Crash pilots had a lot of experience

As investigators seek the cause of the China Airlines plane crash yesterday, the company's spokesman said that the Boeing 747-200's three pilots were experienced professionals who had spent many hours in the air.

The captain, Yi Ching-fung (易清豐), 51, joined the company in 1991 and had 6,128 hours of flying experience.

His deputy, Hsieh Ya-shiung (謝亞雄), 52, was recruited by China Airlines in 1990 and had 6,244 hours of flying experience.

Chao Sheng-kuo (趙盛國), the on-board technician, had worked at the company since 1977 and had 18,024 hours of experience.

China Airlines Senior Vice President James Chang (張良士) said yesterday that he could hardly believe that the crash could have been caused by human error.

But he admitted that this crash would serve to further undermine public confidence in the air carrier's services.