China Airlines

Certificate type not established

Data confidence: Records are linked by certificate number, aircraft registration, or a name match that a reviewer has confirmed. Each record below shows how it was linked.

Also recorded as: CHINA AIRLINES LTD, CHINA EASTERN, China Airlines, ETHOPIAN AIRLINES

Accident & enforcement record

Events that happened, regardless of the operator's own reporting. Each links to its public source.

NTSB accidents & incidents

22 records, spanning 1985–2026.

Incident · 2026-08-15 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747 (NB18725) No injuries NUSC

Operated by China Airlines (per NTSB report)

Not yet finalized — may be revised.
Source: NTSB case ENG26LA034
Incident · 2025-06-12 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 737 (NOTREPORTED) No injuries NUSC

Operated by China Airlines (per NTSB report)

Not yet finalized — may be revised.
Source: NTSB case DCA25WA236
Incident · 2019-03-09 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747 (NB18211) No injuries NUSC

Operated by China Airlines (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA19WA114
Incident · 2018-06-21 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747 (NB18711) No injuries NUSC

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES LTD (per NTSB report)

Interference with the localizer signal resulting in a Multipath condition experienced by CAL5148 while conducting an ILS CAT III (autoland) approach. This condition resulted in a runway excursion and subsequent go-around. The interference was most likely caused by a previous departure flying through the ILS critical area while departing the same runway.

Source: NTSB case OPS18IA015
Incident · 2013-10-10 Operator named in NTSB report
AIRBUS A330 - 302 (NB18358) No injuries

Operated by China Airlines (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case ENG14WA002
Incident · 2013-05-19 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747 (NB18701) No injuries Part 129

Operated by China Airlines Ltd. (per NTSB report)

Failure of the right inboard foreflap outboard fitting due to fatigue and bearing anomalies on the sequence carriages which resulted in the partial separation of the right inboard foreflap. Contributing to the incident was the failure of maintenance personnel to detect the fatigue cracking and bearing anomalies during dedicated inspections.

Source: NTSB case ENG13IA027
Incident · 2013-02-25 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747 (NB18701) No injuries Part 129

Operated by China Airlines (per NTSB report)

Fuel leaking from a fractured fuel manifold feeder line that ignited on contact with the engine’s hot compressor rear frame, which resulted in an engine undercowl fire. The fuel manifold feeder line failed due to high amplitude fatigue because the fuel manifold resonance frequencies were within the engine operation range. Contributing to the incident was that the engine was overhauled about the same time as the most current fuel manifold configuration that addressed the high amplitude fatigue failure mode was introduced, thus it was not installed on the engine.

Source: NTSB case ENG13IA016
Incident · 2010-07-22 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 737 (NB18612) No injuries NUSC

Operated by China Airlines (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA10WA086
Accident · 2010-03-04 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747 (NB18723) No injuries Part 129

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES LTD (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA10WA036
Accident · 2008-10-02 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747 (NB18202) Serious injury NUSC

Operated by China Airlines (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA09WA003
Accident · 2007-09-20 Operator named in NTSB report
Boeing 737-800 (NB16805) No injuries NUSC

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES LTD (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA08WA001
Accident · 2002-05-25 Operator named in NTSB report
Boeing 747-200 Fatal injury NUSC

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES LTD (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA02RA038
Incident · 2002-01-25 Operator named in NTSB report
Airbus Industrie A-340-300 (NB18805) No injuries Part 129

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES LTD. (per NTSB report)

The captain's selection of a taxiway instead of a runway for takeoff and the flightcrew's inadequate coordination of the departure, which resulted in a departure from a taxiway. A factor in the incident was inadequate airline operator's procedures that did not require the crew to verbilize and verify the runway in use prior to takeoff.

