Click here for BBC video
Taiwanese China Airlines plane has burst into flames at Naha airport, on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
All 165 people on board survived , with some escaping just seconds before the plane exploded into a huge fireball.
TV images showed flames and smoke billowing from the Boeing 737-800, and the pilot jumping out of the cockpit window as the plane exploded.
Phew! Nice to see all the safety gizmos work.
BBC servers are taking a hit on this one; so, streaming may be difficult.
I noticed that Yahoo lead this with
All 165 aboard rushed to safety as a China Airlines jet burst into flames on the tarmac…
Am I being too bitchy? It should have read….
“All 165 aboard rushed to safety as a Taiwanese China Airlines jet burst into flames on the tarmac….
No one was tying in to all the quality problems with Chinese products are they…? Nah….
Cheers
Godzilla was in a mood for chinese takeout.
#1 – Are you actually presuming that Americans know something about China history? Like, say, since Dr. Sun?
The name of the carrier is indeed China Airlines..why add a fake moniker. The PRC carrier is Air China, which actually has a worse record.
#4 – John C. Dvorak – The PRC carrier is Air China, which actually has a worse record.
Events with China Airlines and events with Air China that resulted in at least one fatality.
PlaneCrashInfo.com (cripes – what a wonderful site, right?) lists the Taiwan carrier China Airlines as #20 of 20 Asian carriers. Bottom of the barrel. Overall rank in the world = #87 of 87.
They list Air China as #7 in Asia. #39 of 87 in the world.
Since I’m looking at the tab, Delta’s #1, Southwest #2.
#1 – I noticed that too, earlier this monring… I wonder who made that edit…
Did the crew practice the esacape procedures by doing a Chinese firedrill? Just wondering.
Taiwan….I thought they were all dead, no one ever hears about them since they became the next future Chinese colony again. Remember when real conservatives like Barry Goldwater (who would’ve railed against the neocons and the ‘religious right’ of today) championed the anti-communist forces in Taiwan and vowed to support their struggle? No more, now that all the money is next door with their juggernaut neighbor.
#4 LOL I agree China Air is the worst! If that is not bad enough try Air India!
Well does the POST here doeshave Taiwanese China Airlines plane so where did that come from?
#3 Yes you are right – Americans are not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to world history. (Dr Sun known as father of the China Republic and is revered by both Mainland China and ROC Taiwan)
I smile when Americans confuse Japanese as Chinese in accent and food.
Cheers
#4
Uhh, John, sorry to correct you but I have just checked and it is a ROC Taiwanese Airline with nothing to do with PRC China Air.
Who do I give my address too so I can get my free T-Shirt?
“I Corrected the Head Crank!” 😉
Cheers
For those who are confused with the ‘two Chinas’ the PRC and the ROC here is some information about the two.
PRC is the Peoples Republic of China comprised of Mainland China, HK and Macao and was established in 1949 after the Chinese civil war between the communists and the nationalists of the Republic of China which technically was never concluded. The PRC views Taiwan as a ‘rebel’ province. (Think of the US civil war with the Union as the Nationalists and the Communists as the Confederates – in China the Confederates ‘won’.)
ROC is the Republic of China founded in 1927 currently controlling the islands of Taiwan. The Chinese civil war was between the Nationalists and the Communists. The war was not going well for the Republic of China and so was forced to move the government’s capital to Taipei in exile. The Communists never invaded the islands of Taiwan so the Republic of China was never dissolved. This is why Taiwan claims to be the legitimate government of China and why until the 70’s America only recognised Taiwan as the only China. Taiwan’s flag is the original flag of the Republic of China.
Both the PRC and the ROC claim sovereignty of all of China and the islands of Taiwan. What a mess!
The islands of Taiwan itself has a chequered past as it was a former colony of the Dutch and then under Japan known then as Formosa.
After WWII America not wanting to occupy Formosa asked China to do this which China did and Formosa finally came back under Chinese rule.
A interesting sight is in the PRC island city Xiamen which is the closest city to Taiwan’s islands which on a clear day can be seen from the beach. On the beach there is a large billboard facing the closest Taiwanese island effectively stating ‘One Day China will be One!’ Not to be outdone there is a similar billboard on the Taiwanese island facing the PRC which effectively states “Oh yeah?!” 😉
Cheers
I found this update on the probable cause of the explosion at Cage Match:
http://tinyurl.com/2dqzcf
My wife checked the Chinese news again – and I stand corrected it is China Airlines from Taiwan.
The nose colour blue with a dark blue stripe
She read the Chinese news wrong so I get (Chinese) egg on my face! 🙁
China Airlines does have a notification that passengers of CI 120 are safe.
http://www.china-airlines.com/en/index.htm
No suppression of Bad News in China.
Cheers
UPDATE!! The egg is off my face!!! That China Airline crash has nothing to do with Mainland China – Its a Taiwanese airline!!
I had my wife look into this because the eggs on my face were those 1000 year old Chinese eggs – YUK
Lo and behold…
China Airlines IS Taiwan China Airlines!!! Nothing to do with PRC Mainland China!
http://www.china-airlines.com/en/about/about.htm
PRC Mainland China Airlines is called Air China
http://www.airchina.com.cn/en/index.jsp#
Confused? Well my wife maintains I heard her wrong – never can win there…
Glad the eggs are off my face after all that! 😀
So John, I still think I should get a T Shirt!!
Cheers