China Airlines Flight 611

China Airlines Flight 611

B-18255, the aircraft involved in the accident, at Hong Kong International Airport in July 2000.
Accident
Date	25 May 2002 (2002-05-25)
Summary	Structural failure and in-flight breakup due to improper repairs
Site	Taiwan Strait, 45 kilometers (28.1 miles) northeast off Penghu islands, Taiwan 23°59′23″N 119°40′45″E / 23.98972°N 119.67917°E / 23.98972; 119.67917
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 747-209B
Operator	China Airlines
IATA flight No.	CI611
ICAO flight No.	CAL611
Call sign	DYNASTY 611
Registration	B-18255
Flight origin	Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Destination	Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong
Occupants	225
Passengers	206
Crew	19
Fatalities	225
Survivors	0

China Airlines Flight 611 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan to Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong.

On 25 May 2002, the Boeing 747-209B operating the route disintegrated in midair and crashed into the Taiwan Strait, 23 nautical miles (26 mi; 43 km) northeast of the Penghu Islands, 20 minutes after takeoff, killing all 225 people on board. The in-flight break-up was caused by metal fatigue cracks resulting from improper repairs to the aircraft 22 years earlier.

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.

After the crash, China Airlines retired flight number 611. China Airlines continues to fly the Taipei-Hong Kong route under flight numbers 607, 923, 919, 915, 913, 909, 903, 601 and 921 as of May 2024. Since the 747 is no longer in China Airlines' passenger fleet, China Airlines utilises an Airbus A321neo, a Boeing 737 NG and an Airbus A330-300 on these routes.^[1]