Taiwan air traffic controllers acquitted over role in TransAsia crash
Two air traffic control officers were acquitted for their role in one of the worst air accidents in Taiwan’s history.
Lee Chia-feng and Ching Yuan-wu were charged last year with negligence and although the court acknowledged they made errors, most of the blame for the crash was attributed to the two pilots who both died in the accident.
The TransAsia Airways flight was carrying 59 passengers and crew as it attempted to land in a typhoon on Penghu Island in 2013.
It veered off course and crashed into several houses with only nine survivors.
"The main cause of the accident was because the flight crew did not follow the standard landing procedures," the court said following the acquittal.
"Operating a flight is highly dependent on the front-line crew acting in accordance with their training and standards. This is even more so during a typhoon, when the climate can change quickly."
The pilots were flying too low during their approach in poor visibility, an Aviation Safety Council report stated last year.
This and a second deadly crash less than a year later, was ultimately responsible for TransAsia’s demise.
It shut down last year after nearly two years of major financial losses.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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