No Problems Seen in Tower Transcript From China Airlines Crash

The AP is reporting that everything seemed normal, on the CVR tape from this weekend's China Airlines crash, right up to the point where the jet's signature disappeared from radar.
Aboard were 190 Taiwanese, 14 people from Macau and Hong Kong, nine Chinese, one Singaporean and one Swiss citizen.
Just like TWA Flight 800, maybe? Naw -- this time, there weren't over a hundred eyewitnesses. Early reports say the 747-200 broke into four distinct pieces, as it climbed between 1600 feet (at 03:08) and its destined FL, 350. At 03:08, the plane reported from 1600 feet; it was cleared to 20,000 at that time; and eight minutes later, it was cleared to 35,000 (without confirmation that it had yet reached FL200). It was not heard from after 03:16; and the tower got nervous thirteen minutes later, at 03:29, when the 747 was no longer on radar.

3:08 p.m. Pilot: Taipei approach, Dynasty 611 airborne, passing 1,600 (feet).
3:08 p.m. Controller: Dynasty 611, Taipei approach. Radar contact. Climb and maintain flight level 260 -- cancel -- flight level 200.
(snip)
3:16 p.m. Controller: Dynasty 611, Taipei control, ident. Climb and maintain flight level 350 from Chali, direct Kadlo.
3:16 p.m. Pilot: From Chali, direct Kadlo, recleared flight level 350, Dynasty 611. [This is the last transmission from the airplane.]
3:29 Tower: [plane has disappeared from radar] Dynasty 611, contact Kaohsiung. Contact Taipei control, 128.7
3:29.09 p.m. Controller: Dynasty 611, Taipei.
3:29.15 p.m. Controller: (In Mandarin) Dynasty 611.
3:29.21 p.m. Controller: Dynasty 611, how do you read?
3:29.25 p.m. Controller: Dynasty 611, Taipei.

The plane was already sold to Orient Thai Airline, which was to have taken delivery next month.
Wreckage and bodies continue to be recovered from the Taiwan Strait.

FMI: http://www.china-airlines.com/us/