Singapore Airlines Flight 006
Encyclopedia
Singapore Airlines
Flight 006 (SQ006) was a scheduled passenger flight from Singapore Changi Airport
to Los Angeles International Airport
via Chiang Kai-shek Airport (now Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan
. 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
.
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 215 metres (705.4 ft) 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 barrier
s 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.
The passengers mostly consisted of Taiwanese and Americans.
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. William Wang
, who later founded Vizio
, survived with only carbon monoxide
poisoning."
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
(now New Taipei City) 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.
(ASC) of the Republic of China. 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.
, stated that no fatalities occurred in the crash; the airline statement revised to state that fatalities occurred.
The airline initially stated that reports of the aircraft taking the wrong runway were untrue before the fact that the wrong runway was used was proven true.
Khan Mahmood, an Atlanta man whose sister and parents died on SQ006, criticised the airline for taking too much time to notify relatives.
A counseling center opened at Los Angeles International Airport to deal with relatives of passengers.
Relatives of victims provided blood
samples in order to identify bodies.
's Ministry of Communications & Information Technology (now Ministry of Transport
), Singapore Airlines and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations
(IFALPA), among others.
Singaporean officials protested that the report did not present a full account of the incident and was incomplete, as responsibility for the accident appeared to have been placed mainly on the flight crew of SQ006, while other equally valid contributing factors had been played down. The team from Singapore that participated in the investigation felt that the lighting and signage at the airport did not measure up to international standards. Some critical lights were missing or not working. No barriers or markings were put up at the start of the closed runway, which would have alerted the flight crew that they were on the wrong runway. The Singapore team felt that these two factors were given less weight than was proper, as another flight crew had almost made the same mistake of using runway 05R to take off days before the accident.
Singapore Airlines also issued a statement after the release of the ASC report. In their statement, Singapore Airlines reiterated the points brought up by the Singapore investigators and added that air traffic control
(ATC) did not follow their own procedure when they gave clearance for SQ006 to take off despite ATC's not being able to see the aircraft. Singapore Airlines also clarified that the paravisual display (PVD) was meant to help the flight crew maintain the runway centreline in poor visibility, rather than to identify the runway in use.
The statement by Kay Yong (戎凱 Rēng Kǎi), managing director of the Republic of China's Aviation Safety Council
, implied that pilot error
played a major role in the crash of the Boeing 747-400, which led to the deaths of 83 people. He stated that the airport should have placed markers stating that the runway was closed to takeoffs and landings.
In general, airport runways that are closed are not normally lighted, to make it clear they are not in use. At Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport, a single switch controlled green lights on the common taxiway to both runways and on the centreline of runway 05R. Civil Aeronautics Administration Deputy Director Chang Kuo-cheng said runway 05L was fully lit on Tuesday night by white and yellow lights and only the green centreline lighting was illuminated on closed runway 05R. On the taxiway to the runways, four large signs point the way to runway 05L, he added, and he refused to state explicitly that pilot error was the primary cause of the mix-up.
Runway 05R was not blocked off by barriers because part of the strip was used by landing planes to taxi back to the airport terminal
.
The pilot confirmed twice with the control tower that he was on the correct runway; controllers did not know the plane had actually gone on to the wrong runway because the airport lacked ground radar and the plane was out of sight of the tower at the time of its takeoff.
article that the staff were unable to help the passengers escape from the aircraft due to being frozen by fear and/or due to lack of competence in emergency procedures; Wiggans was seated in the upper deck business class area. The Straits Times
carried reports of flight attendants saving lives of passengers. One story from the newspaper stated that Irene Ang (a.k.a. Ang Miau Lee) escaped the crash, ran back into the aircraft to attempt to save passengers, and died.
The Australian
reported that some flight attendants helped passengers and some flight attendants fled the aircraft before all passengers were accounted for. Genevieve Jiang of The Electric New Paper stated that the pilots attempted to help the passengers.
