Taiwan’s aviation authority has ordered the suspension of 10 pilots from TransAsia Airways who failed a proficiency test given after one of the airline’s planes crashed into a river, killing at least 42 people.
The Civil Aviation Administration said Wednesday the 10 failed the oral exam on handling emergency situations administered after the Feb. 4 crash of Flight GE235 and need to be retrained. It said 19 other pilots who did not take the test would also be suspended.
The turboprop ATR 72-600 crashed minutes after takeoff from Taipei’s airport. Fifteen of the 58 people aboard were rescued and one person is still missing.
A preliminary investigation indicated the plane’s pilots shut off a running engine after its other engine went idle, a move that aviation experts said was an error.
Pretty strong evidence that there were deficiencies in training the TransAsia ATR72 pilots how to fly the new -600 digital cockpit.