Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103 was a flight from Taiwan Taipei Songshan Airport to Kaohsiung International Airport that crashed on 22 August 1981, killing all 110 people on board. The Boeing 737-222 aircraft disintegrated in midair and crashed in the township of Sanyi, Miaoli. It is also called the Sanyi Air Disaster. The crash is the third-deadliest aviation accident on the Taiwanese soil, behind China Airlines Flight 676 and China Airlines Flight 611. Aircraft Aircraft model: Boeing 737-222 Manufacturing serial number: 19939/151 Registration: B-2603 (ex United Airlines N9058U) Year of manufacture: 1969 Summary The aircraft had previously lost cabin pressure on 5 August; and earlier on the day of the crash, it had departed Songshan Airport, but the crew aborted the flight 10 minutes later for the same reason. After repairs were made, the aircraft departed Songshan Airport again bound for Kaohsiung International Airport. At 14 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft suffered an explosive decompression and disintegrated. The wreckage was scattered across an area long, located some south of Taipei. The nose section landed in Sanyi Township, Miaoli County. Other debris landed in the townships of Yuanli, Tongluo, and Tongxiao. All 110 passengers and crew died. After the accident, due to it occurring in a mountainous region, road traffic was backed up. The remains of the victims were driven to the Shengxing railway station, from where they were transported by train. Cause Although early speculation indicated that the crash was caused by an explosive device, an investigation by the Republic of China Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that severe corrosion led to a pressure-hull rupture. The severe corrosion was due to the many pressurization flight cycles the aircraft had experienced, and that cracks produced were probably undetected. Victims Notable victims Kuniko Mukōda, a Japanese TV screenwriter, was heading to Kaohsiung for a festival. See also Japan Airlines Flight 123 China Airlines Flight 611 Aloha Airlines Flight 243 Continental Express Flight 2574 BOAC Flight 781 Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 References External links Aviation Safety Network Airliners.net Photos of the airline UK CAA Document CAA 429 World Airline Accident Summary (ICAO Summary 4/76) August 1981 events in Asia 1981 in Taiwan Aviation accidents and incidents in 1981 Aviation accidents and incidents in Taiwan Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737 Original Airliner accidents and incidents caused by in-flight structural failure Airliner accidents and incidents caused by maintenance errors 1981 disasters in