many people will be killed before the Brazilian government stops the [air force’s] live experiments on the travelling public’s safety?” said Marc Baumgartner, the president of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers.

    Brazil is rethinking its flight patterns

    Across the country, frustrated passengers whose flights have been delayed or cancelled are rioting due to the long lines in Brazil’s airports. Underpaid and understaffed air traffic controllers are at the hub of a logistical nightmare. More than 10 government agencies oversee aviation.

    Baumgartner accused the Brazilian government of “chasing scapegoats” among the Brazilian air traffic controllers instead of “re-engineering the necessary safety oversight and risk assessment to prevent Brazilian civil aviation from falling into deeper chaos.”

    President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised to get tough on safety and build a new airport in São Paulo to ease congestion. “Our aviation system, in spite of the investments we have made in the expansion and modernization of almost all Brazilian airports, is passing through difficulties.” To ease the pressure, several measures are planned like bans on charter, cargo and executive flights to Congonhas. The question is what pressure will such changes actually ease: the stressed airport system, or the government taking the heat for the stressed airport system?

    Aviation experts say that the Airbus 320 that crashed at Congonhas was too large for the airport’s short runways, that the runway was not textured properly and part of the plane’s supplementary braking system was not working. Last February, a federal judge prohibited the landing large types of aircraft at the airport, including Fokker 100, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-700.

    Carlos Gilberto Salvador Camacho, director of flight security for the National Union of Pilots, tokd a São Paulo newspaper last week. “There is subliminal pressure from the commercial airlines that if you don’t land there you are somehow hurting the companies that rely on their revenues from the passengers.”

    “What exploded at Congonhas was not just the TAM jet and its almost 200 victims, but the credibility of the Brazilian system of civil aviation. Ten months ago, the country felt the impact of the worst disaster in its history of civil aviation, an incident which lifted the veil off the chaos in the industry, and we completely ignored it.” wrote Cezar Britto, the national president of the Order of Brazilian Lawyers after the Congonhas crash.

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    Premature and Unfortunate Conclusions in Brazil

    Local media tries to claim that pilot error was responsible for the airplane crash that killed nearly 200 people in Sao Paulo last week.

    The news magazine VEJA said that a short runway and a constricted area that gave little room for victims to escape contributed to the accident.

    The Brazilian air force said no conclusion had been reached.

    It labelled as “premature and unfortunate” any conclusion about the accident, “as long as the investigations are ongoing.”

    On July 17, a TAM airline Airbus 320 carrying 187 people overran the runway, crossed a road and slammed into an airport building.

    The left turbine was thrust in reverse and was helping the airplane slow down, the right one was accelerating.

    Key information has been obtained from the airplane’s black boxes.

    The runway, which had been closed has now reopened Friday.

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    Could It Be The Brakes

    SAO PAULO Widespread claims of a faulty runway, potential pilot error or failure of the plane’s brakes? That is the question

    Many officials and aviation experts blamed the rain-soaked runway where the plane skidded before crashing and exploding.

    A video of the landing suggests other factors.

    Footage shows the TAM Linhas Aereas plane accelerating instead of braking. Speculation is that the pilot was trying to lift off again.

    “The government will try to convince public opinion that the runway at Congonhas is not at fault,” said Elnio Borges, president of the Varig Pilots’ Association. “They’re going to do everything they can to blame the pilot.”

    Only 18 bodies have been identified. Four badly injured victims died in hospitals. At the TAM cargo building hit by the plane, eight people are missing.

    The landing strip had not been grooved to drain rainwater.

    “Why was Congonhas reopened in that state?” asked Paulo Sampaio, an aviation consultant at Multiplan Consultora in Rio de Janeiro. “It’s a crime.”

    Infraero’s Pereira said “We have to clarify why the plane accelerated again,” he added. “Only the black box can tell us that.”

    Air traffic controllers, fearing to be made scapegoats for that accident, have staged periodic work slowdowns to protest against deficient radar and radio equipment poor pay and hours. Delays and cancellations are routine. Passengers occasionally storm the airfields.

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    Anger Mounts

    Cezar Britto, president of The Order of Lawyers of Brazil said it was “a tragedy waiting to happen,” echoing public opinion. “What exploded in Cagonhas was not just the TAM airbus and almost 200 victims but the credibility of the Brazilian aviation system.”

    Cagonhas is notorious for its short, dangerous runway.

    “The runway was as slippery as soap,” a pilot confessed.

    Rescuers pulled 181 bodies from the twisted metal wreckage and rubble. Five people are listed as missing. 11 are hospitalized. No passengers survived.

    Relatives gathered to identify the remains amid calls for authorities to improve airport safety.