The Taiwanese report stated that the relief pilot (Crew Member 3, or CM-3) said in an interview that he was the first to leave the cockpit and the last to leave the aircraft (Pg. 108/508). A passenger sitting in seat 17A stated that the Right Upper Deck Door flight attendant directed him to the main deck via the stairs. The flight attendant died (Pg. 108/508).
Upper deck passengers and flight attendants stated that the Crew-In-Charge flight attendant (CIC) traveled upstairs after the first impact; the Crew-In-Charge flight attendant died (Pg. 109/508).
The 3R and 3L flight attendants died; they were seated in the middle of the aircraft (Pg. 110/508).
After the release of the ASC report, Republic of China
public prosecutor
s called upon the flight crew of SQ006 to return to the ROC for questioning and the three-member crew complied. Rumours abounded during that period that the pilots might be detained in the ROC and charged with negligence. IFALPA had previously stated that it would advise its members of the difficulties of operating into the ROC if the flight crew of SQ006 were prosecuted. The prosecutors did not press charges and the flight crew were allowed to leave the ROC.
Singapore Airlines
changed the flight route designation to SQ030 immediately after the incident, and then later to SQ028. The TPE-LAX route was operated by Boeing 777
aircraft until its demise on October 1, 2008. Flights to Los Angeles continues to be served nonstop as Flight 38 and with a stopover at Tokyo Narita Airport as Flight 12.
The accident aircraft 9V-SPK was painted in Singapore Airlines special promotion livery, a scheme called "Tropical", at the time of the accident. The special livery
was intended to promote Singapore Airlines new first class and new business class products. After the accident, 9V-SPK's sister aircraft, 9V-SPL, the only other aircraft painted with the promotional livery, was immediately removed from service and repainted with standard Singapore Airlines livery. No special promotion livery has been introduced on any Singapore Airlines's aircraft since the accident.
Dozens of survivors and relatives of those killed filed lawsuits against the airline and ROC authorities. Singapore Airlines denied culpability and the captain and first officer were subsequently fired by the airline.
The Association of Asian American
Yale
Alumni named the Tina E. Yeh Community Service Fellowship program after Tina Eugenia Yeh, an American who boarded SQ006 in Taipei and died.
Runway 05R at TPE has been converted to taxiway NC and runway 05L has been renamed to runway 05.
The bodies of 14 Taiwanese passengers remained in Taipei to be collected by relatives.
(Taiwan
), 3 in Singapore
and 1 in United States
.The Republic of Singapore Air Force
deployed a specially configured KC-135R for the medical evacuation of critical Singaporean victims. 73 survivors, 40 who were not hospitalized and 33 who were discharged, had either returned home or continued with their travel. Lee Suet Yee, a Singaporean woman hospitalized in Taipei on 8 November, died on 24 November 2000.
}Report on Singapore Airlines Flight 006 (Archive)
Singapore Airlines press statements
Court documents
Cockpit voice recorder data
News and media articles
Other links
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
Flight 006 (SQ006) was a scheduled passenger flight from Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
to Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
via Chiang Kai-shek Airport (now Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. On 31 October 2000, at 15:17 UTC, 23:17 Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
local time, a Boeing 747-412
Boeing 747-400
The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe...
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
SilkAir Flight 185
SilkAir Flight 185, a Boeing 737-36N, registration 9V-TRF, was a scheduled passenger flight from Jakarta, Indonesia to Singapore, which crashed on 19 December 1997 into the Musi River after abruptly plunging from its 35,000-foot cruise altitude, killing all 97 passengers and 7 crew on board.The...
, operated by subsidiary SilkAir
SilkAir
SilkAir Private Limited is an airline based in Singapore. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines and operates scheduled passenger services from Singapore to 31 cities in Southeast Asia, South Asia and China. It has its head office on the fifth storey of SIA Superhub 1...
.
