TransAsia plane crashes in Taiwan with 58 people on board; 2 killed

[jpinx]

These aircraft don't need to descend if only one engine stops - they are designed to maintain altitude on one engine.

[Chonburiram]

The roof from the black cube on the building look like it gets lifted from the brush.

Whatever, sad incident, kudos to the pilot for trying his best to avoid bigger damage.

[NeverSure]

These aircraft don't need to descend if only one engine stops - they are designed to maintain altitude on one engine.

Probably true and that's why I keep hedging with "lost power or reduced power," the more tapes I see.

However, it was shortly after takeoff and we don't know if he had trouble gaining altitude and if so how much he gained. We don't know if he was at gross weight or what the density altitude was. We simply don't know why or how the plane lost power but it's apparent that it did.

[khaosai]

These aircraft don't need to descend if only one engine stops - they are designed to maintain altitude on one engine.

Probably true and that's why I keep hedging with "lost power or reduced power," the more tapes I see.

However, it was shortly after takeoff and we don't know if he had trouble gaining altitude and if so how much he gained. We don't know if he was at gross weight or what the density altitude was. We simply don't know why or how the plane lost power but it's apparent that it did.

Terrible accident and sad to watch that footage. Remarkable that there are any survivors.

Don't think density altitude is a factor here.

May be a stall but I would be more inclined to say that the aircraft reduced speed below the minimum control speed in the air as the roll rate was fairly quick.

[Chicog]

The ATR 72-600 that crashed Wednesday is manufacturer's best plane model

Well I'd hate to fly on their worst one.

[mike324]

That is scary.

Goes to prove that airplanes do not glide to the ground when something fails.

Fortunately they hit water instead of full impact with the bridge.

May they rest in peace.

Any plane will glide, I go with the theory already put, the pilot probably reduced rate of decent to avoid the tall buildings and stalled, had he crash into them there probably would have been no survivors.

The Taiwanese news showed the flight path of the plane after takeoff, the pilot flew along the Keelung River when it should have made a turn, it seems like he knew the engines failed and was trying to keep it afloat as long as possible and aiming for the river. The Keelung River is slighty twisty, not straight. As people can imagine it will be hard to keep along the path of the river if you have no power.

Plane struck a taxi on the highway, the taxi driver suffered a head injury, both driver and passenger survived. Casualties would have been much higher if the plane went down in the city, it narrowly missed apartment buildings.

RIP to all those abroad and speedy recovery to those who survived.

[Basil B]

drunk flying by the looks of things

drunk typing by the looks of things...

Hi avatar is dead give away

[Basil B]

The Taiwanese news showed the flight path of the plane after takeoff, the pilot flew along the Keelung River when it should have made a turn, it seems like he knew the engines failed and was trying to keep it afloat as long as possible and aiming for the river. The Keelung River is slighty twisty, not straight. As people can imagine it will be hard to keep along the path of the river if you have no power.

Plane struck a taxi on the highway, the taxi driver suffered a head injury, both driver and passenger survived. Casualties would have been much higher if the plane went down in the city, it narrowly missed apartment buildings.

RIP to all those abroad and speedy recovery to those who survived.

Yes, the pilots did suspect engine failure as they radioed "Mayday, Mayday, Engine Flame Out..."

As a student pilot I was always challenged as to what I would in the case of a EFOT (Engine Failure on Take off), not really time to go through the check lists if this ever happened, always an emphasis on forward planing/thinking, wonder if commercial pilots familiarise themselves with airports and surrounding areas particularly those the have never used before, before getting in the cockpit and run through all possible emergency scenarios?

I would say the pilot was posibly planing on ditching, that is before losing level flight, for those who did survive it was a miracle the plane did land in the river.

Looks like nearly every driver in Taiwan has a dashcam, the car behind the taxi did and the car behind that car did as well.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Basil B

[balo]

It could have been a bird strike and both engines could have been hit , just like what happened in New York when the plane landed "safely"on Hudson river . But in this case not enough height and speed so the pilot lost control.

[Nemesis7]

The Aircraft stalled totally and crushed and the aircraft was very new only a year old, and the miracle is a toddler survived the crush and not a scratch on his body.

[steffi]

These are the planes in use by Bangkok Airways right?

[fishhooks]

As a signed in member, why is the video in Post 1 indicating as "Private" ?

Just asking!

[Tywais]

As a signed in member, why is the video in Post 1 indicating as "Private" ?

Just asking!

Appears the uploader had decided to change access privileges at YouTube for some reason.

Plenty of other footage available such as below showing combined scenes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzEi-Po7EPQ

[Basil B]

Reports of survivors is 16 at this time though do not know how serous there injuries are... I do not expect the are many more alive in the fuselage.

The ATR-72 has a very bad safety record,

same type crashed with the tower in Koh Samui in 2009

same plane type crashed in to the Mekong river in 2013

and soon, soon, Kan Air will use that plane to fly to Koh Phangan .

There are a lot of them still flying, short haul, overworked workhorse.

15 major accidents involving this plane, 5 no fatalities, 1200+ built, I do not know how many uneventful flights but still chances of crashing while flying in one must still be one in millions.

Just looking at the statistics, of the ten ATR72 accidents involving fatalities four were owned and flown by TransAsia...

That's a shocking record considering they owned less than 1% of the ATR72's built.

[JoeLing]

Reports of survivors is 16 at this time though do not know how serous there injuries are... I do not expect the are many more alive in the fuselage.

The ATR-72 has a very bad safety record,

same type crashed with the tower in Koh Samui in 2009

same plane type crashed in to the Mekong river in 2013

and soon, soon, Kan Air will use that plane to fly to Koh Phangan .

There are a lot of them still flying, short haul, overworked workhorse.

