Carrier Fined By Government

The government will fine China Airlines, as fresh evidence indicating that the carrier was to blame for a crash off Penghu County in May 2002 has been found, a spokesman for the Aviation Safety Council under the Executive Yuan reported yesterday. The Civil Aeronautics Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications is planning to issue a fine of NT$1.8 million (about US$54,000) to the carrier over the crash, the spokesman said. The ASC official, however, pointed out that while the new evidence might not necessarily be the key cause of the crash of flight CI611, it will make the investigation into the fatal accident more comprehensive. The results of the ASC probe will be released late this year.

According to the ASC official, the new evidence was discovered during a CAA investigation into CAL's maintenance and repair record of the crashed Boeing 747-200 jet, which shows that the carrier had failed to conduct a preventive anti-rust operation in a timely manner every four years.

The ASC claims its evidence clearly shows that CAL carried out the operation some 13 months past its due date. The official pointed out that the carrier should have done the work in November 1997 but did not do so until December the following year. CAA officials added that CAL has already been punished three times since last year alone for failing to carry out its maintenance and repair operations on schedule. It was penalized twice last year with fines of NT$600,000 and NT$900,000, respectively, and was issued a third fine of NT$3 million early this year.

In the face of the carrier's repeated failings, the CAA will demand a detailed explanation of CAL's maintenance and repair work on its airplanes, the CAA officials said.

The Boeing 747-200 passenger plane crashed into the sea off Penghu County May 25, 2002, en route for Hong Kong, killing all 225 people on board. An initial investigation showed that metal fatigue might be the main cause of the accident, as the aircraft broke into pieces in flight.

FMI: www.china-airlines.com