Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council and Civil Aeronautics Administration have sent an eight-member delegation to Singapore to gather information, a council official said without elaborating.

Reports in Singapore have suggested the focus would be on Singapore Airline's training programme and the civil aviation authority's inspection procedures for 747 aircraft.

A Singapore Airlines official confirmed the arrival of the Taiwan investigators but said it was at a government-to-government level and the airline could provide no further details.

Eighty-three people were killed on October 31, when a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 crashed into construction equipment while attempting to take off from a runway closed for repairs.

The plane, bound for Los Angeles, was carrying 159 passengers and 20 crew.

The three pilots, who all survived the crash, are barred from leaving Taiwan while the investigation is under way.

Singapore Airlines has accepted responsibility for the crash but has demanded to know why an experienced pilot put his plane on the wrong runway.