[Singapore's Straits Times reported Nov 2, there were 79 dead and one unaccounted for. An earlier South China Morning Post, Nov 2, reported, fifty-one people remained in hospital Nov 1, while 48 had been treated and released. One person was missing. The death toll could rise since many of the injured suffered serious burns.]

Survivors have said they felt Flight 006 hit something as the plane barreled down the runway. But as emergency workers pulled bodies from the charred, blue-and-tan wreckage Nov 1, early speculation also pointed to wind as a possible factor in the Boeing 747-400's accident.

At the time of takeoff, the airport was being lashed by the swirling gusts and torrential rains of an approaching typhoon. Some relatives of those who died have blamed the pilot, Captain C.K. Foong. But the airline -- which had not had a major accident in 28 years of operation -- defended Foong's decision.

"Conditions were well within safe operational limits," company spokesman Rick Clements told reporters in Singapore. He noted that a flight by Taiwan's China Airlines took off just 15 minutes before Singapore Airlines' takeoff.

Taiwanese aviation official Billy K.C. Chang said Oct 31 night's visibility levels of 450-550 meters (1650-1980 feet) at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport exceeded the minimum requirement of 200 meters (660 feet) needed for takeoff. Measuring safe wind speeds is more complicated, but the gusty winds were not excessive, he said.

Meanwhile, investigators at the crash scene of Singapore Airlines Flight 006 near Taipei in Taiwan said Nov 1 they had completed an initial reading of the 747-400's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. They did not release any details of what the so-called black boxes may have revealed.

Chou Kuang-tsan of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council said the plane had apparently swerved off the runway and onto a parallel runway that was under repair. However, he would not speculate on what might have caused the incident. The plane was bound for Los Angeles.

"We still can't rule out any possibilities," Chou said.

Singapore Airlines had previously enjoyed a nearly unblemished safety record. The airline had not had a fatal accident during its 28-year history. However, 104 people died in December 1997 when a plane operated by its subsidiary, SilkAir, crashed.