TransAsia Engines Failed Before Crash Says Aviation Authority

February 6, 2015 – Both engines of the TransAsia ATR 72-600 that crashed in Taiwan this week failed before it plummeted into a river, killing at least 35 people, the Aviation Safety Council said earlier today.

“Based on the data we have so far we can see that for a period of time both engines showed no thrust,” said Thomas Wang, director of the agency which is investigating the cause of the accident. “The right engine flamed out and triggered a warning in the cockpit. The left engine was shut down by command and the pilot tried to restart the engine but couldn’t,” Wang said.

The TransAsia Airways plane crashed shortly after take-off from Songshan airport in Taipei on Wednesday, hitting an elevated road as it banked steeply away from buildings and into the Keelung River.

Fifteen people survived and rescuers are still searching the river and submerged wreckage for another eight who remain missing. Wednesday’s accident, which occurred on a domestic route to the island of Kinmen, was the second fatal crash for TransAsia after a July disaster that left 48 people dead.