This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-31162351

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
TransAsia GE235: Taiwan crash plane 'lost engine power' TransAsia GE235: Taiwan crash plane 'lost engine power'
(about 4 hours later)
Black box data from the TransAsia Airlines turbo-prop plane that crashed in Taiwan has revealed that power was cut to both engines, investigators say. Officials in Taiwan say they are investigating why both engines on a TransAsia Airlines plane were off when it crashed on Wednesday.
Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council said the engines failed to produce enough thrust for two minutes after take-off. Data from the "black box" flight recorders retrieved from the wreckage suggests the pilots shut down one engine after the other lost power.
Data suggest that the flight crew tried to stop and restart one of the engines, without success. Earlier, TransAsia said all of its pilots would be retaking proficiency examinations following the disaster.
Flight GE235 carried 58 passengers and crew, at least 35 of whom died when the plane crashed into a river. Fifteen of the 58 people on board were rescued but at least 35 others died.
Fifteen people survived the crash. Thomas Wang, executive director of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council, said the plane's right engine triggered an alarm just 37 seconds after taking off from the Taipei's Songshan airport.
According to investigators at a briefing in Taipei, the plane ran into trouble just 37 seconds after taking off from Taipei's Songshan airport. The main pilot could be heard on black-box recordings saying the engine had experienced a "flame-out", Mr Wang said, which can occur when the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted.
Thomas Wang, director of the Aviation Safety Council, said the pilot announced a "flame-out", which can occur when the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted or when there is faulty combustion. However, he said data showed that the engine had in fact been moved into idle mode.
However, Mr Wang said there was in fact no flame-out, and the right-hand engine had actually shifted into idle mode without the oil pressure having changed. Seconds later, the pilots shut down the left engine, meaning neither engine was producing any power. A restart was attempted, but the plane crashed 72 seconds later.
"The plane flashed a flame-out signal for one of the two engines at 10:53:28 when the plane climbed to an altitude of 1,200ft, triggering a warning," AFP news agency quoted Mr Wang as saying. Officials said it was unclear why the left engine had been turned off, especially as the plane, an ATR 72-600, is able to fly with just one functioning engine.
"Then the other [left] engine was shut down manually. The pilot tried to restart the engines but to no avail. Mr Wang said it was too early to draw firm conclusions about why the first engine had lost power but he told the BBC that the pilots had followed normal procedure.
"That means that during the flight's final moments, neither engine had any thrust. We heard 'Mayday' at 10:54:35," he added. "It's only the third day so we can't say too much," he said. "We haven't ruled anything out."
The flight, which had been bound for Taiwan's Kinmen Island, crashed into the Keelung River just 72 seconds later. The flight, which had been bound for Taiwan's Kinmen Island, crashed into the Keelung River.
The plane, an ATR 72-600, is able to fly with just one functioning engine. Mr Wang said it was not clear why the left engine had been shut down. A more substantial report into the crash is expected to be released within the next 30 days, ahead of the publication of a final report in the next three to six months.
Preliminary findings Pilot praised
A more substantial report into the crash will be released within the next 30 days, ahead of the publication of a final report in the next three to six months. Earlier, Taipei's mayor praised the main pilot, Liao Chien-tsung, for steering the plane away from blocks of flats and commercial buildings before it came down.
The pilot, Liao Chien-tsung, has been praised by Taipei's mayor for managing to steer the plane away from apartment blocks and commercial buildings before it came down. Taiwanese Vice-President Wu Den-yih also paid tribute to the 42-year-old pilot, saying he had "meticulously grasped" the flight controls in the plane's last few seconds.
Taiwanese Vice President Wu Den-yih also paid tribute the 42-year-old pilot, saying he had "meticulously grasped" the flight controls in the plane's last few seconds in the air, according to the Associated Press news agency. "In the final moments he still wanted to control the plane to avoid harming residents in the housing communities," Mr Wu told reporters.
"In the final moments he still wanted to control the plane to avoid harming residents in the housing communities," he was quoted as saying. Crash investigators told Taiwanese media that Mr Liao's hands were still on the plane's controls when his body was found.
Crash investigators told Taiwanese media that Mr Liao's hands were still on the plane's controls when his body was found, Reuters reported. Both the pilot and co-pilot were found dead in the cockpit, according to local media reports.
Both the pilot and co-pilot were found dead in the cockpit with their legs badly broken, according to local media reports.
Taiwan's aviation regulator has ordered thorough engine and fuel system checks on the remaining 22 ATR-manufactured aircraft currently in active service on the island.Taiwan's aviation regulator has ordered thorough engine and fuel system checks on the remaining 22 ATR-manufactured aircraft currently in active service on the island.
The BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei said search and rescue teams had been focussing their efforts downstream of the crash site, and are carrying out operations along a 15-kilometre (9-mile) stretch of the river. The BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei said search-and-rescue teams had been focusing their efforts downstream of the crash site, and are carrying out operations along a 15-km (9-mile) stretch of the river.
The main parts of the plane, which had been submerged, have been retrieved from the water, and divers are now attempting to locate the bodies of other victims. The main parts of the plane, which had been submerged, have been retrieved from the water.
Search officials said on Thursday that it was extremely unlikely that any additional survivors would be found, and said that retrieval efforts had been severely hampered by poor visibility in the murky water. Divers are now attempting to locate the remaining victims and four more bodies were retrieved from the water on Friday.