Crash
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
local time on 31 October 2000, 9V-SPK, a Boeing 747-400
Boeing 747-400
The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe...
delivered on 21 January 1997, left Bay B5 during heavy rain caused by Typhoon
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
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
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
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 215 metres (705.4 ft) 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 barrier
Jersey barrier
A Jersey barrier or Jersey wall is a modular concrete barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to both minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing crossover in the case of head-on accidents....
s 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
China Airlines
China Airlines is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of Republic of China . Although not directly state-owned, the airline is owned by China Airlines Group, which is owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation...
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
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Killed | Total | Killed | Total | Killed | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 10 | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 11 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 28 | 12 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| (Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... ) |
55 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 26 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| 47 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 24 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 159 | 79 | 20 | 4 | 179 | 83 |
Amongst the Singaporeans who perished were Mrs. Elma Thwaites, mother of Singapore Turf Club
Singapore Turf Club
The Singapore Turf Club was founded in 1842 as the Singapore Sporting Club to operate the Serangoon Road Race Course at Farrer Park.It is today the only horse-racing club in Singapore and is part of the Malayan Racing Association, which also regulates the three Turf Clubs in Malaysia, the Selangor...
horse-trainer Malcolm Thwaites, Dr. Sung Kah Kay, assistant professor of the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
's Department of Computer Science, and Captain Lim Kim Hock, a Republic of Singapore Air Force
Republic of Singapore Air Force
The Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command...
pilot on his way to the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
to attend the Advanced Fighter Weapons Instructor Course. In addition, four of the dead were Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
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
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
-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
MP3.com
MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting...
, who survived the crash with injuries not related to burns. William Wang
William Wang
- Early Life :Wang was born and raised in Taiwan, moved to Hawaii, US at the age of 13 and then to California at the age of 14. He attended the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1986.-Vizio:...
, who later founded Vizio
Vizio
Vizio is a privately held producer of consumer electronics, based in Irvine, California, USA. It was founded in October 2002 as V Inc. Vizio's major partner in the consumer electronics arena is AmTran Technology, a Taiwan-based OEM/ODM that manufactures more than half of the televisions sold...
, survived with only carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
poisoning."
Origin of passengers and crew and types of injuries sustained
The captain, relief pilot, Ng Kheng Leng, and co-pilot, 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 crew consisted of 12 males and 8 females. Of the flight crew, 2 males and 2 females died. The co-pilot received minor injuries. The pilot and relief pilot sustained 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
Taipei County
New Taipei City is the most populous city of Taiwan. The area includes a substantial stretch of Taiwan's northern coastline and surrounds the Taipei Basin...
(now New Taipei City) 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
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
's show, he used a walker
Walker (tool)
A walker or walking frame is a tool for disabled or elderly people who need additional support to maintain balance or stability while walking...
.
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 Aviation Safety CouncilAviation Safety Council
The Aviation Safety Council was established in May 1998 as the independent government agency responsible for aviation accident investigation, with the purpose of analyzing causal factors and proposing flight safety recommendations in the Free Area of the Republic of China...
(ASC) of the Republic of China. 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
Primary flight display
A primary flight display or PFD is a modern aircraft instrument dedicated to flight information. Much like multi-function displays, primary flight displays are built around an LCD or CRT display device...
(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.
Notification of details
Immediately after the accident occurred, James Boyd, a Singapore Airlines spokesperson in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, stated that no fatalities occurred in the crash; the airline statement revised to state that fatalities occurred.
The airline initially stated that reports of the aircraft taking the wrong runway were untrue before the fact that the wrong runway was used was proven true.
Khan Mahmood, an Atlanta man whose sister and parents died on SQ006, criticised the airline for taking too much time to notify relatives.
A counseling center opened at Los Angeles International Airport to deal with relatives of passengers.
Relatives of victims provided blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
samples in order to identify bodies.