Source: NTSB case ANC02IA011
Incident · 1999-09-02 Operator named in NTSB report
Boeing 747SP (NUNK) No injuries Part 129

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA99WA077
Accident · 1999-08-23 Operator named in NTSB report
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (NUNK) Minor injury Part 129

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA99RA073
Accident · 1999-08-08 Operator named in NTSB report
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (NUNK) No injuries Part 129

Operated by CHINA EASTERN (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA99WA072
Incident · 1998-09-10 Operator named in NTSB report
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (NB2173) Minor injury Part 129

Operated by CHINA EASTERN (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA98RA086
Accident · 1998-05-12 Operator named in NTSB report
Boeing 767 (NUNK) No injuries NUSC

Operated by ETHOPIAN AIRLINES (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA98WA047
Accident · 1998-02-16 Operator named in NTSB report
Airbus Industrie A300B4-62R (NUNK) No injuries Part 129

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA98WA044
Incident · 1994-03-04 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747-200F (NB160) No injuries Part 129

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES (per NTSB report)

THE ATTEMPT, BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND, TO ATTEMPT TAKEOFF WITH THE PARKING BRAKE CONTROLL ENGAGED, RESULTING FROM INCORRECT PROCEDURES BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND.

Source: NTSB case ANC94IA037
Accident · 1991-12-29 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747-200F (NB198) No injuries Part 129

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA92RA015
Accident · 1985-02-19 Operator named in NTSB report
BOEING 747 SP-09 (N4522V) Serious injury Part 129

Operated by CHINA AIRLINES (per NTSB report)

Source: NTSB case DCA85AA015

FAA enforcement actions

Civil penalty · 2007-02-09 Name match — reviewer confirmed
Hazardous materials

Sanction: $180,000 · case closed 2008-02-04

Source: FAA case 2007NM700048
Civil penalty · 2004-06-24 Name match — reviewer confirmed
Hazardous materialsForeign air carrier

Sanction: $15,000 · case closed 2007-06-21

Source: FAA case 2004WP700509
Civil penalty ordered · 1999-10-10 Name match — reviewer confirmed
SecurityForeign air carrier

Sanction: $4,000 · case closed 2001-05-03

Source: FAA case 2000EA710009
Civil penalty ordered · 1998-09-23 Name match — reviewer confirmed
SecurityForeign air carrier

Sanction: $7,500 · case closed 2000-10-16

Source: FAA case 1998WP760148
Penalty · 1998-02-11 Name match — reviewer confirmed
Hazardous materialsForeign air carrier

Sanction: $20,000 · case closed 1999-03-24

Source: FAA case 1998EA740067
Penalty · 1998-01-21 Name match — reviewer confirmed
Hazardous materialsForeign air carrier

Sanction: $12,500 · case closed 1999-03-24

Source: FAA case 1998EA740053
Penalty · 1997-12-30 Name match — reviewer confirmed
Hazardous materialsForeign air carrier

Sanction: $7,500 · case closed 1999-03-24

Source: FAA case 1998EA740054

Maintenance disclosure history

No maintenance difficulty reports on file. Note: SDR filing is largely voluntary, so absence is not evidence of a clean maintenance history.

Linked aircraft

N-numberMake / modelYearStatusLink basis
N4522VOperator named in NTSB report
NB160Operator named in NTSB report
NB16805Operator named in NTSB report
NB18202Operator named in NTSB report
NB18211Operator named in NTSB report
NB18358Operator named in NTSB report
NB18612Operator named in NTSB report
NB18701Operator named in NTSB report
NB18711Operator named in NTSB report
NB18723Operator named in NTSB report
NB18725Operator named in NTSB report
NB18805Operator named in NTSB report
NB198Operator named in NTSB report
NB2173Operator named in NTSB report
NOTREPORTEDOperator named in NTSB report
NUNKOperator named in NTSB report

Aircraft with earlier records under this certificate

Maintenance and accident records on this page also cover aircraft that are not in this operator's current FAA fleet list. Charter and management fleets change — owners switch management companies, sell, or export aircraft. Where the registry shows what became of a tail, it is noted below.

2 aircraft filed records under this certificate within the last two years but are not in the fleet list we hold — fleet lists can lag actual operations.

  • NB18211 — records 2019 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB18711 — records 2018 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB18358 — records 2013 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB18701 — records 2013 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB18612 — records 2010 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB18723 — records 2010 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB18202 — records 2008 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB16805 — records 2007 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB18805 — records 2002 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NUNK — records 1998–1999 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB2173 — records 1998 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • NB160 — records 1994 · no longer on the FAA registry
2 more aircraft
  • NB198 — records 1991 · no longer on the FAA registry
  • N4522V — records 1985 · no longer on the FAA registry