15 major accidents involving this plane, 5 no fatalities, 1200+ built, I do not know how many uneventful flights but still chances of crashing while flying in one must still be one in millions.

Just looking at the statistics, of the ten ATR72 accidents involving fatalities four were owned and flown by TransAsia...

That's a shocking record considering they owned less than 1% of the ATR72's built.

I believe it's not how many people have been killed in a plane accident who defines the safety record.

http://www.aeroinside.com/incidents/type/at72/atr-atr-72-200

[jpinx]

Reports of survivors is 16 at this time though do not know how serous there injuries are... I do not expect the are many more alive in the fuselage.

The ATR-72 has a very bad safety record,

same type crashed with the tower in Koh Samui in 2009

same plane type crashed in to the Mekong river in 2013

and soon, soon, Kan Air will use that plane to fly to Koh Phangan .

There are a lot of them still flying, short haul, overworked workhorse.

15 major accidents involving this plane, 5 no fatalities, 1200+ built, I do not know how many uneventful flights but still chances of crashing while flying in one must still be one in millions.

Just looking at the statistics, of the ten ATR72 accidents involving fatalities four were owned and flown by TransAsia...

That's a shocking record considering they owned less than 1% of the ATR72's built.

I believe it's not how many people have been killed in a plane accident who defines the safety record.

http://www.aeroinside.com/incidents/type/at72/atr-atr-72-200

There's really only 2 influences on safety -- the regulatory body and the operator

[Lite Beer]

Taiwan 'hero' pilot found clutching joystick of crashed plane

TAIPEI (AFP) - The pilot of the crashed TransAsia plane was still clutching the joystick when his body was found in the cockpit, after he battled to avoid populated areas, reports said Friday as the airline faced sanctions over its second fatal accident.

The TransAsia Airways ATR 72-600 crashed shortly after take-off from Songshan airport in Taipei on Wednesday, hitting an elevated road as it banked steeply away from buildings and into the Keelung River.

Pilot Liao Chien-tsung, 41, was among at least 35 people who lost their lives in the accident. Fifteen people survived and rescuers are still searching the river and submerged wreckage for another eight who remain missing.

Liao has been hailed as a hero for apparently making a last-ditch attempt to steer the turboprop plane, with 53 passengers and five crew on board, away from built-up areas during its steep descent, avoiding more deaths and damage.

His body was found in the cockpit still holding the joystick with both hands, and with his legs badly fractured, the Taipei-based China Times newspaper said.

"He struggled to hold onto the joystick till the last moment before the plane plunged into the river, in an attempt to control its direction and to reduce casualties," the report said, citing unnamed prosecutors investigating the case.

Taiwanese leaders and citizens have mourned Liao, with major newspapers running front-page tributes hailing him for saving many lives.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Taiwan-hero-pilot-found-clutching-joystick-of-cras-30253526.html

[NeverSure]

This is a real good vid. It clearly shows that the plane was level past the buildings, cleared the buildings, and then dropped hard to port over the roadway. It also has some excellent footage of rescuing people including perhaps the toddler.

The last article may say different, but this plane stalled port wing first and dropped like a rock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DszvxPpIWt8#t=17

[webfact]

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan official says flight data shows both engines lost power before TransAsia flight crashed.

[MrTee]

Looks as though one engine failed and the good one was shutdown by mistake.

[lumply]

Yes, that was pretty dramatic footage and my sympathies go out to all those affected. Everyone likes a good heroism story bu lets's get things into perspective. Any pilot will instinctively take evading action in the case of an emergency, just like a car driver will steer away from an obstacle. This is not bravery, it is self preservation. In the case of a malfunctioning aircraft, the handling pilot has very little time to react at low altitude. He will have practised set emergency scenarios in a simulator throughout his or her training, and during post qualification check rides. Regrettably in this case all those considerable skills were to little avail.

I did find it strange that the stressed Mayday call from the a/c was answered by an instruction from the Tower to change frequency 119.??. In the circumstances the non handling pilot would not have had a chance to comply due to their rapid descent, proximity to the ground and unusual attitude. If you are lucky to survive a Mayday situation, from experience I know how training kicks in and endlessly practiced emergency procedures saves the day in some cases, but at such low altitude as in this case the outcome is most likely to end in grief. Thank God there were survivors.

[webfact]

Related topic:

Both TransAsia plane engines lost power before Taiwan crash

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's top safety aviation official says one of the engines on TransAsia Airways Flight 235 went idle 37 seconds after takeoff and that later both engines lacked power.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/798164-both-transasia-plane-engines-lost-power-before-taiwan-crash/

[Brigante7]

Bang goes his no claims discount, I'll bet he shit a solid gold one.

[MrTee]

Bang goes his no claims discount, I'll bet he shit a solid gold one.

wow the driver must have sheeted-bricks!

from the Video it looks very much like he didn't even see it coming ...Lucky escape

[djlest]

He probably thought he hit a bird - its not every day a passenger plane clips your windscreen with the tip of its wing in a cartwheel. a truly <deleted> moment!

Edited February 6, 2015 by djlest

[SupermarineS6B]

Stalled, dropped a wing........... The sea and the sky don't tolerate fools.......

[jpinx]

Double engine failure is likely to have been a fuel problem or a flock of birds ingested.

[bassman]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Double engine failure is likely to have been a fuel problem or a flock of birds ingested.

Flock of birds in Asia? Do you believe there are enough birds left on this continent to form a flock?

[MrTee]

I read somewhere.. They believe one engine failed, this aircraft has a history of engine trouble, the pilot shut down the second engine and restarted it 56 seconds later- reason unknown!

[balo]

Now the latest reports suggests this might have been a pilot error. The wrong engine was shut down. And then they tried to start it up again without any luck.