Taiwan crash pilot hailed as a hero

TAIPEI — The pilot of the plane that crashed on Wednesday in Taipei was hailed as a hero for apparently steering away from a densely populated area toward the river where the aircraft went down, as survivors of the crash recounted their experiences and families of the dead mourned.

The cause of the crash of TransAsia Airways Corporation Flight 235, which carried 58 people, remains undetermined. Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council said data from the plane’s recorder is being analysed, and an initial assessment is expected to be released in the next two days.

Authorities said 31 people died, with 15 injured and 12 passengers, all Chinese nationals, still missing. The plane departed Taipei Songshan Airport, which is located in the capital, and was en route to the outlying island of Kinmen on Wednesday morning. According to the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the control tower lost communication with the cockpit four minutes after takeoff.

The aviation authority on Thursday confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that a recording of an exchange between air traffic control and the plane on which a distress call can be heard is the last communication between the pilot and the control  tower before the crash. The recording, in which a pilot can be heard saying “Mayday Mayday, engine flameout,” was  released on Wednesday by an independent website that monitors air traffic control communications.

A CAA official declined to confirm the name of the pilot whose voice is heard. The official said any interpretation of the recording must be done by the Aviation Safety Council, which is responsible for the investigation.

Rescuers yesterday worked to recover bodies and wreckage from the river where the plane went down. Street vendors set up food stalls near the site to offer free hot drinks and food to the rescue workers. Several government agencies cancelled Lunar New Year dinners. Both of Taiwan’s major political parties also called off campaign activities ahead of the coming legislative by-elections.

It was TransAsia’s second deadly crash in seven months.

At a memorial service yesterday, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je paid respect to the pilot, Liao Chien-chung, who died in the crash. Ko said the pilot saved thousands of lives by directing the plane away from a bustling area in its descent path—including a subway station, a hospital, a busy highway and Nankang Software Park, which houses a cluster of technology companies.

“This accident is a tragedy, but we must thank the pilot who did his best,” Ko said at a news conference.

Liao, 41 years old, had more than 4,900 flight hours before the crash, the CAA said. His aunt, who didn’t provide her name, said that Liao, the son of night market vendors in southern Taiwan, had long dreamed of becoming a pilot. — Wall Street Journal.