Contesting investigation findings
The report by ASC was deemed controversial by SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's Ministry of Communications & Information Technology (now Ministry of Transport
Ministry of Transport (Singapore)
The Ministry of Transport is a ministry in the Government of Singapore that administers and regulates land, sea and air transportation within the republic’s jurisdiction....
), Singapore Airlines and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations
International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations was created during a conference of pilots' associations held in London in April 1948 for the express purpose of providing a formal means for the airline pilots of the world to interact with the then newly formed UN body the...
(IFALPA), among others.
Singaporean officials protested that the report did not present a full account of the incident and was incomplete, as responsibility for the accident appeared to have been placed mainly on the flight crew of SQ006, while other equally valid contributing factors had been played down. The team from Singapore that participated in the investigation felt that the lighting and signage at the airport did not measure up to international standards. Some critical lights were missing or not working. No barriers or markings were put up at the start of the closed runway, which would have alerted the flight crew that they were on the wrong runway. The Singapore team felt that these two factors were given less weight than was proper, as another flight crew had almost made the same mistake of using runway 05R to take off days before the accident.
Singapore Airlines also issued a statement after the release of the ASC report. In their statement, Singapore Airlines reiterated the points brought up by the Singapore investigators and added that air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
(ATC) did not follow their own procedure when they gave clearance for SQ006 to take off despite ATC's not being able to see the aircraft. Singapore Airlines also clarified that the paravisual display (PVD) was meant to help the flight crew maintain the runway centreline in poor visibility, rather than to identify the runway in use.
The statement by Kay Yong (戎凱 Rēng Kǎi), managing director of the Republic of China's Aviation Safety Council
Aviation Safety Council
The Aviation Safety Council was established in May 1998 as the independent government agency responsible for aviation accident investigation, with the purpose of analyzing causal factors and proposing flight safety recommendations in the Free Area of the Republic of China...
, implied that pilot error
Pilot error
Pilot error is a term used to describe the cause of an accident involving an airworthy aircraft where the pilot is considered to be principally or partially responsible...
played a major role in the crash of the Boeing 747-400, which led to the deaths of 83 people. He stated that the airport should have placed markers stating that the runway was closed to takeoffs and landings.
In general, airport runways that are closed are not normally lighted, to make it clear they are not in use. At Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport, a single switch controlled green lights on the common taxiway to both runways and on the centreline of runway 05R. Civil Aeronautics Administration Deputy Director Chang Kuo-cheng said runway 05L was fully lit on Tuesday night by white and yellow lights and only the green centreline lighting was illuminated on closed runway 05R. On the taxiway to the runways, four large signs point the way to runway 05L, he added, and he refused to state explicitly that pilot error was the primary cause of the mix-up.
Runway 05R was not blocked off by barriers because part of the strip was used by landing planes to taxi back to the airport terminal
Airport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
.
The pilot confirmed twice with the control tower that he was on the correct runway; controllers did not know the plane had actually gone on to the wrong runway because the airport lacked ground radar and the plane was out of sight of the tower at the time of its takeoff.
Actions of flight crew and flight attendants
Steven Courtney and John D. Wiggans, survivors of the crash, stated in a USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
article that the staff were unable to help the passengers escape from the aircraft due to being frozen by fear and/or due to lack of competence in emergency procedures; Wiggans was seated in the upper deck business class area. The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
carried reports of flight attendants saving lives of passengers. One story from the newspaper stated that Irene Ang (a.k.a. Ang Miau Lee) escaped the crash, ran back into the aircraft to attempt to save passengers, and died.
The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
reported that some flight attendants helped passengers and some flight attendants fled the aircraft before all passengers were accounted for. Genevieve Jiang of The Electric New Paper stated that the pilots attempted to help the passengers.
The Taiwanese report stated that the relief pilot (Crew Member 3, or CM-3) said in an interview that he was the first to leave the cockpit and the last to leave the aircraft (Pg. 108/508). A passenger sitting in seat 17A stated that the Right Upper Deck Door flight attendant directed him to the main deck via the stairs. The flight attendant died (Pg. 108/508).
