Flying an airplane. Lesson number one. Look out the window. If it looks hazardous to board the plane, do not fly the plane. Other than Hurricane Hunters, who the heck fly's a typhoon, whether it's the front, middle, or tail-end of the event? Pilots take ultimate responsibility, but I'm sure a nudge from management was involved.
Video: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b05_1406124283 TAIPEI—A TransAsia Airway flight originally scheduled to fly between the southern city of Kaohsiung to offshore islet of Penghu crashed due to technical failure, killing dozens of the 58 on board, the Taiwan government said Wednesday. Penghu Fire Department said at the moment it can only confirm 35 deaths because bodies were still being sent to the nearby hospital. However, the Ministry of Transportation said it is believed that at least 47 people were killed. As of 9:50 p.m. local time, 11 passengers have been sent to the hospital for burn injuries, According to Civil Aeronautics Administration, the aircraft was a ATR-72 short-haul regional airliner and had been in commission for 14 years. The flight was originally scheduled to take off at 4 p.m. but was asked to stay grounded until 5:43 p.m. due to inclement weather caused by typhoon Matmo.
A plane landing in stormy weather crashed outside an airport on a small Taiwanese island late Wednesday, and the transport minister said 47 people were trapped and feared dead.
Confirmed: GE 222 crashed on second approach after go around around 19:20 local time. The ATR72 was facing heavy rain. Aviation Safety Council says 47 fatalities, 11 injured. 54pax, 2 flight deck, 2 cabin. The ATR was 13 years old. Pilot had 25 years experience, ~30,000 hours. More on my twitter @tculpan, will try to update from the scene (If I can get there)
’51 People Feared Dead’ in Crash of TransAsia Flight 222
A TransAsia Airways plane crashed while landing in the Penghu Islands off the western coast of Taiwan.
Flight 222 was flying from the capital city of Taipei and reports indicate that the pilot’s first attempt to land failed. He requested a go-around and air-traffic control then lost contact with the aircraft.
Reports on the death toll and number of injuries vary....