What happened
Fourteen minutes after departing from Taipei-Songshan Airport for a flight to Kaohsiung, the aircraft disappeared from radar while cruising at 22,000 feet. No distress signals were transmitted by the crew prior to the loss of contact. The aircraft subsequently entered an uncontrolled descent characterized by an explosive decompression of the cabin. During this sequence, the plane partially broke apart in mid-air before impacting the ground in Sanyi, located within Miaoli County. The wreckage was distributed across a debris field spanning approximately 10 square kilometers. There were 110 fatalities among the occupants, with no survivors reported.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified severe structural degradation caused by extensive corrosion within the lower fuselage. Specifically, intergranular corrosion and exfoliation corrosion had led to significant skin thinning, as well as the development of various pits, holes, and cracks throughout the structure. The high number of pressurization cycles, totaling 33,313 landings, likely contributed to the presence of undetected fatigue cracks. The investigation concluded that the interaction of these corrosive defects and structural cracks reached a critical point where the pressure differential at cruise altitude triggered a rapid fracture. This failure resulted in the sudden breakage of passenger compartment floor beams and connecting frames, which subsequently severed essential electrical wiring and control cables, leading to total loss of power and flight control.