Date:	Monday 16 February 1998
Time:	20:05
Type:	Airbus A300B4-622R
Owner/operator:	China Airlines
Registration:	B-1814
MSN:	578
Year of manufacture:	1990
Total airframe hrs:	20193 hours
Cycles:	8800 flights
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney PW4158
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 196 / Occupants: 196
Other fatalities:	7
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Taipei-Chiang Kai Shek International Airport (TPE) -   Taiwan
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Denpasar-Ngurah Rai Bali International Airport (DPS/WADD)
Destination airport:	Taipei-Chiang Kai Shek International Airport (TPE/RCTP)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
China Airlines flight 676 was destroyed when it stalled and impacted a residential area of Taipei during an attempted go around at Chiang Kai Shek Airport. All 196 on board and seven persons on the ground were killed.
The aircraft, an Airbus A300B4-622R, originated from Denpasar Airport, Indonesia and was bound for Taipei. The flight was cleared for an ILS/DME runway 05L approach to Taipei Chiang Kai Shek Airport in light rain and fog. The aircraft remained high on the approach. At 1,2nm short of the threshold, the altitude was 1515 feet, whereas it should have been at 500 feet at that point.
The flight crew selected full flaps. At 20:04:50 hours local time the autopilot was disconnected. Subsequently, as the aircraft crossed the runway threshold at 1475 feet, go around thrust was applied.
The aircraft rapidly pitched up, reaching +35° as it climbed trough 1723 feet at an airspeed of 134 knots. The gear had just been raised and the flaps set to 20 degrees.
At 20:05:16 the aircraft had reached 2327 feet at a +42.7° pitch. Nine seconds later the speed had fallen to 43 knots as the aircraft stalled. The aircraft nosed down with a 79° left bank. The flight crew was not able to regain control and the aircraft impacted the ground left of the runway. It hit a utility pole and a highway median and then skidded into several houses, surrounded by fish farms, rice paddies, factories and warehouses. A fire erupted.
Visibility at the time of the accident was 2400 feet, the runway 05L RVR (runway visual range) was 3900 feet, 300 feet broken ceiling, 3000 feet overcast.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The investigation team determined that the the following factors combination caused the accident:
1. during all the descent and the approach, the aircraft was higher than the normal path;
2. the crew coordination between the captain and the first officer was inadequate.
3. during 12 seconds, the crew did not counteract the pitch up tendency due to the thrust increase after go around, and then the reaction of the crew was not sufficient.
As a consequence the pitch up increased until the aircraft stalled."

Aviation Week & Space Technology 16.03.1998 (34-35)
Aviation Safety Council Statistics 1996-2005
Flight International 11-17 March 1998 (9)

photo (c) Frank Schaefer; Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG); 1991

photo (c) Werner Fischdick; Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG); 14 October 1997

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