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Kathy Gao

In an uncanny coincidence, the ATR 72-600 plane that crashed into a river in northern Taiwan yesterday was the same model that crashed and sank into a river in October 2013.
In the 2013 tragedy, the Lao Airlines plane was on a domestic flight from Vientiane, the Laos capital, to Pakxe in the southern part of the country when it crashed into the Mekong River, killing all 49 people on board.
Yesterday's TransAsia Airways crash has put the twin-engine turboprop ATR-72, made by French-Italian manufacturer Avions de Transport Regional (ATR), into the spotlight again.

It was the latest in a series of TransAsia's ATR-72s to have gone down, said Chris Yates, an aviation and security expert.
"The first accident of TransAsia happened in 1995, killing four crew members," Yates said.
In another TransAsia ATR crash, in July last year, 48 people died after the plane crashed on Taiwan's Penghu Island after the pilots could not find the runway. Ten people survived.
The ATR-72, which made its maiden flight in October 1988, has been involved in 15 accidents since 1994, according to Yates.
On Tuesday, a Garuda Indonesia ATR-72-600 from Bali skidded off the runway as it landed on the island resort of Lombok, in central Indonesia. No one on board was hurt.
But some analysts, like Yates, said that despite these incidents, the general safety record of the ATR-72 was relatively good.
"The ATR-72 is the safest aircraft you can possibly make. The latest crash is just an unfortunate accident that shouldn't have happened," said Yates.
He said there were different causes and conditions for each accident, adding that weather and the operations at the airport were all factors that could come into play.
"There is no common denominator on aircraft incidents like this … This aircraft dropped into relatively shallow water and I think we can know the answer very quickly," Yates said.
In yesterday's fatal crash, the last communication from one of the aircraft's pilots was "Mayday, Mayday engine flameout", according to an air traffic control recording on liveatc.net quoted by several news agencies.
A flameout happens when the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted or when there is faulty combustion, resulting in an engine failure. Twin-engined aircraft, however, are usually able to keep flying when one engine has failed. The plane was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127M engines. Pratt & Whitney is part of United Technologies.
The ATR-72 is a popular aircraft for regional airlines. ATR has sold more nearly 1,500 aircraft and has more than 180 operators in more than 90 countries.
An ATR media officer said the company had no comment on the latest accident.


Litany of errors led to TransAsia Airways crash in Taiwan that killed 43: report

TransAsia Airways plane forced to land on one engine months after another of its aircraft crashed on same island in Taiwan

Pilot in crashed TransAsia flight shut down plane’s only working engine by mistake: Taiwan probe

Two more bodies recovered from crash site of TransAsia Flight GE235 in Taipei

TransAsia Airways Flight GE235

Taiwan crash puts ATR 72-600 airliner back in the spotlight

The ATR-72, which made its maiden flight in October 1988, has been involved in 15 accidents since 1994.

TransAsia Airways faces tough questions

Rescuers pull a passenger from Flight GE235. Photo: Reuters

An injured passenger is escorted by emergency personnel. Photo: AFP

The plane's 'black box' has been recovered. Photo: CNA

News

China

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

In an uncanny coincidence, the ATR 72-600 plane that crashed into a river in northern Taiwan on Wednesday was the same model that crashed and sank into a river in October 2013.
