Uni Air Flight 873
Uni Air Flight 873 was a Taiwanese domestic passenger flight between Taipei and Hualien that suffered a fire following an explosion after landing at Hualien Airport, Taiwan, on 24 August 1999, resulting in 27 injuries and one death.[1][2]
 The aircraft burning on the runway | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 August 1999 |
| Summary | Explosion and fire caused by combustible materials |
| Site | Hualien Airport, Taiwan |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-90 |
| Operator | Uni Air |
| IATA flight No. | B7873 |
| ICAO flight No. | UIA873 |
| Call sign | GLORY 873 |
| Registration | B-17912 |
| Flight origin | Taipei Songshan Airport, Taiwan |
| Destination | Hualien Airport |
| Occupants | 96 |
| Passengers | 90 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Injuries | 27 |
| Survivors | 95 |
Accident
Uni Air Flight 873 departed from Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA) bound for Hualien Airport (HUN). It was carrying 90 passengers and six crew. Shortly after landing, at 12:36 local time, an explosion was heard in the front section of the passenger cabin, followed by smoke and then fire. A passenger was struck by fragments produced by the explosion. The pilot braked immediately, and an emergency passenger evacuation was initiated. After a call for help to the tower by the pilot, fire squads at Hualien Airport and the Air Force Wing rushed to extinguish the fire, which was put out by 13:45 WST.
While the upper part of the fuselage was completely destroyed, all 96 of the occupants were safely evacuated. 14 passengers were seriously injured, while another 14 suffered minor injuries from the blast. Most of the injured passengers suffered burns. One of the passengers with serious injuries died 47 days after the accident, while another passenger had a miscarriage of her 26-week-old fetus.
Investigation
Following the accident, the Aviation Safety Council established an Accident Investigation Team. Initial findings revealed that the factors involved in the accident were not solely related to aviation safety. The investigation later revealed that former Taiwanese decathlete Ku Chin-shui, who was absent from the flight, had given bottles of flammable liquid to his nephew to transport.
An Aviation Safety Council report said it was thought that the bottles were incorrectly sealed and gasoline fumes leaked, which later ignited when a motorbike battery in a nearby overhead luggage compartment was jostled, discharging an electric arc.[3] Ku was initially sentenced to a 10-year prison term, which was shortened to 7 1⁄2 years upon appeal. The fifth retrial found him not guilty after the judge said that although Ku had asked his nephew to carry a bottle of bleach in his luggage, the fragments that tested positive for gasoline were not limited to the fragments of the bottle.
In popular culture
The accident is featured in the third episode of Season 20 of Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation and Air Disasters. The episode is titled "Explosive Touchdown".[4]
See also
- British Airtours Flight 28M, another aircraft fire on the ground
- China Airlines Flight 120, another aircraft fire on the ground
- ValuJet Flight 592, another accident involving hazardous materials on board igniting a fire
References
- "MD-90-30 cabin explosion and fire during landing roll Hua-Lien, Taiwan" (PDF). Aviation Safety Council. 24 August 2000. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "B7873 Preliminary Report" (PDF). Aviation Safety Council. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "Man cleared of 1999 Uni Air accident - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- Uni Air Flight 873 at IMDb