TransAsia Airways plane carrying more than 50 people crashes

[Rookie50]

WSJ link; No story yet.

TransAsia Airways plane carrying more than 50 people crashes in Taipei, officials say.

[bizjets101]

Live coverage click here

[cdnpilot77]

Jebus!

[Rookie50]

http://rt.com/news/229099-taiwan-plane- ... ing-river/

[Oscar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fWhYJNZt08


Mayday call at 23:25

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/rcss/ ... -0230Z.mp3

[Rowdy]

Wow! Is it just me or does that look like a yaw to the left and wing drop? I looked at a couple of the still screen grabs and it kind of looks like the left prop is at a really high blade angle..

[North Shore]

Dunno about the prop, but I agree with the yaw/wingdrop...

[PositiveRate27]

Amazing anyone survived that!

[pelmet]

Look at the picture closely. The wingtip struck that vehicle on the road. Apparently the occupants survived.

[grimey]

Look at the picture closely. The wingtip struck that vehicle on the road. Apparently the occupants survived.

Driver had a concussion and head injury, but he's stable apparently.

[PositiveRate27]

Sounds like they are calling an engine failure after the mayday call in the audio clip. It definitely looks like the left hand prop is turning slower than the right one. It also doesn't look like its feathered, but frozen screen shots are deceiving. It looks like it possibly got below VMC trying to out climb obstacles? Those buildings looked pretty tall.

[Heliian]

ya, the left engine looks like it's feathered. Full load, steep takeoff, flameout at the most critical point, stall, wing drop, crash. Miraculous no one on the ground was killed and there were survivors in the plane.

[CFR]

If you look closely right aileron up, left aileron down with a significant roll to the left, can't tell for sure but seems the rudder is max left as well.

Doesn't look like it cleared the building by much, so may have stalled bunting over it.

Amazed (but of course pleased) there were survivors.

edited- Just looked closely again and the plane is nose high as it comes over the building and then drops in that attitude before the nose pitches down and it rolls left, looks more and more like a stall to me.

[CFR]

Look at the picture closely. The wingtip struck that vehicle on the road. Apparently the occupants survived.

Driver had a concussion and head injury, but he's stable apparently.

In the video it looks like he hit the brakes a few frames (milliseconds?) before he was struck by the plane. I wonder if that small amount of braking changed the outcome.

[Troubleshot]

Just curious for a pilots thoughts on why the aircraft could not maintain flight after an apparent engine failure? I thought transport cat. aircraft are certified to that level of safety.

I understand there could have been (and likely) several variables that lead to the crash but just a "black and white" view, should that aircraft been able to climb to a safe altitude? I'm not asking for the cause, just the performance numbers. On paper that plane should be able to maintain flight with a flame out....correct or no?

thanks

[Maynard]

Probably what Colgan would have looked like if it was caught on tape. Minus the failure if there was one. Nose high, stall, roll over...

[cgzro]

If you look closely right aileron up, left aileron down with a significant roll to the left,

Shit... No comment.

[North Shore]

Does aileron position really matter at that point, though? It can't be helping matters, but the damage to stable flight was done several seconds previously, so I think they were stuffed in any case..

[Canoehead]

http://thechronicleherald.ca/world/1267 ... st-25-dead

Best video I've seen of it yet, from the car behind the Taxi in the link above.

Just curious for a pilots thoughts on why the aircraft could not maintain flight after an apparent engine failure? I thought transport cat. aircraft are certified to that level of safety.

I understand there could have been (and likely) several variables that lead to the crash but just a "black and white" view, should that aircraft been able to climb to a safe altitude? I'm not asking for the cause, just the performance numbers. On paper that plane should be able to maintain flight with a flame out....correct or no?

thanks

Yes they are, but that is predicated on systems operating as designed (ie Autofeather and or alternate feather), and proficient pilot skill. Any number of reasons why it got to this point- I'm reasonably sure by the videos that it stalled. The question is why? Flap retraction initiated below V_fri? Wrong engine identified during the 'drill'? #1 engine not fully feathered? Improper control inputs by the PF?

I'm a Q400/DH8 guy, but as I understand it, the ATR600 does not have excessive power like the Q (similar size aircraft/capacities). Regardless of the power available when an engine fails after V1, improper control inputs will make your job of climbing away hellish. I have seen many times in the sim where a pilot will ignore basic twin-engine piloting technique with an engine failed, and try to climb out with too much rudder input which invariably leads to (trying) to climb out in a cross-controlled type scenario. The VSI hovers around 50-100 FPM, perhaps the stick shaker activates, the EGPWS starts yelling about not sinking- it can get ugly. The advantage I have at that point is to hit flight-freeze, point out some observations from my seat, reposition to the threshold and say "let's try that again".

I'm not saying that's necessarily what I think happened here, but if all the systems operated normally, the aircraft was within its CofG and weight limits, and it was a simple "flame out" (words from flight), then the next probability would be a pilot issue.

This flight apparently made it to 1000' or more, which leads me to think they obviously did things right to that point. Next would be cleaning up the mess (accelerate, flap retract, shutdown drill etc.). It would seem that maybe this is where things went sideways.


Just my opinion.

[cdnpilot77]

Look at the picture closely. The wingtip struck that vehicle on the road. Apparently the occupants survived.

Driver had a concussion and head injury, but he's stable apparently.

Ho Lee Fuk....what a sight that would have been in his windshield, lucky bastard!

Another sad tragic event.