TAIPEI/BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Rescue workers recovered another five bodies from the Keelung River in Taipei on Saturday, three days after the TransAsia Airways plane crash that killed at least 40.
Three passengers were still missing.
There were 15 survivors. Thirty-one tourists from the Chinese mainland who had just completed visits to Taiwan were on board the plane bound for Kinmen when the tragedy happened and at least 26 of them have died in the crash.
Rescuers found the bodies in waters 500 meters, 600 meters and 1 km downstream from the crash site, according to Taiwan's disaster response center.
A public memorial ceremony has been scheduled on Feb. 10 in Taipei to mourn victims of the crash.
The ATR72-600 turboprop passenger plane crashed into the Keelung River in Taipei shortly after takeoff from Songshan Airport at 10:52 a.m on Wednesday.
The exact cause of the crash remains unclear but initial analysis of the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder by the Aviation Safety Council showed the right engine of the plane flashed a warning signal just 37 seconds after takeoff and pilots manually cut the fuel supply to the left engine, leading to a loss of power in both engines before the plane went down.
Thomas Wang, managing director of the ASC, said the pilot announced a "flame-out", which can occur when the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted or when there is faulty combustion. However, Wang said there was in fact no flame-out, and the engine on the right side had shifted into idle mode without any change in oil pressure.
The 72-seater aircraft, an ATR 72-600 manufactured by Franco-Italian firm ATR, is able to fly or take off with just one functioning engine, said Yann Torres, of France's aviation accident investigation bureau (BEA) who has joined the investigation.
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Xinhua Insight: Both engines "lost power" before Taiwan plane crash
TAIPEI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The TransAsia Airlines flight that crashed in Taipei on Wednesday lost power in both engines before it went down, but one had its power cut rather than suffering any mechanical failure.
The Aviation Safety Council (ASC) said the plane ran into trouble 37 seconds after taking off from Taipei's Songshan Airport. Engine No. 2 (right) sent a "master warning" signal to the pilots, according to initial analysis of the flight data recorders. Data suggests that the crew tried to cut the fuel supply to the engine on the left.Full Story
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TAIPEI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers on Friday morning recovered four more bodies from the Keelung River, raising the death toll from Wednesday's TransAsia Airways passenger plane crash to 35.
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TAIPEI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Flight data for the TransAsia airplane that crashed in Taipei on Wednesday showed a "mayday" call and engine failure a minute before the blackboxes stopped working, according to preliminary analysis results from Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council (ASC) on Friday.
The findings come after authorities analyzed the plane's two flight data recorders, or "black boxes", and voice recordings recovered from the plane after it crashed into the Keelung River. Full story
CAAC says willing to help TransAsia Airways over plane crash
BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it is willing to offer all-out assistance to TransAsia Airways after a TransAsia airplane crashed into a Taipei river on Wednesday.
The CAAC sent a message to TransAsia Airways extending its condolences to the victims and the injured on board flight GE235, said Li Jiaxiang, head of the CAAC.
Flight GE235 of TransAsia Airways, carrying 58 people, crashed into a Taipei river on Wednesday morning. The death toll has reached 12. The aircraft is ATR 72 model Full Story
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