China Airlines Flight 140 Crash Kills 264 in 1994 Japan Landing Accident

On 26 April 1994, China Airlines Flight 140, operating an Airbus A300B4‑622R (registration B‑1816), departed Taipei's Songshan Airport for Nagoya, Japan. During the final approach, the first officer unintentionally engaged the Takeoff/Go‑Around (TO/GA) mode, causing the autopilot to command a thrust increase and raise the nose. The crew attempted to counter the commands manually but failed to disengage the automatic mode, leading to a conflict between pilot inputs and the computer.

The aircraft stalled and crashed near the runway, killing all 264 passengers and crew. The disaster remains the deadliest accident in China Airlines' history and the second deadliest commercial air crash on Japanese soil. Investigations cited the inadvertent activation of the TO/GA mode and inadequate cockpit procedures as primary causes.