    The crash is the latest of a series of airline disasters. The main runway had been resurfaced last month, but more work was scheduled to allow for better water drainage.

    “Control tower operators had warned the runway should be closed,” said Sergio Olivera, who heads the Federation of Air Controllers.

    Footage of landing showed the aircraft travelling at high speed–the Airbus took only three seconds as opposed to the usual 11 to traverse the runway then disappeared after skidding off the left side of the runway. Then a ball of flame filled the sky.

    An investigation has been ordered. One of the black boxes has been recovered.

    President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared three days of national mourning. Pope Benedict XVI expressed his sorrow.

    In February a judge banned Fokker 100, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737/700 jetliners from the airport but the ruling was overturned in appeals.

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    Prosecutors calling for closure of Sao Paulo airport

    Brazilian prosecutors call for the immediate closure of Sao Paulo’s airport today after the country’s worst air disaster in its history.

    Governor Jose Serra declared that the volume of air traffic at Congonhas must to be drastically. A plane belonging to Brazil’s TAM airlinehit a nearby warehouse and exploded, killing 186 people on board and three on the ground.

    Footage shows Flight 3054 accelerating as it hit the short runway. Authorities believe the pilot tried to abort his landing and take off again.

    Rescue workers suspended the search for victims when the building at the crash scene threatened collapse. 4 Europeans, three from France and one from Portugal, were on board.

    Pilots are instructed to touch down within the first 1,000ft (300m), or pull up and circle round again. Yesterday, another TAM airline jet was rerouted after coming in at an unsafe angle.

    The official statement is that it is necessary to temporarily paralyze the activities at the Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo until a complete renovation of both of its runways can be completed and there is certainty that they are fully secure for full operations.

    The senate leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSDB), Arthur Virgilio – whose colleague, the opposition leader Julio Redecker, was killed in the crash – said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, needed to “act, not to talk…Otherwise his term will be marked by the suffering and pain of so many Brazilians who could still be alive.”

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    Brazil’s Call for Change: A320 Crash

    One day after a TAM Airlines Airbus A320 crashed in Brazil, killing at least 189 people, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations chimed in on Wednesday, “Runways around the world have inadequate overrun areas.”

    The airbus was trying to land on a wet runway at Sao Paulo Cagonhas Airport, and when they were unable to stop, they took off again.

    The airbus managed to clear the airport fence and a highway. However it crashed into a gas station and a building then exploded into flame.

    IFALPA said, Runway-end safety areas should be established at all airports with airline operations, with an overrun space at least 800 feet long or an arrestor system that could halt an errant aircraft.

    The 6,362-foot runway in question has often been criticized as being too short.

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    BRAZIL’S WORST-EVER AIR DISASTER


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact Photographer Alan Olivieri

    BRAZIL’S WORST-EVER AIR DISASTER
    200 Feared Dead in Sao Paulo Crash

    At least 195 people were killed in Brazil’s worst plane crash, a product of a country with an inadequate air travel network that has been plagued by havoc.

    Witness Paulo Carol imagined he was at the set of a Hollywood disaster film when right in front of his taxi, an airplane crossed six lanes of the Avenida Washington Luis. He and his passengers fled on foot.

    Airbus A-320 operated by the Brazilian airline TAM, skidded off the runway after touching down and collided with cars and through a gas station before slamming into a TAM maintenance building. 180 deaths were passengers on the Airbus jet. Fifteen more deaths included Tam employees in the building.
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    Luiz Santos who barely escaped the explosion, said “The airplane was coming right at me. I could hear the sound of the engines and then it exploded.” His windows and the back end of his truck were shattered, but Santos and his passenger escaped.

    Flight JJ 3054 left Porto Alegre at 5:16 p.m. and landed at Congonhas two hours later. The plane apparently touched down too far down the runway.

    Accidents have made flying in South America dangerous to contemplate. Flight controllers are overworked, underpaid and untrained, and rely on aging and defective radar technology in the Amazon.

    In September, a Gol airlines Boeing 737 collided with a private jet over the Amazon, killing 154. That investigation is ongoing.

    The country’s air travel infrastructure has been unable to keep up with Brazil’s fast economic growth.

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    Brazilian Crash Prompts Probe on Airport Work

    Projects intended To Improve Runway

    BUENOS AIRES, July 18 — Brazil is planning to investigate if recent construction projects intended to improve runways at Congonhas contributed to the TAM crash, which killed at least 189.

    Officials emphasized that it is too soon to determine a specific cause but the world’s worst air crash in five years, is the source of sadness and outrage in Brazil. Critics of Congonhas airport have long predicted an accident like Tuesday’s.

