The timetable for the nation’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to become fully operational has not been affected by a chopper crash in northern Taiwan in April, an army official said yesterday.
“The Apaches will become operational in 2017” as scheduled, Major General Chen Chien-tsai (陳健財), deputy commander of the Republic of China Army Aviation Special Forces Command, said at a news conference to present the conclusions of the army’s investigation into the accident.
The chopper, one of 18 that have been delivered to Taiwan by the US since November last year, was on a training mission on April 25 when it crashed into the top of a three-story residential building in Taoyuan County’s Longtan Township (龍潭), damaging four homes, but causing no serious injuries.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Asked whether the incident had affected the delivery schedule of the other 12 Apaches to Taiwan, Chen said it had not.
The fourth batch of Apache helicopters is set to arrive in August, while the final batch is expected to be delivered in October, he said.
They are part of a NT$59.31 billion (US$2.01 billion) order for 30 of the latest Apache model.
The army said environmental factors and human error were found to be the main causes of the helicopter crash and that mechanical failure had been ruled out.
The aircraft was enveloped in cloud during a training mission at an altitude of 120 feet (36.6m) as the cloud ceiling dropped suddenly to below 200 feet, said Major General Huang Kuo-ming (黃國明), deputy inspector-general of the army.
This affected visibility and led to spatial disorientation of the pilot, Major Chen Lung-chien (陳龍謙), a flight instructor who was flying the helicopter at the time, Huang said.
However, he said Chen should have relied on his flight instruments to keep track of the aircraft’s altitude and direction.
Spatial disorientation refers to the inability of a person to determine his true body position, motion and altitude relative to the ground or his surroundings.
Chen and the other pilot on the ill-fated Apache, Lieutenant Colonel Liu Ming-hui (劉銘輝), have been suspended since the incident and have also been receiving counseling to help them recover from the incident, the army said.
They will be able to fly again after a series of evaluations, a process that could take up to six months, Chen said.
On the question of seeking compensation from the US since the Apache helicopter was still under its 18-month warranty, Huang said the ministry was studying that possibility.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an army official said that although mechanical failure has been ruled out, the US may be seen as responsible for not training Taiwanese pilots properly on how to deal with sudden climate changes, like those that occurred on the day of the crash.
The US and Taiwan are the only two countries that use AH-64E Apache helicopters.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
RSS