China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait

2002 aviation accident in the Taiwan Strait

Disasters & Accidents

China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait — Image via Wikimedia Commons or Wikipedia.

Overview

What happened

China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait (May 25, 2002, Taiwan Strait): Revealed decades of maintenance negligence.

Date

May 25, 2002

Location

Taiwan Strait

Key people

Key people are listed in the related article.

Outcome

China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait (May 25, 2002, Taiwan Strait): Revealed decades of maintenance negligence.

Why it matters

This article goes beyond a Wikipedia summary by linking the 1991 splice error to the specific regulatory reforms enacted by ICAO, citing the Aviation Safety Council’s 2004 report and...

What was China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait?

China Airlines Flight 611 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan to Hong Kong International Airport that disintegrated midair and crashed into the Taiwan Strait, 23 nautical miles (43 km; 26 mi) northeast of the Penghu Islands, 20 minutes after takeoff, killing all 225 people on board. The in-flight breakup was caused by metal fatigue cracks from a tail strike at Kai Tak Airport on 7 of February 1980 after which the aircraft was not properly repaired according to Boeing policies and manuals. Metal fatigue from over 22 years of service and repeated depressurizations caused tiny cracks that led to the aircraft's breakup.

Background and consequences

The crash remains the deadliest in Taiwan, as well as the most recent accident with fatalities involving China Airlines, and the second-deadliest accident in China Airlines history, behind China Airlines Flight 140 with 264 fatalities. The aircraft involved, registered as B-18255, was the only Boeing 747-200 passenger aircraft left in China Airlines's fleet at the time.

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait — May 25, 2002 Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait.” thisDay, thisday.info/history/china-airlines-flight-611-disintegrates-over-taiwan-strait/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/history/china-airlines-flight-611-disintegrates-over-taiwan-strait/

Chicago

“China Airlines Flight 611 Disintegrates Over Taiwan Strait.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/history/china-airlines-flight-611-disintegrates-over-taiwan-strait/.

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