Taiwan airline rules out maintenance error over accident in Okinawa

Friday 29th August, 03:32 PM JST

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6 Comments

zzonkerr at 10:47 PM JST - 29th August

So, well, that leaves human error. Good job, guys!
OgieDoggie at 12:00 AM JST - 30th August

The accident was caused by a loose bolt,

No human error here they said that the "bolt" did it (and I always thought it was the Butler).

Give me a break Taiwan airline people..these bolts have special washers and nuts that are designed NOT TO COME LOOSE on their own.
OssanULTRA at 12:52 AM JST - 30th August

I would have thought that routine inspection and ensuring that a bolt which can come loose on an aircraft doesn't, would be considered "maintenance". But I guess that's just me.
akaguma at 01:44 AM JST - 30th August

they would of gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids
dpurcell84 at 03:57 AM JST - 30th August

I used to be a helicopter mechanic when I was in the army, and my father has worked for Boeing as an engineer for the past 30 years, so I have a bit of authority on this subject. 737's have been flying safely in the skies for well over 15 years without magically exploding fuel tanks. I know for a fact that aircraft are inspected after so many hours of flight and things need to be replaced after so many hours of flight. There are very strict standards. I am also aware that certain non US or Japan or any other first world country affiliated airlines cut a lot of corners on these, please google the story about China, or Russian ( I can not remember off the top of my head, but I remember seeing the image in a, “what not to do class” during my training) using a Seatbelt to hold a fan blade in place on a 747.... and still flying passengers with it. US carriers have also been guilty of laps maintenance so I am not placing the blame on them just for the sake of being able to point fingers at some other country, but to say it was not maintenance issue is a flat out lie. There is not such thing as this kind of thing happening and it not being a maintenance issue. Some one is definitely covering their tracks. Bolts of this nature, have to have all of the hardware, and are typically lock wired (safety wired) in place, pulling the opposite way in which they spin. Every bolt removed has to be documented, and, upon reinstallation, has to pass inspection by a TI (technical inspector) before the aircraft can fly again. There is no way, if they were doing their job properly, a bolt could have gone onto the aircraft incorrectly and not be noticed. It is obvious that the maintainers were cutting corners and some one wants to cover their Asses. .
TheNewZen at 04:07 AM JST - 30th August

Or they could have used non-maker approved parts/bolts(ie pirate parts) and the inferior material/part could have caused the problem.

Seen it often NOT on planes but on Cars and Bikes where the owner refused to pay for an original part and rather bought a cheaper pirate one.

But we don't know till we get more details.