SIA plane used wrong runway -- Official

SIA plane used wrong runway -- Official
REUTERS

TAIPEI, NOV 3: A Taiwan prosecutor involved in investigating the crash of a Singapore Airlines jumbo jet said on Friday that the aircraft took off on a runway closed for maintenance and slammed into two excavators.

The airline said it wanted to determine how the Boeing 747-400 could have been on the wrong runway at Taipei's Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport, in Taoyuan county.

Senior Taoyuan county prosecutor Song Kuo-yeh said: "We can be sure that the plane took off from the wrong runway. It hit the construction equipment while taking off. It had not left the ground."

Song said that the investigators were still trying to determine why the plane lined up on the wrong runway.

SQ flight 006, with 179 people aboard, crashed while taking off for Los Angeles in a typhoon on Tuesday night. The crash killed 81 people and injured 82, while 16 were unhurt.

Singapore Airlines said it was waiting for an official report.

"We understand now that the Taiwanese authorities have officially stated that this was the case, that the aircraft was on the wrong runway," spokesman Rick Clements said in Singapore.

"When the possibility of a runway mix-up was suggested two days ago, we said at that time that it was unlikely an experienced captain could have taxied his aircraft onto a darkened runway that was out of use," he said.

"But the aircraft was on the wrong runway, and we want to understand now how could this have happened," he said.

Song said the plane took off on runway 5R, which was closed for repairs, striking two excavators before crashing in flames.

CONTROL TOWER

Yong Kay, managing director of the Aviation Safety Council leading the probe, said on Friday the control tower had given clearance to take off on the open 5L runway. The pilot had acknowledged the clearance, following the usual routine, he said.

Yong declined to confirm Song's statement the aircraft was on the wrong runway, but said he would comment later at a briefing.

On Friday, Yong met 10 U S aviation experts who joined Taiwan investigators to piece together clues on what caused the first fatal crash in the history of Singapore Airlines.

Taiwan investigators downloaded data from the aircraft's flight data recorder and listened to the cockpit voice recorder, a spokesman said.

While investigators said debris was scattered across a wide area, the bulk of the wreckage ended up on the closed runway. An initial review of the flight data recorder indicated the jet had maintained the same heading through take-off.

Both taxi lights and centre lights, running the length of the two runways, were on, said Yong.

But it was unclear if the takeoff lights, running along the sides of the closed runway, were on, he said. The takeoff lights are spaced at different intervals so the runways can be distinguished more easily, he said.

Authorities had also considered whether the aircraft struck an object on the main runway, or crashed because of the bad weather.

STRONG CROSSWINDS

Yong said on Friday there were were strong crosswinds that may have exceeded the 30 knot maximum recommended by the aircraft's manufacturer.

The aircraft's Captain C K Foong, a Malaysian with over 11 ,000 hours flying time, said the plane struck an object on takeoff as it sped down the runway.

An airline official said on Wednesday that investigators found a wheel that did not belong to the SIA Boeing in the wreckage.

Relatives of some crash victims held funeral services on Friday and others arrived or were en route from abroad to try to identify bodies lying near coffins at an old terminal at Taipei international airport.

Grieving family members have lashed out at the airline for its handling of the crash aftermath, interrupting news conferences by the carrier to criticise executives for leaving them in the dark too long about who was dead or alive.

They also demanded answers on what caused the crash.

Memorial services for many of the 81 dead began late on Thursday night, but more relatives from the United States were expected on Friday to identify their loved ones.

Pallbearers placed some bodies, most burnt beyond recognition, into coffins and moved them to a funeral parlour in Taoyuan from a small domestic flight terminal that has been used as a makeshift mortuary since the crash.