TAIPEI: Taiwan's TransAsia Airways said Friday all its 71 ATR pilots will have to take a flight skills test following its second deadly accident in seven months.
Unfortunately this is 'too little, too late'.
The are a number of questions that need to be raised about this operator after the second deadly accident in 9 months.
The first needs to be the regulator who has clearly lost regulatory oversight, following the first fatal crash several months before. Taiwan has suffered with a military style management in the airlines and I believe that the regulator themselves is suffering from the same syndrome.
Military management mixed with asian culture demonstrates significant changes are required.
Below is courtesy of wikipedia.
Accidents and incidents[edit]
On 30 January 1995, an ATR 72-200 of TransAsia Airways crashed into a hillside during flight from Penghu to Taipei. Four crew members died.[12]
On 6 January 1996, a man, disappointed with domestic political and social developments in Taiwan, hijacked TransAsia Airways flight 529, an Airbus A321-131, en route to Tainan. He gave a note to one of the flight attendants, claiming to have a bomb. He demanded that the plane be flown to Fujian Province, China. The hijacker agreed to the pilot's suggestion to land in Tainan for refueling and was arrested upon landing.[13]
On December 21, 2002, TransAsia Airways cargo flight 791, an ATR 72-200, crashed due to icing, during a flight from Taipei to Macau. Both crew members died. The plane encountered severe icing conditions beyond the icing certification envelope of the aircraft and crashed into sea 17 km southwest of Makung city. The Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan investigation found that the crash was caused by ice accumulation around the plane's major components, resulting in the aircraft's loss of control. The investigation identified that flight crew did not respond to the severe icing conditions with the appropriate alert situation awareness and did not take the necessary actions.[14]
On March 21, 2003, TransAsia Airways flight 543, an Airbus A321 (B-22603) collided with a truck upon landing at Tainan Airport at the end of a flight from Taipei Songshan Airport. The truck trespassed the runway without noticing the incoming plane. None of the 175 passengers and crew died or were injured but the two people inside the truck were injured in the collision. The aircraft was damaged severely in the accident and was written off.[15]
On 18 October 2004, TransAsia Airways flight 536, an Airbus A320-232 (B-22310), rolled off the runway during landing 321 feet from the end of runway 10 at Taipei Songshan Airport, ending up with the nosegear in a ditch. According to the records in the Technical Log Book of the aircraft, the number 2 engine thrust reverser system malfunctioned and was transferred to deferred defect (DD) item and the thrust reverser was deactivated in accordance with the procedures in the Minimum Equipment List.[16]
On July 19, 2005, TransAsia Airways Flight 028, an ATR72-212A (B-22805), landed at Taipei Songshan Airport. As the aircraft taxied on Taxiway CC after landing, it made an early right turn onto a service road. The aircraft’s right wing hit a flood light pole and stopped. Two pilots, 2 cabin attendants and 24 passengers were on board. One cabin crew encountered minor injury. The front spar of the right wing of the aircraft was damaged.[17]
On July 23, 2014, TransAsia Airways Flight 222, an ATR 72-500 (B-22810) carrying 54 passengers and 4 crew members from Kaohsiung to Magong crashed[18] near Magong Airport on Penghu Island. 47 people were confirmed dead while at least 7 of the 11 survivors were seriously injured. Some reports suggest there were also 5 casualties on the ground when the plane impacted residential buildings.[19]
On February 4, 2015, TransAsia Airways Flight 235, an ATR 72-600 (B-22816), had 58 people aboard when it lost control just after takeoff and crashed at 10:56 AM local time into the Keelung River near Taipei. Of the 58, there were 51 adults, two children and five crew members. Ten people have been rescued and dozens more are trapped, and rescuers are trying to reach them. 39 are confirmed dead.[20][21]
When do you acknowledge there is a systemic problem?