Loose bolt confirmed as cause of China Airlines plane explosion in Okinawa
25 Aug 2007
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Taiwan's air safety officials confirmed on 23 August that the Taiwanese China Airlines plane that exploded on landing at Japan's Okinawa island had a loose bolt on the plane's wing.
Fortunately, all passengers and crew managed to escape from the plane just moments before the explosion.
Japanese investigators have found that the loose bolt on the plane's right wing slat punctured the fuel tank. The resulting fuel leak led to the explosion. However, investigators said they do not yet know why the bolt had become loose.
