TransAsia crash pilot last words: 'Wow, pulled the wrong throttle'

[marble falls]

TransAsia crash pilot last words: 'Wow, pulled the wrong throttle'

Caroline Mortimer, The Independent

20 hours ago

Captain Liao accidentally turned off the only working engine while trying to fix the other one which had "flamed out"

A recording taken from the cockpit of crashed TransAsia flight GE235 has revealed the pilot accidentally switched off the plane’s sole working engine – a blunder that resulted in the deaths of 43 people in Taiwan.

According to a report by the country’s Aviation Safety Council, Captain Liao Jian-zong was heard to say "Wow, pulled back the wrong side throttle" but did not realise his mistake until it was too late.

Dramatic footage from a nearby motorway in Taipei showed the plane flipping over, narrowly missing nearby buildings and clipping the motorway and a taxi as it crashed into the Keelung River just minutes after taking off from Taipei Songshan Airport.

There appeared to be some confusion as Liao and his co-pilot desperately tried to restart the other engine after it appeared to lose power three minutes into the flight.

Relatives of the victims pray during a Buddhist ritual near the wreckage of TransAsia Airways plane Flight GE235 after it crash landed into a river, in New Taipei City, February 5, 2015.

It has also been revealed that Liao, who was killed instantly on impact, had failed simulator training in May the previous year because he did not know how to deal with an engine flame out on take off. Despite this he passed the test a second time in June and was promoted to captain in August 2014.

Instructors commented at the time that he was "prone to be nervous and may make oral errors during the engine start procedure", displayed a "lack of confidence" and was "nervous", the report shows. In pictures: TransAsia crash


One survivor told a local TV station, ETTTV, that the engine did not feel right from take off.

Huang Jin-sun said: “There was some sound next to me. It did not feel right shortly after take-off. The engine did not feel right.”

The council's initial report did not assign blame to any party. A draft of the final report is due to be released in November.

Additional reporting by Reuters

https://trove.com/a/TransAsia-crash-pilot-last-words-Wow-pulled-the-wrong-throttle.DERnM?nocrawl=1

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Not a pilot, but I'd think if one were that low to the ground,

one shouldn't try anything interesting until getting some altitude, precisely because things like this can happen and if you're low there's no margin for error. My understanding is that multi-engine commercial planes are mandated to be safe with one engine out.

[marble falls]

2. I'm curious about how much one can do with literally seconds to get anything done in....

He was safe with one engine out. Then he turned that one off.

How you been Manny?

[MannyGoldstein]

3. I'm doing well. You? nt

[marble falls]

4. Glad to hear it. The last month or so I feel as good and as strong as I felt four....

years ago before I got sick. Life is good.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Great that you're feeling good!

I don't recall knowing that you are (or were) sick, sorry if I forgot! I am pretty forgetful, a genetic thing.

[marble falls]

6. Really didn't talk too much about it, had three surgeries for bladder cancer....

the last two in April and last August.

I have a very positive attitude towards the VA than some others might have. But life is good. And I feel strong again.

[MannyGoldstein]

10. The VA is very good, at least in Boston

I know some docs who practice at the VA and at other local hospitals, (they're all part of the Harvard Med School system), they like the VA quite a bit.

Good luck with your condition, I hope that you keep feeling great!

[marble falls]

11. The VA is good at Temple, Tx, too. The VA probably trains more doctors....

than any other entity in the world.

[Blue_Tires]

8. If an engine fails, the shutdown should be immediate

until the problem is analyzed, identified, isolated, etc...

Failure to do so can result in a making a potentially minor problem into a catastrophic one...

[MannyGoldstein]

9. That sounds reasonable

Tough to develop good rules for this kind of thing. I do something similar IRL, but not for planes.

[Blue_Tires]

13. The rules are usually set by the aircraft manufacturer...

since so many critical airframe systems are interconnected...

In fact, this is generally one of the requirements to be met before being granted a type certificate...

[petronius]

7. On top of all the other tragedy, I can't help thinking how fucked up

that must have been for the co-pilot to hear at the end of it all...

[marble falls]

12. I've read that FAA investigators can tell by listening to tapes at which point....

a pilot realizes its going to end badly. Almost all pilots no matter what country they're from say the same thing: "Oh shit....!"