The crash of TransAsia Airways (復興航空) Flight GE222 outside Magong Airport on Penghu Wednesday evening killed 48 people aboard the plane and injured 10, officials said yesterday.
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) Director-General Jean Shen (沈啟) said that rescuers had located 48 bodies at the crash site in Sisi Village (西溪), but many of the bodies were not intact.
As of press time last night, CAA Deputy Director-General Lee Wan-lee (李萬里) said the rescuers have yet to confirm the identities of 17 bodies, including that of the pilot, Lee Yi-liang (李義良).
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Amid questions as to why the flight was allowed to depart from Greater Kaohsiung amid inclement weather conditions, and if such a flight had violated regulations, Lee said the weather information at 7pm on Wednesday showed that the wind was blowing southwest, while the flight path was on a north-south route.
Visibility was 1.6km, with the wind blowing at a speed of 20kph and cloud ceiling of 330 feet (100.5m), Lee said.
Data also showed that winds gust were blowing at 38kph and there was a thundershower of medium intensity in the air as well, he said.
Photo: Pichi Chuang, Reuters
Based on the flight standard set for civilian aircraft, ATR72 aircraft are able to take off and land in such weather, he said.
However, an aircraft’s pilot has the right to decide if they want to land in any given situation, Lee said.
“Even if the weather was fine, the captain could still choose not to land the aircraft if he felt there was something strange with the wind and decided to go around instead,” Lee said. “CAA record shows that a Uni Air (立榮航空) flight had landed at the Magong Airport before the TransAsia crash.”
Photo: Pichi Chuang, Reuters
Lee said he would not speculate if the pilot had experienced deteriorated visibility within a very short period of time, adding that Aviation Safety Council (ASC) investigators would be able to determine the cause of the crash after decoding the information recorded in the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
CAA data showed that Flight GE222 was circling above Penghu for about 30 minutes before it prepared to land following improved visibility.
Air traffic control personnel said they received a request from the pilot to go around at 7:06pm, but they lost track of the aircraft afterward.
The visibility worsened from 1.6km to 0.8km at 7:10pm.
What happened to the pilot within the four-minute interval is considered key to the investigation.
Both of the plane’s “black boxes” were brought back to Taiwan proper yesterday afternoon.
ASC investigators said that the exterior of the cockpit voice recorder was slightly damaged, but they said that the memory of the device should still be intact. The flight data recorder looked relatively undamaged.
ASC Executive Director Thomas Wang (王興中) said the council is would issue a preliminary result of the plane crash investigation within four weeks, adding that a more detailed report could be produced within three to four months.
Casualties caused by the accident ended the best aviation safety record achievement in the past two decades.
Statistics from the CAA showed last month that the average aviation accident rate was 0.17 times per million flight hours, which was better than the global average of 0.32 times per million flight hours.
TransAsia said that each passenger’s family would receive a preliminary compensation of NT$1 million (US$ 33,360). Civil aviation regulations stipulate compensation for each deceased passenger is NT$3 million, and NT$1.5 million for passengers who suffer major injuries.
Lee said these figures do not include any settlements that might be reached in civil court cases.
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS