Singapore Plane Hits Equipment at Chinese Taipei Airport

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, July 19, 2002

Singapore Plane Hits Equipment at Chinese Taipei Airport

A Singapore Airlines passenger jet took a wrong turn while taxiing towards a runway at Taipei airport Friday and a wing bumped into some equipment, airport officials said.

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A Singapore Airlines passenger jet took a wrong turn while taxiing towards a runway at Taipei airport Friday and a wing bumped into some equipment, airport officials said.

The Boeing 747-400 took a turn too early, using an apron instead of the designated taxiway, and one of the aircraft's wings hit tail stands used to stabilize planes, an airport official said.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said damage was minimal and nobody was hurt, and the aircraft took off immediately for Singapore where it arrived safely several hours later.

The incident follows the crash of a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 at an airport in Taipei on October 31, 2000.

The passenger jet ploughed into construction equipment while trying to take off on a closed runway, killing 83 people. The Taiwan authorities blamed pilot error, while Singapore pointed to poor lighting and a lack of barriers closing the runway.

The airport official said the captain of the aircraft involved in Friday's incident apologized to the control tower after he was told of the mistake.

However he judged it to be relatively minor and continued with the flight, the official said.

The airport official said the aircraft's right wing passed through an equipment area, hitting the tail stands.

The Boeing 747-400 spans some 64 meters (210 feet) while the apron, used for smaller planes, is less than 60 meters wide, the official noted.

Singapore Airlines has been asked to provide flight data to investigate the new incident, Taiwan air safety official said.

The Singapore Airlines plane carrying 366 passengers and 22 crew took off from Taipei at 7:25 am (2325 GMT Thursday) and arrived safely in Singapore around 11:15 am.

The airline said the captain was informed by Taipei's control tower that the aircraft had bumped something, but that after checking all was normal he decided to continue the flight.

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