TransAsia ATR Crashes in Taiwan, 48 Dead

An ATR 72-500 operated by Taiwan’s TransAsia Airways crashed on its second attempt at landing during a thunderstorm in Magong, Taiwan, killing 48 of the 58 passengers and crewmembers on board. The 70-seat turboprop, operating as Flight GE222, took off from the city of Kaohsiung on a scheduled flight to Magong. According to ATR, the accident happened around 7:30 p.m. local time. Reports out of Taiwan indicate that the airplane hit houses near the airport, but that no fatalities resulted on the ground.

ATR delivered the aircraft, MSN 642, to the airline from its production line in Toulouse in June 2000.

The Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan leads the investigation and serves as the official source of information on the crash. Meanwhile, ATR said it would advise the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et Analyses (BEA), the safety investigation authority representing the state of the aircraft manufacturer, as prescribed under international treaties.