David Learmount/LONDON
Loss of control appears to have been the cause of the China Airlines (CAL) crash at Taipei Airport, Taiwan, on 16 February, according to information which has been made available by the Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Administration (TCAA).
Preliminary flight data recorder readings downloaded for the TCAA by Australia's Bureau of Air Safety Investigation, indicates that the Airbus Industrie A300-600R's approach to runway 05L was far too high for a safe landing, and that the crew lost control during a manually flown go-around in which extreme pitch attitudes and speeds were allowed to develop (see diagram).
The Administration released details from 1min 6s of the tape. The last data show the aircraft plunging towards the ground through an indicated altitude of 1,319ft (400m) with a nose-down pitch of 37í and its indicated airspeed increasing through 203kt (376km/h). Airfield elevation is 107ft. The distribution of wreckage indicates that the aircraft hit the ground in a slightly nose up attitude shortly afterwards.
All 196 people on board, and six on the ground, were killed in the crash. On 26 April, 1994, the crew of another CAL A300-600R crashed at Nagoya, Japan, after a similar approach/go-around profile before a nose up impact in which 264 on board died.
Source: Flight International