    The Airbus 320, touched down and when the pilot realized he could not stop, he attempted to take off again, narrowly clearing an elevated roadway before crashing into a fuel station and cargo office. The capacity of the plane was 185 adults. The 186 people on board included a baby. The weight of the plane was within approved safety ranges. One day before the crash a small turboprop plane harmlessly slid off the same wet runway.

    Rescue crews continued recovering bodies. Authorities confirmed all 186 fatalities aboard the plane. The number could rise. The “black box” recorder has been delivered to the United States for analysis.

    The 6,362-foot runway at Congonhas is 500 feet shorter than the runway at Reagan National Airport, which is considered too short for large jet landings during rain. The newly repaved runway was scheduled to be grooved to channel rain. as standing water has caused delays in the past.

    A congressional panel is already probing Brazil’s aviation security system. Accusations have been made that airport authorities have taken bribes. Federal police are investigating the airport construction projects.

    The Sao Paulo attorney general’s office closed Congonhas runway to large jets. “The runway needs to be extended by 1,275 feet to provide adequate space to accommodate jetliners…The airport put at risk the lives of passengers, crew members and those living in the surrounding area due to the constant skidding caused by the inefficient drainage system.”

    Responding to objections from airport and airline authorities, an appeals judge lifted the ban. The Airbus 320 was not among those planes that had been restricted from landing.

    In Sao Paulo, South America’s largest city with a population of about 20 million, Congonhas airport is surrounded by densely populated commercial and residential neighborhoods. In 1996, a TAM flight crashed a mile from the runway, missing an elementary school.

    Gideon Ewers said, “Runway excursions account for something like a quarter of accidents. Anytime you run off the runway and are confronted with a steep slope, a sheer drop, a four-lane highway and buildings, it’s not good.” Ewers is with the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations. The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations represents pilots from over 90 countries.

    The federation urges authorities to add safety-strip extensions to the ends of runways or install “arrestor beds.”

    Since 2000, there have been seven accidents in Sao Paulo resulting major damage to aircraft. Six occurred upon landing. A Gol Airlines jet collided with a small private plane over the Amazon rain forest, killing all 154 people abpard just ten months ago, but Tuesday’s crash is the deadliest in Brazil’s history.

    A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has an investigator at the scene to assist in the crash probe. Authorities will be combing the site, checking the runway slickness and the possiblility of pilot error. Former NTSB investigator Ron Schleede said. “Most runway-overrun accidents involve slick surfaces or planes going too fast to stop.” A Miami-based lawyer representing the families of 30 victims of the Gol crash, Ricardo Martinez-Cid said he has been contacted by attorneys for families in Tuesday’s disaster. Court actions could be filed after more evidence has been collected.

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    Almost 200 Feared Dead in Air Crash

    Brazilian officials now fear at least 195 people are dead from Tuesday night’s jetliner crash in Sao Paulo. The TAM airlines Airbus-320 was on a domestic flight to Sao Paulo from the southern city of Porto Alegre when it skidded off the end of the rain-slicked runway, crashed into a gas station and a building and burst into flames.

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    Ciudad: Bell Helicopter Crash kills pilot


    Pictured: a Bell 47G
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jonathan Parra

    What: single-engine Bell 47G helicopter en route from Brownsville Texas to Ciudad Victoria, Mexico
    Where: Ciudad Victoria, Mexico
    When: May 12, 2007 12:35 central daylight time
    Who: Commercial pilot
    Why: Single-engine Bell 47G helicopter collided with the terrain under unknown circumstances near Ciudad Victoria, State of Tamaulipas, in the Republic of Mexico. The helicopter was on a ferry flight to its new owner in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

    The flight originated in Brownsville, Texas, at 11:15, and was destined to an intermediate refueling stop at Ciudad Victoria, Mexico.

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    Double Helicopter Crash on Kauai

    What: Heli-Usa helicopter
    Where: Kauai, Hawaii
    When: 03 10, 2007, 1:05 pm
    Who: four fatalities, 3 injuries
    Why: As a tour was ending, after experiencing hydraulic problems, a helicopter crashed at the the northwest end of Princeville airport a hundred yards from the terminal. A description of the wreckage indicated that the front of the helicopter was torn off, the tail was snapped off, and the rotors were broken. First responders attempted to save the four fatalities.

    The pilot who had 10,000 hours on that helicopter died in the crash.

    Four injured were taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital. One died en route.

    Nine miles away….

