The deadliest aviation accident in Taiwan's history, killing all 225 aboard due to a tail strike improperly repaired 22 years prior.
Key Facts
- Total fatalities
- 225 people
- Date of crash
- May 25, 2002
- Time after takeoff
- 20 minutes
- Distance from Penghu Islands
- 23 nautical miles NE
- Original tail strike incident
- February 7, 1980, Kai Tak Airport
- Years of metal fatigue
- Over 22 years
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On February 7, 1980, the aircraft suffered a tail strike at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong. The damage was not repaired in accordance with Boeing's policies and manuals, leaving the structure compromised. Over the following 22 years, repeated pressurization and depressurization cycles propagated metal fatigue cracks through the fuselage skin, progressively weakening the airframe.
On May 25, 2002, China Airlines Flight 611 departed Chiang Kai-shek International Airport bound for Hong Kong. Approximately 20 minutes after takeoff, the accumulated metal fatigue cracks caused the Boeing 747 to disintegrate in midair over the Taiwan Strait, roughly 23 nautical miles northeast of the Penghu Islands. All 225 people on board were killed.
The disaster remains the deadliest aviation accident in Taiwan's history and the most recent fatal accident involving China Airlines. It became the second-deadliest in China Airlines' history, surpassed only by Flight 140. The crash highlighted the critical importance of adhering to manufacturer repair standards and long-term structural inspection protocols for aging aircraft.