Upper deck passengers and flight attendants stated that the Crew-In-Charge flight attendant (CIC) traveled upstairs after the first impact; the Crew-In-Charge flight attendant died (Pg. 109/508).
The 3R and 3L flight attendants died; they were seated in the middle of the aircraft (Pg. 110/508).
Aftermath
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
public prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s called upon the flight crew of SQ006 to return to the ROC for questioning and the three-member crew complied. Rumours abounded during that period that the pilots might be detained in the ROC and charged with negligence. IFALPA had previously stated that it would advise its members of the difficulties of operating into the ROC if the flight crew of SQ006 were prosecuted. The prosecutors did not press charges and the flight crew were allowed to leave the ROC.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
changed the flight route designation to SQ030 immediately after the incident, and then later to SQ028. The TPE-LAX route was operated by Boeing 777
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
aircraft until its demise on October 1, 2008. Flights to Los Angeles continues to be served nonstop as Flight 38 and with a stopover at Tokyo Narita Airport as Flight 12.
The accident aircraft 9V-SPK was painted in Singapore Airlines special promotion livery, a scheme called "Tropical", at the time of the accident. The special livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
was intended to promote Singapore Airlines new first class and new business class products. After the accident, 9V-SPK's sister aircraft, 9V-SPL, the only other aircraft painted with the promotional livery, was immediately removed from service and repainted with standard Singapore Airlines livery. No special promotion livery has been introduced on any Singapore Airlines's aircraft since the accident.
Dozens of survivors and relatives of those killed filed lawsuits against the airline and ROC authorities. Singapore Airlines denied culpability and the captain and first officer were subsequently fired by the airline.
The Association of Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
Alumni named the Tina E. Yeh Community Service Fellowship program after Tina Eugenia Yeh, an American who boarded SQ006 in Taipei and died.
Runway 05R at TPE has been converted to taxiway NC and runway 05L has been renamed to runway 05.
Repatriation and distribution of bodies
By 8 November 2000, several bodies were scheduled to be repatriated. Of the bodies:- 19, including 14 Americans, 3 Taiwanese, and 2 Indians, were repatriated to the United States
- 13, including 11 Singaporeans, 1 British, and 1 American, were repatriated to Singapore
- 10, including 8 Indians and 2 Americans, were repatriated to India
- 4 were repatriated to Malaysia
- 3 Americans were repatriated to Canada
- 1 was repatriated to Indonesia
- 1 was repatriated to Japan
- 1 was repatriated to the Netherlands
- 1 was repatriated to the United Kingdom
- 1 was repatriated to Vietnam
The bodies of 14 Taiwanese passengers remained in Taipei to be collected by relatives.
Hospitalization and release of survivors
By 2 November 2000, 40 passengers and crew were hospitalized, of whom 11 were later released that night. On 5 November 2000, 34 passengers and crew remained hospitalized. 64 were discharged from the hospitals. Lin Ming-liang, a Taiwanese passenger, died that day. On 8 November 2000, 14 passengers and crew remained hospitalized: 20 in the Republic of ChinaRepublic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
), 3 in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and 1 in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.The Republic of Singapore Air Force
Republic of Singapore Air Force
The Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command...
deployed a specially configured KC-135R for the medical evacuation of critical Singaporean victims. 73 survivors, 40 who were not hospitalized and 33 who were discharged, had either returned home or continued with their travel. Lee Suet Yee, a Singaporean woman hospitalized in Taipei on 8 November, died on 24 November 2000.
Film
The film Thread That Binds includes an interview of Farzana Abdul Razak, a surviving flight attendant.See also
- Comair Flight 5191Comair Flight 5191Comair Flight 191, marketed as Delta Connection Flight 5191, was a scheduled United States domestic passenger flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Atlanta, Georgia, operated on behalf of Delta Connection by Comair...
