Singapore Airlines Flight 006 was a scheduled flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Los Angeles International Airport via Chiang Kai-Shek Airport (now Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan, Republic of China. On 31 October 2000, at 15:17 UTC, 23:17 Taipei local time, a Boeing 747-412 on the route attempted to take off from the wrong runway in Taipei during a typhoon, destroying the aircraft and killing 83 of the 179 occupants.
SQ006 was the first fatal crash of a Singapore Airlines aircraft; prior to the SQ006 crash, the sole fatal incident involving SIA was the crash of SilkAir Flight 185, operated by subsidiary SilkAir.
Crash
At 15:00 UTC, 23:00 Taipei local time on 31 October 2000, 9V-SPK, a Boeing 747-400 delivered on 21 January 1997, left Bay B5 during heavy rain caused by Typhoon Xangsane. At 23:05:57, the CKS Airport cleared the aircraft to taxi to runway 05L via "taxiway Sierra Sierra West Cross" and "November Papa". At 23:15:22, the airport cleared the aircraft to takeoff at 05L. Many carriers in southeast and east Asia take off during inclement weather. 9V-SPK had its last maintenance check on 16 September 2000, and had no defects.
After a six second hold, at 23:16:36, the crew attempted takeoff on runway 05R, which had been closed for repairs, instead of the assigned runway 05L (which runs parallel to 05R). The captain, Foong Chee Kong, correctly heard that he needed to take off at 05L, but he turned 100 metres too soon and lined up with 05R. The airport was not equipped with ASDA, a ground radar which allows the airport controllers to monitor aircraft movements on the ground.
Due to poor visibility in the heavy rain, the flight crew did not see that construction equipment, including two excavators, two vibrating rollers, one small bulldozer, and one air compressor, had been parked on runway 05R. In addition, the runway contained concrete jersey barriers and pits. About 41 seconds later, the aircraft collided with the machinery and broke into pieces. The fuselage was torn in two, and the engines and landing gear separated. A crane tore the left wing from the aircraft, forcing the jet back on to the ground. The nose struck a scoop loader. A large fire followed, destroying the forward section of the fuselage and the wings. 79 of 159 passengers and 4 of 20 crew members died in the accident. Many of the dead were seated in the middle section of the aircraft; the fuel stored in the wings exploded and sent balls of flame through that section. At 23:17:36, the emergency bell sounded. 41 fire fighting vehicles, 58 ambulances, 9 lighting units, and 4,336 personnel were dispatched to assist survivors and extinguish the fire. Chemical extinguishing agents rained on the aircraft at about three minutes after the impact. At 23:35, roughly 10 minutes after the impact, the fire was brought under control. At 23:40, non-airport ambulances and emergency vehicles from other agencies congregated at the north gate. At 00:00 Taipei time on 1 November, the fire was mostly extinguished and the front part of the aircraft was destroyed. Authorities established a temporary command centre.
Immediate news reports incorrectly stated that the Singapore Airlines jet hit one or two aircraft on the tarmac, with one being a China Airlines jet "2601TW"; no other aircraft were involved in the Singapore crash.
A passenger of China Airlines Flight 004 recorded a video of Singapore Airlines Flight 006 on fire.
Casualties
179 passengers and crew, including 3 children and 3 infants, were on the aircraft at the time of the crash. Of the 179 occupants, 83 were killed, 39 suffered from serious injuries, 32 had minor injuries, while 25 were uninjured. Amongst those who perished, there were 4 crew members. 79 passengers and crew died on impact and immediately after the crash and 2 passengers died at a hospital.
The passengers mostly consisted of Taiwanese and Americans.
Nationalities of passengers and crew
Amongst the Singaporeans who perished were Mrs. Elma Thwaites, mother of Singapore Turf Club horse-trainer Malcolm Thwaites, Dr. Sung Kah Kay, assistant professor of the National University of Singapore's Department of Computer Science, and Captain Lim Kim Hock, a Republic of Singapore Air Force pilot on his way to the Air National Guard to attend the Advanced Fighter Weapons Instructor Course. In addition, four of the dead were Motorola employees. Sung's wife, Jennifer Loo (a.k.a. Loo Tak Wing), also died on the flight.
Amongst perished passengers of other nationalities were the president and two vice presidents of Buena Park, California-based Ameripec Inc. Kevin Rice, a professor at UC Davis, survived the crash with more than 12% of his body burned, as did John Diaz, a vice president of MP3.com, who survived the crash with injuries not related to burns.
Origin of passengers and crew and types of injuries sustained
All of the flight staff originated from Taipei. The captain, relief pilot, Ng Kheng Leng, and copilot, Latiff Cyrano, originated from Singapore on the 30 October SQ 006, rested at a hotel in Taipei, and boarded the 31 October SQ 006. The staff consisted of 12 males and 8 females. Of the flight staff, 2 males and 2 females died. The copilot received minor injuries. The pilot and relief pilot had no injuries. Of the 17 cabin crew members, 4 died, 4 received serious injuries, and 9 received minor injuries.
