China Airlines Flight 642

China Airlines Flight 642
B-150, the aircraft involved in the accident in 1998 while still in service with Mandarin Airlines
Accident
Date22 August 1999
SummaryCrashed on landing due to strong winds
SiteHong Kong International Airport
22°18′18″N 113°55′19″E / 22.305°N 113.922°E / 22.305; 113.922
Aircraft
Aircraft typeMcDonnell Douglas MD-11
OperatorChina Airlines
IATA flight No.CI642
ICAO flight No.CAL642
Call signDYNASTY 642
RegistrationB-150
Flight originDon Mueang International Airport
StopoverHong Kong International Airport
DestinationChiang Kai-shek International Airport
Occupants315
Passengers300
Crew15
Fatalities3
Injuries208
Survivors312

China Airlines Flight 642 was a flight that crashed at Hong Kong (Chek Lap Kok) International Airport on 22 August 1999. It was operating from Bangkok (Bangkok International Airport, now renamed as Don Mueang International Airport) to Taipei with a stopover in Hong Kong.

The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (registration B-150), touched down hard during landing, flipped over and caught fire. Of the 315 people on board, 312 survived and three were killed. It was the first fatal accident to occur at the new Hong Kong International airport since it opened in July 1998.

Flight 642 was one of only two hull losses of MD-11s with passenger configuration, the other being Swissair Flight 111, which crashed in 1998 with 229 fatalities. All other hull losses of MD-11s have been when the aircraft has been serving as a cargo aircraft.