    What: Smokey Mountain Helicopters out of Delaware. It’s the parent company of Inter-Island Helicopter
    Where: North shore of Kauai, Hawaii
    When: 1:05 pm
    Who: five aboard, one fatality, four injuries.
    Why: The pilot heard a loud bang, and lost control of the helicopter, which fell down in a spiral formation on to a Hanalei campsite

    The debris field is spread from the ocean to the beach. A dive team will be searching the ocean for the tail rotor, gear box and drive shaft which were flung afield. Witnesses extricated survivors out of the wreckage

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    Thomsonfly Emergency Landing in London

    What: Thomsonfly Boeing 757-200 en route from Newcastle UK to Larnaca Cyprus
    Where: London
    When: Oct 22nd 2006
    Who: 160 passengers and 7 crew
    Why: The cabin began developing a haze and fumes, and requested a landing in London. By the time they landed, oxygen masks were called for. After some testing, maintenance was able to determine that the right engine was burning oil because the #1 bearing floating seal ring was found broken in two places allowing oil to escape.

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    CA: Cessna Crash


    Pictured: A Cessna T210N Turbo Centurion
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Mick Bajcar

    What: Cessna T210N
    Where: 3 miles south of Dana Point, California
    When: November 19, 2005
    Who: Pilot and 3 passengers
    Why: The airplane impacted the ocean following a departure from controlled cruise flight, decelerating from 120 to 60 knots spiraling down corkscrew manner before impact. No pre-accident anomalies were noted with any systems examined, and no distress calls or communications preceded or followed the upset. The pilot had moderate to severe coronary artery disease with evidence of at least one prior small heart attack. The combination of coronary artery disease and LVH would have substantially increased the risk for sudden cardiac death in this pilot. Four died in the crash.

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    Cessna Crash in Houston


    Pictured: A representative Cessna 501 Citation I/SP
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Jerry Search

    What: Cessna 500
    Where: Houston, TX
    When: November 05, 2005
    Who: pilot and passenger
    Why: The 4,100-hour commercial pilot lost directional control of the single-pilot twin-engine turbojet while taking off, and impacted the ground 3,750 feet from the point of departure. The airplane climbed to approximately 150 feet, rolled to the right, descended, and struck the ground inverted. The weather was day VFR and the wind was reported from 170 degrees at 10 knots. The wreckage revealed that none of the main-entry door latching pins were in fully locked position. The accident occurred on its first test flight out of maintenance. Neither pilot nor passenger survived.

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    Pictured: A Piper PA-46-310P Malibu
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Lindsay Hockey

    What: Piper PA-46-310P Crash
    Where: Houston TX
    When: Sept 17 2005
    Who: 2 fatalities
    Why: The 641-hour private pilot and passenger were departing on a 155-nautical mile night cross-country flight. The tower controller heard a weak transmission that she could not completely understand, but did hear the words “engine” and “power.” The controller asked the pilot to “say again”, but there was no response. She again asked, “say again” and the pilot transmitted, ” I’m going down.” There were no further communications from the pilot. impacting the ground, the airplane cartwheeled. 50 feet wide. Witness reports of the airplane’s flight path along with the wreckage distribution path were consistent with the pilot’s attempt to return to the airport. A post-impact fire consumed the fuselageThe reason for loss of engine power could not be determined.

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    Helios Boeing Crash


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Savvas Petoussis

    What: Helios Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Larnaka Airport to Ruzyn? International Airport
    Where: Marathon, Greece
    When: August 14, 2005
    Who: 115 passengers and 6 crew
    Why: Before take-off the crew failed to set the pressurisation system to “Auto,” which is contrary to standard Boeing procedures. Minutes after take-off the cabin altitude horn activated as a result of pressurization. It was, however, misidentified by the crew as a take-off configuration warning, On August 14, 2005, a Helios Airline Boeing 737-300, registered in Cyprus as 5B-DBY crashed into rolling terrain north northeast of Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (LGAV), Athens, Greece. The nearest town to the crash site was Gramitikos, Greece. The aircraft had departed Larnaka Airport, Cyprus, two hours and 57 minutes prior to the accident.

    The NTSB team joined investigators from the Greek Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board, the Boeing Company, and CFM, the aircraft’s engine manufacturer. The crash was caused by pilot incapacitation due to hypoxia brought about by depressurization, leading to fuel starvation. 121 died in the crash.