Of the passengers, 79 died, 35 received serious injuries, 22 received minor injuries, and 23 were uninjured.
The aircraft had 5 first-class passengers, 28 business-class passengers (9 on lower deck and 19 on upper deck), and 126 economy-class passengers. Of the first class passengers, 1 received a minor injury and 4 received no injuries. Of the business-class passengers, 14 (2 on lower deck, 12 on upper deck) died, 2 (1 on lower deck, 1 on upper deck) received serious injuries, 7 (2 on lower deck, 5 on upper deck) received minor injuries, and 8 (4 on lower deck, 4 on upper deck) were uninjured. Of the economy class passengers, 65 died, 33 received serious injuries, 14 received minor injuries, and 11 were uninjured. The lower deck passengers who died were seated in rows 22 through 38.. 64 of 76 passengers in the forward economy section were killed by the explosion of the centre fuel tank, which resulted in intense fire. In the upper deck of the business class section, 12 of 19 passengers and 1 of 2 flight attendants died due to smoke inhalation and fire; 10 bodies, originating from the upper deck of business class, were found between the stairwell and the 2L exit on the main deck. All passengers in the aft economy section survived.
Of the passengers on the TPE-LAX leg, 77 flew from Singapore and 82 flew from Taipei. Of the passengers originating from Singapore, 37 died. Of the passengers originating from Taipei, 42 died. Of the three male passengers identified as infants, including two Indians originated from Singapore and one Taiwanese originated from Taipei, all three died.
The Department of Forensic Pathology Institute of Foreign Medicine, Ministry of Justice performed seven autopsies. One person died from impact injuries, and six people died from severe burns. Many passengers on the flight sustained burns since jet fuel splashed onto the passengers.
Lin Ming-liang, a 45-year old Taiwanese passenger bearing burns to more than 86% of his body, died of his injuries at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taipei County on Sunday 5 November 2000. Lee Suet Yee , a hospitalized Singaporean woman bearing burns to 95% of her body, died of her injuries in a Taiwanese hospital on 24 November 2000.
Diaz did not receive burns; he received lung damage and "body shock," which resulted in compressed joints with soft tissue damage. When Diaz appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show, he used a walker.
A Taiwanese couple who survived the incident stated that they chose to fly Singapore Airlines because of the airline's safety record.
Investigation findings
An investigation into the accident was conducted by the Taiwan Aviation Safety Council (ASC). The final report was issued by the ASC on 24 April 2002. In the report section "Findings Related to Probable Causes," which detailed factors that played a major role in the circumstances leading to the accident, it was stated that the flight crew did not review the taxi route, despite having all the relevant charts, and as a result did not know the aircraft had entered the wrong runway. Upon entering the wrong runway, the flight crew had neglected to check the paravisual display (PVD) and the primary flight display (PFD), which would have indicated that the aircraft was lined up on the wrong runway. According to the ASC, these errors, coupled with the imminent arrival of the typhoon and the poor weather conditions, caused the flight crew to lose situational awareness and led them to attempt to take off from the wrong runway.
<
Singapore Flights - Singapore Airlines
Singapore Flights: Get airfare information and book your flights on Singapore Airlines for a comfortable flying experience.
Flight Status -- Singapore Airlines
Home: The Experience: Flights & Fares: Before You Fly: Loyalty Programmes: Promotions
Search Cheap Flight Deals - Book Airline Tickets Online - ZUJI Flights ...
Qatar flights. Royal Brunei flights. SilkAir packages | About SilkAir. Singapore Airlines packages | About Singapore Airlines ... Destination Travel Secrets - Hong Kong shopping tips ...
Economy Flights to Singapore - book Singapore Flights with ...
Singapore flights. SINGAPORE is a city on the rise. The island-state offers visitors a colourful colonial history, tropical rainforest, world class attractions and a dazzling array ...
Cheap flights to Singapore | Book Singapore flights from £345
Book cheap flights to Singapore with DialAFlight™, the award winning Singapore flights specialist. All calls answered live in less than 5 secs! Flights to Singapore from ...
Singapore Flight - Singapore Flyer
The Singapore Flyer - a giant observation wheel, is set to be Asia's most visible Iconic Visitor Attraction. The Singapore Flyer will provide breathtaking panoramic views of ...
Book Cheap Flights from Singapore to Hong Kong - Hong Kong - ZUJI ...
Singaporeans travelling to Hong Kong can find the latest Hong Kong flight deals and airfare promotions on zuji.com.sg. From cheap flights on economy class, to business and first ...
Flights to Singapore - Search and Compare Singapore Flights
Find flights to Singapore and get the latest offers from over 250 major brands. Search for late deals and compare prices on flights to Singapore.
First Flight Singapore Pte Ltd
business directory information guide ... One stop solution for Online Business Marketing Information Guide Business Links Products Showcase
Cheap Flights to Singapore - Compare Singapore flights
Search and compare prices on cheap flights to Singapore and get the latest flight deals from all major airlines and travel agents.