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Airport blamed for near-tragedy

The Aviation Safety Council yesterday released its final report on TransAsia Airways' ill-fated night landing at Tainan Airport in March last year, pointing the finger at a poorly managed airport and boosting TransAsia's bid for NT$430 million in compensation.

On March 21 last year, TransAsia flight GE543 crashed into a construction truck on the lit runway. Although the 169 passengers and 6 crew on board were not seriously injured, three construction workers were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

In October last year, TransAsia Airways estimated its losses at US$900 million, and was the first domestic airline to seek national compensation. Combined with an insurance company's suit for US$10.75 million, the compensation claim is now an unprecedented NT$800 million.

"We will continue our suit against the air force," said Janet So (湛華生), TransAsia's public relations manager, in a phone interview.

"If negotiations break off, we will file other suits for operations losses, damage to our reputation and interest incurred by the delay in compensation," So said.

According to the Aviation Safe-ty Council, both the air force and the Civil Aeronautic Administration should be held responsible for poor coordination and inadequate safety mechanisms at the joint civilian-military airport.

"The runway incursion was caused by multiple factors," council chairman Kay Yong (戎凱) said. "Only through top-level cooperation can the risk factors be reduced."

At 10:30pm, an air force technician led a construction team to the airport's Runway 36 Right without tower permission, the council said.

Although the runway edge light was activated for night landings, the construction team mistook its illumination for a routine lighting test. Two lighting tests had been conducted during curfew on the two previous nights.

Tainan Airport's curfew commences at 10:30pm. At 10:31pm on that night, however, controllers cleared TransAsia flight GE543 to land.

The construction team did not verify the flight schedule with the tower, according to the council.

Because the truck was not equipped with flashing lights, both tower controllers and pilots were unable to detect the truck on the runway.

At 10:35pm, the plane's nose-wheel touched the ground and the plane skidded. The pilots saw the truck and were unable to avoid a collision.

Other construction workers had tried to inform the construction team on the runway by radio, but the radio set they used had no power.

The council urged both the Civil Aeronautic Administration and Air Force Headquarters to clarify their responsibilities at the airport and improve safety mechanisms. In May and July this year, the council demanded that both authorities provide suggestions on improving their management of the airport. It has yet to receive a reply from either.
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