Officials investigating the Aug. 24 UNI Airline aircraft fire in Hualien confirmed yesterday that an explosion aboard the plane occurred after it landed, refuting earlier speculation that the blast, and resulting fireball in the cabin, took place before the plane touched down.
"Based on our analysis of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, the explosion occurred about 25 seconds after the plane landed at the airport in Hualien," said Kay Yong (
The UNI Airline MD-90 carrying 96 passengers and crew, burst into flames after landing at Hualien, forcing an emergency evacuation as the cabin filled with smoke and flames.
Twenty-eight people were injured, including a pregnant woman who suffered a miscarriage several days after the mishap.
Despite the analysis of the two recorders, Yong declined to comment on whether the plane exploded before bursting into flames or vice versa, an indication that could help identify the cause of the accident.
He said only that the cause of the accident was still under investigation.
Yong also indicated that despite interviews with surviving passengers who said an explosion occurred before the fire, the official investigation should rely on other factors as well in making its decision.
The investigation into the accident is being conducted by the ASC as well as the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), which is under the National Police Admin-istration.
A delegation of 11 aviation experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing have also arrived in Hualien to assist with the investigation.
Recent attention has also focused on the possibility that explosive materials may have been stored on the plane.
Last Sunday night, the investigation team found residues in the wreckage of a type of chemical material, suspected to be electrolyte -- a key catalyst used in explosive materials.
The material was discovered near the overhead baggage compartment around the plane's seventh row, the area where the fuselage was blown out.
The materials have been sent to the CIB for identification, but investigators have not said whether the substance was associated with the explosion.
CIB officials refused to comment on the accident investigation when contacted by the Taipei Times.