Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration has ordered all ATR turboprops registered in its jurisdiction to undergo “special checks” involving engines, fuel controls, propellers and other systems. The order follows Wednesday’s crash of a TransAsia ATR 72 in Taipei, in which at least 32 of the 58 people on board died. Video footage taken by a motorist shows the 72-seat turboprop banking sharply left, barely missing an apartment building and clipping with its left wing the top of a taxi traveling on an overpass before diving into the Keelung River. Rescue crews on the scene minutes after the crash pulled 15 survivors from the wreckage. Eleven passengers remained missing as of nightfall Thursday.
TransAsia’s remaining ATR fleet—a mix of ATR 72-500 and -600s—numbers 10 airplanes, while the other Taiwanese regional airline operating the type, EVA Air subsidiary Uni Air, flies 12 ATR 72-600s.
On Wednesday, rescue teams recovered the airplane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders. On Thursday an ATR “go team” left Toulouse, France, to support French investigators, the manufacturer reported. The Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan leads the investigation, while ATR advises the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et Analyses (BEA), the safety investigation authority representing the state of the aircraft manufacturer.
Flight GE235 took off from Songhan Airport at around 10:45 a.m. local time on a scheduled flight between Taipei and the Taiwanese island of Kinmen.
Some two minutes after takeoff the pilots called “Mayday” and indicated an engine flameout, reported Reuters. ATR identified the aircraft, registered as B-22816, as MSN 1141.
The crash marked the second fatal accident in seven months for TransAsia, Taiwan’s third largest airline. In July, a TransAsia ATR 72-500 crashed into a residential area while trying to land on Taiwan’s Penghu Island, killing 48 of the 58 people on board. That crash remains under investigation.