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| TransAsia Airways Faces Scrutiny After 2nd Fatal Crash | |
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| HONG KONG — The crash of a passenger plane into a river in Taiwan on Wednesday, which killed at least 31 people, has renewed questions about the safety of the airline, TransAsia Airways. It was the carrier’s second deadly accident in less than seven months. | HONG KONG — The crash of a passenger plane into a river in Taiwan on Wednesday, which killed at least 31 people, has renewed questions about the safety of the airline, TransAsia Airways. It was the carrier’s second deadly accident in less than seven months. |
| On Thursday, Taiwan’s aviation regulators ordered inspections of all aircraft from ATR, the maker of the plane that crashed Wednesday shortly after takeoff from the capital, Taipei. The regulatory agency, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, said the inspections would be completed Thursday for TransAsia’s aircraft and Friday for ATRs flown by Uni Air, the only other carrier in Taiwan to operate the French- and Italian-made turboprops. | |
| Inspectors would focus on the aircraft’s engines, fuel systems and propeller controls, among other systems, the agency said in a written statement. | Inspectors would focus on the aircraft’s engines, fuel systems and propeller controls, among other systems, the agency said in a written statement. |
| The ATR-72-600 that crashed Wednesday was bound from Taipei Songshan Airport as Flight 235 to the outlying island of Kinmen, near the mainland Chinese province of Fujian. The crash was caught on dashboard cameras of cars traveling on Huandong Boulevard, on the east side of the capital, in terrifying scenes of the plane flying low past apartment buildings, its left wing dipping and striking the roadway before it plunged into the Keelung River. | |
| The plane’s pilot had radioed the control tower shortly after its 10:53 takeoff to report an engine problem. “Mayday, mayday. Engine flameout,” he said, according to a recording of the radio communication posted online. | The plane’s pilot had radioed the control tower shortly after its 10:53 takeoff to report an engine problem. “Mayday, mayday. Engine flameout,” he said, according to a recording of the radio communication posted online. |
| Local officials and aviation experts praised the pilot, Liao Chien-tsung, for avoiding a greater disaster as the plane hurtled over a dense urban area, narrowly missing apartment buildings as it went down. | Local officials and aviation experts praised the pilot, Liao Chien-tsung, for avoiding a greater disaster as the plane hurtled over a dense urban area, narrowly missing apartment buildings as it went down. |
| “Yesterday that pilot, he tried his hardest,” the mayor of Taipei, Ko Wen-je, said Thursday, his voice cracking and his eyes welling up as he spoke to reporters. | |
| Hugh Ritchie, chief executive of Aviation Consultants International, based in Australia, said the pilot did “an amazing job,” and he added, “It looked like they were doing everything they could.” | Hugh Ritchie, chief executive of Aviation Consultants International, based in Australia, said the pilot did “an amazing job,” and he added, “It looked like they were doing everything they could.” |
| Mr. Liao and the co-pilot, Liu Tse-chung, were among the 31 people confirmed killed in the crash. Fifteen people survived, and 12 others were unaccounted for on Thursday. But the praise for the pilots was tempered with harsh criticism for the airline. The Taipei disaster followed a crash in bad weather in July on an outlying island of Taiwan that killed 48 people. | Mr. Liao and the co-pilot, Liu Tse-chung, were among the 31 people confirmed killed in the crash. Fifteen people survived, and 12 others were unaccounted for on Thursday. But the praise for the pilots was tempered with harsh criticism for the airline. The Taipei disaster followed a crash in bad weather in July on an outlying island of Taiwan that killed 48 people. |
| “This carrier has had two big, high-profile crashes in the last seven months,” said Greg Waldron, the Singapore-based Asia managing editor of Flightglobal, an online magazine that covers the aviation industry. “It definitely raises lots of questions.” | “This carrier has had two big, high-profile crashes in the last seven months,” said Greg Waldron, the Singapore-based Asia managing editor of Flightglobal, an online magazine that covers the aviation industry. “It definitely raises lots of questions.” |
| The crash on Wednesday was TransAsia’s seventh significant safety incident since 1995, including five hull losses, when an aircraft is damaged beyond repair, Flightglobal reported. | The crash on Wednesday was TransAsia’s seventh significant safety incident since 1995, including five hull losses, when an aircraft is damaged beyond repair, Flightglobal reported. |
| “In light of this incident, TransAsia apologizes to passengers, their families and society,” the airline said in a statement on Wednesday. But the airline, Taiwan’s third largest, has provided no detailed explanation for its recent crashes. | “In light of this incident, TransAsia apologizes to passengers, their families and society,” the airline said in a statement on Wednesday. But the airline, Taiwan’s third largest, has provided no detailed explanation for its recent crashes. |
| TransAsia, which was Taiwan’s first non-state-owned carrier when it was founded in 1951, was listed on the Taiwan stock exchange in 2011. It flies chiefly in Taiwan and to mainland China, but it also has routes to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. It operates about 10 ATR-72-500 and ATR-72-600 planes, in addition to a dozen Airbus jets. | TransAsia, which was Taiwan’s first non-state-owned carrier when it was founded in 1951, was listed on the Taiwan stock exchange in 2011. It flies chiefly in Taiwan and to mainland China, but it also has routes to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. It operates about 10 ATR-72-500 and ATR-72-600 planes, in addition to a dozen Airbus jets. |
| The July crash is still under investigation, but a preliminary report released in December suggested that the pilots of that ATR-72-500 lost their bearings as they landed in darkness during a storm. “Have you seen the runway yet?” the pilot asked the first officer shortly before the plane slammed into a building. “No,” was the reply. | The July crash is still under investigation, but a preliminary report released in December suggested that the pilots of that ATR-72-500 lost their bearings as they landed in darkness during a storm. “Have you seen the runway yet?” the pilot asked the first officer shortly before the plane slammed into a building. “No,” was the reply. |
| Experts say the ATR-72-600 that crashed on Wednesday appeared to have problems with its engines. “From what I can see, the aircraft had a loss of power,” Mr. Ritchie said. The plane is built to fly even if just one engine is operable, he added. | Experts say the ATR-72-600 that crashed on Wednesday appeared to have problems with its engines. “From what I can see, the aircraft had a loss of power,” Mr. Ritchie said. The plane is built to fly even if just one engine is operable, he added. |
| The ATR-72 is highly popular among growing Asian airlines. “It’s a very reliable aircraft, the workhorse of the global turboprop fleet,” Mr. Waldron said. |