Aircraft

CAL 737-800 that caught fire had punctured fuel tank

By Leithen Francis

Investigators in Japan have found that the China Airlines (CAL) Boeing 737-800 that was destroyed by fire on 20 August had a bolt on the right wing slat that pierced the fuel tank.

Chief investigator at Japan’s Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission, Kazushige Daiki, told reporters at a press conference in Okinawa that investigators have found a bolt on the 737-800’s right wing slat that had pierced the fuel tank creating a 2-3cm hole.

“The bolt pierced through the fuel tank, and we believe that caused fuel to leak out,” he said.

The CAL 737-800 caught fire on the morning of 20 August soon after it parked at the terminal at Naha airport on the southern island of Okinawa.

All 165 people on board escaped safely before the aircraft become engulfed in flames and was destroyed.

Japanese authorities as well as Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration are investigating the incident.

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VIDEO: China Airlines Boeing 737-800 destroyed by fire