Posted on 02/07/2015 8:19:25 PM PST by Reverend Saltine
The bodies of Liao and his co-pilot were retrieved from the almost-new turboprop ATR 72-600's cockpit still clutching the joystick, with their legs badly broken, investigators said.
UPDATED
taiwan-crashTAIPEI: The pilot of the crashed TransAsia plane was still clutching the joystick when his body was found in the cockpit, after he battled to avoid populated areas, reports said Friday as the airline faced sanctions over its second fatal accident.
The TransAsia Airways ATR 72-600 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.
Pilot Liao Chien-tsung, 41, was among at least 35 people who lost their lives in the accident. Fifteen people survived and rescuers are still searching the river and submerged wreckage for another eight who remain missing.
Liao has been hailed as a hero for apparently making a last-ditch attempt to steer the turboprop plane, with 53 passengers and five crew on board, away from built-up areas during its steep descent, avoiding more deaths and damage.
(Excerpt) Read more at freemalaysiatoday.com ...
> “My guess is the pilot turned off the good engine with a hope of a crash landing in the river. But just did not have the altitude to pull it off.”
Not my guess. If the good engine was producing more torque than could be controlled by the ailerons and tail (a long shot for a commercial airliner), they might have reduced the power on the good engine slightly, not shut it off.
One of the two pilots guessed wrong (for whatever reason) on which engines was out.
Aircraft crash rates with twin engine props with one engine out are far more lethal than single engine or center line thrust multi-engine aircraft.
The Beechcraft Baron was famous for this problem. There was a best rate of climb published at something like 80KTS. Minimum controllable airspeed in a Baron with critical engine out was like 78 KTS. It was very easy to find yourself in a pickle.
Just looking at the blurring of the props in that picture, it looks like port (low side) blades are turning a lot slower than starboard blades.
Yep, that’s #1. They shut it offabout 40 seconds after #2 failed.
Just before the end, they restarted it. In that pic, it is just coming back up to speed.
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5;node=14%3A1.0.1.3.11#se14.1.25_1121
One engine out climb requirements for passenger certification.
thank you
This one was not an Airbus though.
Since the good engine was producing maximum thrust and the bad engine zero thrust, laws of physics would immediately want the aircraft flying sideways. If the aircraft has not gained enough altitude at the point of engine failure, it must be difficult to level the aircraft with ailerons and tail manipulations.
The pilot was hoping by killing the good engine, the plane could be leveled and a crash landing in the river was the only way out.
The main question in my mind is, were both engines adequately tested before attempting takeoff? If yes, what makes one engine fail so quickly and completely? It can’t be overheating or fuel running out or metal fatigue.
Do all foreign airlines follow part 121 operations? Max gross weight and CG loading? Most regional carriers adjust fuel load to stay within safe loading. Pilots do not ever like to remove fuel to get within gross weight requirements. Gross weight severely restricts normal to utility category loading.
That lesson has saved my life once along with 5 passangers.
The Aircraft has no stick. It has a YOKE, so the yoke must be on them?
Aircraft crash rates with twin engine props with one engine out are far more lethal than single engine or center line thrust multi-engine aircraft.
The Beechcraft Baron was famous for this problem. There was a best rate of climb published at something like 80KTS. Minimum controllable airspeed in a Baron with critical engine out was like 78 KTS. It was very easy to find yourself in a pickle.
He was too low, too slow—Classic Tip Stall, fell off the “beachball”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_mMd13iE5g
This is an RC airplane but the aerodynamics are the same.
Does it have a RAT (ram air turbine) to generate a minimum amount of electricity to power the control surfaces?
If so, they could have trimmed for best glide and taken it right to the river with a better landing than what they did.
Point well taken. I will try to avoid these ATR’s.
AFAIK, Taiwan CAA follows our FAA regs.
Engine #2 was still running at idle speed, so they had power.
Then they could have easily trimmed for best glide and did a little better on their landing possibly.
I think some have mentioned that in the picture in post #14, that it appears that right prop is turning while the left is not. If true, it would cause exactly the scenario depicted.
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