CRASH INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT FAULTY BOLT INSTALLATIONS

The Taiwan-based China Airlines 737-800 explosion last week at Japan’s Naha Airport was probably caused by an incorrectly installed bolt, which came loose, damaging a fuel tank, according to the Japanese Construction and Transport Ministry’s Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission. The Commission noted that the jet underwent a scheduled check-up on July 6, during which a bolt on a slat of the plane’s right wing was removed for examination. The Commission said that a washer and other parts that should have been installed with it have not been found. The reinstallation process should be checked and signed for at least three times. No problem was found with the fuel pipes. S&P estimated that the total insurance claim would be between NT$1bn and NT$1.5bn (US$30m to US$45m).