Pilot error and bad weather were the most probable causes of the crash in October 2000 of a Singapore Airlines jumbo jet in Taiwan, according to the final investigation report.

Eighty-three people were killed in the accident, which happened during a typhoon when the Boeing 747 tried to take off on the wrong runway at Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek airport and slammed into construction equipment before bursting into flames.

The three pilots survived the crash

But the report was immediately criticised by Singapore's authorities, who said flaws at the airport played a "critical role" in causing the accident.

Kay Yong, managing director of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council (ASC), said investigators decided not to blame the accident on specific causes, such as pilot error, weather and airport problems.

Instead, their report listed "probable causes", leaving the courts to settle the issues of blame and liability, he said.

The report did find that confusing runway markers and broken taxiway lights created a risk for the pilots in the Los Angeles-bound Flight SQ006.

Wrong runway

The ASC said in a statement: "The flight crew did not review the taxi route in a manner sufficient to ensure they all understood" they were taking off on the correct runway.

The runway they were using had been partially closed for repair and was littered with equipment.

The report said the pilots had failed to realise they were on the wrong runway despite at least 10 opportunities en route to spot their mistake.

They had even been warned in a pre-flight briefing that a runway next to the one they were supposed to take off from was out of use, the report said.

Ninety-six people survived the crash including the captain and two other flight deck crew.

The pilots are still employed by Singapore Airlines but have not flown since the accident. They returned to Singapore in December 2000 after preliminary investigations.

Legal battles

Malaysian pilot Foong Chee Kong and first officers Ng Kheng Leng and Latif Cyrano had hoped the release of the report would pave the way for them to fly again, The Straits Times said on Friday.

Singapore Airlines has offered $400,000 compensation to the relatives of each of people who died, but has declined to say how many people have taken up the offer.

The report's findings now could be used as evidence in courtroom battles against the airline by survivors and victims' families.

Taiwan had refused to let Singapore get involved in the final report on the crash.

Instead, Singapore's Ministry of Transport released a separate report on Friday, acknowledging the pilots made mistakes, but blaming poor safety measures at the airport,

"The Singapore team believes that the major deficiencies at (Chiang Kai-shek International Airport) played a critical role in the accident," Singapore's Ministry of Transport said in its report.