Emergency landing goes wrong

The plane, travelling from a southern Taiwan city to the Penghu islands, was attempting an emergency landing amid adverse weather conditions

July 24, 2014 12:52 am | Updated 12:52 am IST - BEIJING:

Rescue workers work next to the wreckage of TransAsia Airways flight GE222 on Wednesday.

Rescue workers work next to the wreckage of TransAsia Airways flight GE222 on Wednesday.

At least 47 people were feared killed when a TransAsia Airways turboprop aircraft crash landed on an island off Taiwan’s west coast amid adverse weather conditions on account of a typhoon.

The ATR 72 turboprop, belonging to Taiwan-based TransAsia Airways, was carrying 54 passengers and four crew on board as it attempted to land on a runway on the Penghu islands west of Taiwan.

Taiwan’s transportation authority said in a statement the plane, travelling from the southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung to the Penghu islands, was attempting an emergency landing when it crashed on Wednesday evening.

The typhoon Matmo struck Taiwan earlier in the day, bringing rain and strong winds. Many flights had been delayed or cancelled because of the weather. TransAsia flight GE222 had also been delayed by close to two hours in Kaohsiung because of adverse conditions.

Taiwan aviation officials told reporters the plane had first attempted to circle around the airport on Penghu, before losing contact with air traffic control and subsequently attempting to land.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.