Taiwan TransAsia pilot shut wrong engine, data confirms
Taiwan’s aviation regulator has released data showing the pilot of a TransAsia plane which crashed in Taipei had switched off the working engine after the other lost power.
Forty-three people died, including the pilot and co-pilot, when the ATR 72-600 aircraft, which can fly with one engine, ended up in a river.
The report says that in a cockpit recording, the pilot is heard saying: “Wow, pulled back the wrong side throttle.”
It does not assign blame for the crash.
The data provided as part of the investigation by the Aviation Safety Council (ASC) follows an initial assessment released days after the crash.
Giving a detailed breakdown of the conversation heard on the cockpit voice recorder between the flying pilot and the co-pilot, the report says the captain is heard saying he pulled back the wrong side throttle while the aircraft was at 309ft (94m), flying at a speed of 105 knots (120mph).
Flight data shows that the plane stalled and crashed shortly after the working engine was switched off.
The plane, which had taken off from Taipei’s Songshan airport, was carrying 58 passengers and crew when it lurched to one side, clipping an overpass and crashing upside down into the shallow river.
The ASC said it would put out a final draft in November, with causes and recommendations. The final report will be published next April.
