China Airlines Flight 825
| Company type | Passenger flight |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Defunct | November 20, 1971 |
| Fate | Crashed due to onboard bomb explosion |
Area served | Taipei to Hong Kong |
| Products | Passenger air service |
China Airlines Flight 825 was a regularly scheduled passenger service operated by China Airlines, flying from Taipei's Songshan Airport to Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport. On 20 November 1971, the Sud Aviation SE-210 aircraft assigned to this flight broke apart in midair over the Penghu islands, resulting in the deaths of all 25 individuals on board.
Aircraft
The airplane involved was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III, manufactured in March 1962 and originally delivered to Swissair under the registration HB-ICT. This aircraft had previously experienced an incident on 25 April 1962 as Swissair Flight 142, when a malfunction with the nose landing gear necessitated an emergency landing at Zurich Airport with the gear retracted, leading to a fire beneath the cockpit area. All 72 passengers and crew evacuated without injury. After repairs, the plane returned to operational status before being transferred to China Airlines on 12 January 1971.
Events
On the day of the accident, 20 November 1971, the aircraft completed Flight 823 from Osaka to Taipei without any complications. It then took off from Taipei at 21:02 local time as China Airlines Flight 825, with an expected arrival at Kai Tak Airport at 22:50. The cockpit crew consisted of Captain Wei Pu-hsiao and First Officer Chü Chi-ping. Among the 17 passengers were nationals including three Japanese, three Iranians, two Singaporeans, one Vietnamese, and Lauro Muller Neto, Brazil's ambassador to Taiwan.
The final communication from Flight 825 to air traffic control occurred at 21:33 while cruising at an altitude of 26,000 feet; subsequent contact was lost by 21:50. The aircraft crashed into the Taiwan Strait, resulting in the fatalities of all eight crew members and seventeen passengers.
An investigation conducted by the Taiwan Garrison Command determined that the in-flight disintegration was caused by an onboard bomb explosion, though the underlying motive for this act remained unclear.
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | 7 | 8 | 15 |
| Japan | 3 | - | 3 |
| Iran | 3 | - | 3 |
| Singapore | 2 | - | 2 |
| South Vietnam | 1 | - | 1 |
| Brazil | 1 | - | 1 |
| Total | 17 | 8 | 25 |