Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 22 August 1981 |
| Summary | Explosive decompression |
| Site | near Taipei |
| Passengers | 104 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 110 (all) |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-222 |
| Operator | Far Eastern Air Transport |
| Registration | B-2603 |
| Flight origin | Taipei Songshan Airport |
| Destination | Kaohsiung International Airport |
Far East Air Transport Flight 103 (callsign FAR EASTERN 103), a Boeing 737-222, registration B-2603, departed Taipei Songshan Airport for Kaohsiung on 22 August 1981. The aircraft lost cabin pressure 10 minutes after takeoff and broke apart 4 minutes later.
Although the accident was thought to have been caused by an explosive device, an investigation by the Republic of China Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that severe corrosion led to a pressure hull rupture.
The aircraft had previously lost cabin pressure on 5 August and also when the crew had been returning it to Taipei for repairs earlier on the day of its fatal flight.
The crash occurred 94 miles (151 km) south of Taipei and the wreckage was in an area with the length of 4 miles (6.4 km). A total of 110 passengers and crew including 18 Japanese citizens (including Kuniko Mukōda),[1] and two Americans, died.[2] The accident was the deadliest on Taiwanese soil at the time, and to date is still the second-deadliest behind China Airlines Flight 676.
See also
References
- ↑ "AIRLINER THAT CRASHED IN TAIWAN, KILLING 110, HAD PRESSURE SNAGS." Associated Press at The New York Times. Sunday 23 August 1981. Late City Final Edition, Section 1, Page 3, Column 1. Retrieved on 6 January 2012.
- ↑ "U.S. Experts to Probe Crash." Associated Press at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sunday 30 August 1981. 3A. Retrieved on 6 January 2012.
- UK CAA Document CAA 429 World Airline Accident Summary (ICAO Summary 4/76)