, which crashed near LexingtonLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, after using the wrong runway for takeoff. - UPS Airlines Flight 6UPS Airlines Flight 6UPS Airlines Flight 6 was a cargo flight operated by UPS Airlines. On 3 September 2010, a Boeing 747-400 flying the route between Dubai International Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport crashed close to Dubai airport, killing the two crew members. The aircraft had departed Dubai International...
, another fatal aviation accident involving a Boeing 747-400 with the same flight number. - List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- Air safetyAir safetyAir safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
External links
Investigation reports- Report on Singapore Airlines Flight 006 (Archive) - Aviation Safety CouncilAviation Safety CouncilThe Aviation Safety Council was established in May 1998 as the independent government agency responsible for aviation accident investigation, with the purpose of analyzing causal factors and proposing flight safety recommendations in the Free Area of the Republic of China...
- The English version is the original version and the version of reference
}Report on Singapore Airlines Flight 006 (Archive)
Singapore Airlines press statements
Court documents
- Eva Van Schijndel's motion - Accesslaw.com
- United States Court Document regarding settlement of SQ006 victims
Cockpit voice recorder data
News and media articles
- "Fate of SQ006," Channel News Asia. Retrieved on 28 January 2006. (Archive)
- Rushing to Die: The Crash of Singapore Airlines Flight 006
- Passenger Sues Singapore Airlines, CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
- List of deceased on SQ 006
- List of deceased on SQ 006
- Goodbye (Singaporeans who died on SQ006)
- Tributes (Archived)
- Pictures of SQ006 (Archived)
- CNN Asia now "Relatives try to identify 81 bodies in Singapore Airlines crash"
- CNN Asia now "Flight recorders recovered at crash scene in Taiwan"
- CNN Interview with John Diaz, a survivor
- Channel News Asia special about SQ006
- CNN Transcript "Singapore Airlines Official Promises to Do All Possible for Flight 006 Victims, Their Families"
- The Telegraph "A miracle so many survived"
- The Telegraph "I can't believe they tried to take off"
- Archive of Memorial Website for SQ 006
- Asia-Pacific Resource Management News
- Crash page from the Washington Post
- Interview of business class survivor John Diaz by Oprah WinfreyOprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
- How to Survive an Air Crash, citing Diaz
- Blame the Pilots, Blame the Doctors: Lessons from SQ 006
- Asia Buzz: Plain Facts, TIMETime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
- Singapore anger at Taiwan crash report, BBC
- British Crash Survivor Speaks of 'Wall of Flame', ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
- Failure To Minimize Latent Hazards Cited In Taipei Tragedy Report
- Nolan Law Group Website about SQ006 and the lawyers' opinions (archived)
- "Seventy Killed in Singapore Airlines Plane Crash," People's DailyPeople's DailyThe People's Daily is a daily newspaper in the People's Republic of China. The paper is an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. In addition to its main Chinese-language edition, it has editions in English,...
- "Airline Defends Safety Performance as Causes of Crash Are Studied : Singapore Air's Record on the Line," IHTInternational Herald TribuneThe International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
- Pictures of SQ006, Lianhe ZaobaoLianhe ZaobaoNanyang Sin-Chew Lianhe Zaobao , commonly abbreviated as Lianhe Zaobao , is the largest Singapore based Chinese-language newspaper with a daily circulation of about 176,000. Published by Singapore Press Holdings , it was formed on March 16, 1983 as a result of a merger between Nanyang Siang Pau and...
- How to Survive a Crash, TIMETime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
Other links
- Imaginary Documents Relating to SQ006 - Talkingcock.comTalkingCock.comTalkingCock.com is a Singaporean satirical and humour website. The website features various articles and jokes spoofing Singapore current affairs,which occasionally pokes fun of world happenings...
satire