Narrative:
Boeing 737-400 "Narathiwat" was parked at gate 62 at the domestic terminal of Bangkok Airport and was being prepared by 5 cabin crew members and 3 ground staff members for a flight to Chiang Mai (TG 114). Ground temperatures were in the high 35 degree Celsius and the air conditioning packs, which are located directly beneath the center wing tank and generate heat when they are operating, had been running continuously since the airplane's previous flight, including about 40 minutes on the ground. At 14:48, some 27 minutes before scheduled departure time, fuel vapours in the center wing tank probably ignited, causing an explosion. A fire erupted in the cabin, killing a flight attendant and injuring 6 others. Eighteen minutes later, the fire caused the right wing tank to explode. The fire was put out in an hour, but by then the aircraft had been gutted by the fire.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "An explosion of the center wing tank resulting from ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the tank. The source of the ignition energy for the explosion could not be determined with certainty, but the most likely source was an explosion originating at the center wing tank pump as a result of running the pump in the presence of metal shavings and a fuel/air mixture."
Damaged on the ground
accident date: 03-03-2001
type: Boeing 737-4D7
registration: HS-TDC
accident date: 03-03-2001
type: Boeing 737-4D7
registration: HS-TDC
accident date: 03-03-2001
type: Boeing 737-4D7
registration: HS-TDC
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Saturday 3 March 2001 |
| Time: | 14:48 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-4D7 |
| Operator: | Thai Airways International |
| Registration: | HS-TDC |
| MSN: | 25321/2113 |
| First flight: | 1991-08-22 (9 years 7 months) |
| Engines: | 2 CFMI CFM56-3C1 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 8 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 8 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | Bangkok International Airport (BKK) ( Thailand)
|
| Phase: | Standing (STD) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Bangkok-Don Muang International Airport (BKK/VTBD), Thailand |
| Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX/VTCC), Thailand | |
| Flightnumber: | 114 |
Boeing 737-400 "Narathiwat" was parked at gate 62 at the domestic terminal of Bangkok Airport and was being prepared by 5 cabin crew members and 3 ground staff members for a flight to Chiang Mai (TG 114). Ground temperatures were in the high 35 degree Celsius and the air conditioning packs, which are located directly beneath the center wing tank and generate heat when they are operating, had been running continuously since the airplane's previous flight, including about 40 minutes on the ground. At 14:48, some 27 minutes before scheduled departure time, fuel vapours in the center wing tank probably ignited, causing an explosion. A fire erupted in the cabin, killing a flight attendant and injuring 6 others. Eighteen minutes later, the fire caused the right wing tank to explode. The fire was put out in an hour, but by then the aircraft had been gutted by the fire.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "An explosion of the center wing tank resulting from ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the tank. The source of the ignition energy for the explosion could not be determined with certainty, but the most likely source was an explosion originating at the center wing tank pump as a result of running the pump in the presence of metal shavings and a fuel/air mixture."
Classification:
Fuel tank explosion Damaged on the ground
Sources:
» NTSBPhotos
accident date: 03-03-2001
type: Boeing 737-4D7
registration: HS-TDC
accident date: 03-03-2001
type: Boeing 737-4D7
registration: HS-TDC
accident date: 03-03-2001
type: Boeing 737-4D7
registration: HS-TDC
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Bangkok-Don Muang International Airport to Chiang Mai International Airport as the crow flies is 564 km (353 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Bangkok-Don Muang International Airport to Chiang Mai International Airport as the crow flies is 564 km (353 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
languages: 
Thailand
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Boeing 737-400
- 486 built
- 5th loss
- 5th fatal accident
- 5th worst accident (at the time)
- 7th worst accident (currently)
Thailand- 34th worst accident (at the time)
- 37th worst accident (currently)
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