Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 104
Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 104 was a short-haul flight from Kaohsiung International Airport to Taipei Songshan Airport, Taiwan using a Handley Page Dart Herald aircraft that crashed on 24 February 1969 upon its approach for an emergency landing in Tainan Airport in Taiwan.
 A Handley Page Dart Herald similar to the aircraft which crashed. | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 February 1969 |
| Summary | Engine failure |
| Site | near Tainan City, Taiwan |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Handley Page Dart Herald |
| Operator | Far Eastern Air Transport |
| Registration | B-2009 |
| Flight origin | Kaohsiung International Airport |
| Destination | Taipei Songshan Airport |
| Occupants | 36 |
| Passengers | 32 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 36 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aircraft
- Aircraft model: Handley Page Dart Herald
- Manufacturing serial number (msn): 157
- Registration: B-2009
Accident
On February 24, 1969, the B-2009 aircraft carried out the FE104 flight that ended the Spring Festival holiday and flew from Kaohsiung International Airport to Taipei Songshan Airport. The flight took off at 12:03 pm, after a 13-minute delay from 11:50 am. Ten minutes after take-off, the captain told the Tainan Airport Tower that an engine failure had occurred. The aircraft's port-side engine had failed, leaving its propeller windmilling and the aircraft in a shallow descent. The flight crew decided to divert to Tainan Airport in Tainan City. Moments after receiving clearance for an emergency landing, however, the aircraft passed over a wooded area, belly-landed in a small clearing and skidded into a creek. The aircraft broke into three parts and caught fire, killing all on board.
Cause
The right engine had been severely damaged, causing the aircraft to quickly lose altitude.
References
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19690224-0
- http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1969/1969-14.htm