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    Lion Air Crash in Indonesia


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Olaf Juergensmeier

    What: Lion Air flight McDonnell-Douglas en route from Solo City Java Indonesia
    Where: Adi Sumaro Airport
    When: November 30, 2004
    Who: The captain, 1 flight attendant, and 23 passengers were fatally injured; the first officer, 2 flight attendants and 56 passengers were seriously injured; and 84 passengers had minor or no injury
    Why: On November 30, 2004, at 1814 Jakarta time, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-82 Lion Air flight 538, was substantially damaged when it overran runway 26 at Adi Sumaro Airport(SOC), Solo City, Central Java, Indonesia. The captain, 1 flight attendant, and 23 passengers were fatally injured; the first officer, 2 flight attendants and 56 passengers were seriously injured; and 84 passengers received either minor injuries or were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed; however, rain showers were in the area, and the runway was wet. The flight originated at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. After landing, it continued off the departure end of the runway and impacted the concrete base of a localizer array.

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    Hendrick Motor Sports


    Pictured: A Beech 200 Super King Air
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Carlos Barbosa

    What: Hendrick Motorsports Beechcraft Super King Air 200
    Where: Bull Mountain, seven miles from Blue Ridge Airport,
    When: October 24 2004
    Who: 2 pilots 10 passengers
    Why: On October 24 2004, en route to theNextel Cup Series, a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 owned by Hendrick Motorsports crashed in fog into Bull Mountain, seven miles from Blue Ridge Airport, carrying two pilots and ten passengers. Fatalities included Jon Hendrick and his twin daughters,and Ricky Hendrick. The plane missed its first landing attempt before veering off course and crashing; and the plane had not climbed to its temporarily assigned altitude of 2,600 feet; it instead descended to 1,800 feet before crashing. The cause was ruled failure to use an instrument approach and pilot error

    George’s Point of View

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    Argentina: INCAIR Cessna


    Pictured: A Cessna T210J Turbo Centurion
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Mick Bajcar

    What: INCAIR Cessna T210J en route from alvador de Jujuy to Tucuman
    Where: Rosario, Argentina
    When: May 17, 2004
    Who: pilot and 3 passengers
    Why: On May 17, 2004, a Cessna T210J single-engine, Argentine # LV-JPB from Salvador de Jujuy to Tucuman was destroyed under impact with terrain following a loss of control near Rosario de la Frontera, Province of Salta, Argentina. The pilot and 3 passengers were fatally injured. The airplane, serial number T210-0453, was owned/operated by INCAIR S.R.L., of Tocuman, Argentina. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed.?An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The pilot lost control while in cruise at 16,000 feet. The 1969-model airplane was not equipped with supplemental oxygen.

    George’s Point of View

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    Osteen Florida: Piper Malibu Crash


    Pictured: A Piper PA-46-310P Malibu
    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Patric Borg

    What: Piper PA-46-310P
    Where: Osteen Florida
    When: June 14, 2002
    Who: 3 fatalities
    Why: The pilot asked to deviate because he saw “a hole” in the weather. Radar showed a cluster of thunderstorms, level three to four were present in the vicinity of N9143B’s position. N9143B started an uncontrolled descent from FL260 (about 27,500 feet msl). Witnesses reported hearing the engine make a winding noise.?The airplane come out of the clouds about 300 feet above the ground, in a nose low spiral, and the right wing was missing. The ilot’s inadequate weather evaluation resulted in in-flight separation of the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer and the subsequent loss of control and crash.

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    Airbourne Charter Gulfstream, 18 lost


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Andreas Dürr

    What: Airbourne Charter, Inc Gulfstream III en route from Los Angeles to Aspen, Colorado
    Where: Aspen, Colorado
    When: March 29, 2001
    Who: 2 pilots, 1 flight attendant, and 15 passengers
    Why: On March 29, 2001, about 1901:57 mountain standard time, a Gulfstream III, N303GA, owned by Airbourne Charter, Inc., and operated by Avjet Corporation of Burbank, California, crashed while on final approach to runway 15 at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE), Aspen, Colorado. The charter flight had departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) about 1711 with 2 pilots, 1 flight attendant, and 15 passengers. The airplane crashed into sloping terrain about 2,400 feet short of the runway threshold. All of the passengers and crewmembers were killed, and the airplane was destroyed.

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    Singapore Airlines Tragedy at Taiwan


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Johan Knijn

    What: Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400
    Where: Taiwan
    When: October 31, 2000,
    Who: 179 people aboard, 83 fatalities, 44 injuries
    Why: On October 31, 2000, approximately 2317 Taiwan time (1517 UTC), Singapore Airlines Flight SQ006 Boeing 747-400 airplane entered the incorrect runway at Chiang- KaiShek (CKS) Airport, Taiwan. Heavy rain and strong winds from typhoon “Xiang Sane” prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane, during the take-off roll, was destroyed by its collision with the runway construction equipment and by post impact fire. There were a total of 179 people on board with 159 passengers, 3 flight crewmembers and 17 cabin attendants. There were a total of 83 fatalities (including 4 cabin crewmembers), and 44 people injured.