Tags
120, Accident, Animation, Burn, China, Explosion, Flap, Fuel, Incident, Investigation, Puncture, Slat, Tank, Track
Photo: FAA/AFP/AP
On August 20, 2007, a Boeing 737-800 registered B18616 (Boeing MSN 30175) operating as China Airlines Flight 120 departed from Taiwan, Taoyuan International Airport on a scheduled flight to Naha Airport, Okinawa, Japan. The aircraft caught fire, and exploded after taxiing and parking at the gate at Naha Airport.
While initially it appeared as a freak case of a spontaneous Boeing 737NG’s combustion, investigation has reveled the true cause of the incident which is very, very interesting. While there can be a textual description of the findings, it is best explained through this very clear animation, and will be best appreciated by maintenance engineers and technicians. Not a single screw, or washer must be left behind. After all, the manufacturer spends years researching and bettering the airplane, and the combined experience that goes into designing the airplane far outweighs the combined experience of all technical staff in any single airline.
Watch the FAA animation HERE. (LINK).
The Flying Engineer 
Never heard the cause of that fire. In fact I think this was one or the fires that the FAA initially used as justification for the center tank fuel pump mods after TWA 800. Looks like the FAA guessed wrong on that one eh?
Thank you for shedding light on the real cause.