A helicopter that crashed in Hualien County yesterday, killing all three passengers on board, including acclaimed Taiwanese documentary director Chi Po-lin (齊柏林), had been in service for more than 15 years, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said.
The Bell 206B-3 helicopter manufactured in 2001, which belonged to Emerald Pacific Airlines, was the oldest of three Bell helicopters operated by the company.
Aviation authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
Emerald Pacific Airlines, founded in 1994 and based in Taichung, is mainly contracted to clean cap and pin insulators on high-voltage transmission lines.
The airline has had four other crashes prior to yesterday’s, mostly involving the same type of aircraft.
On Nov. 29, 1999, a Hiller UH-12 helicopter flying along Kaoping River en route to spray pesticide on banana farms in Pingtung County crashed at the river dam catchment area, killing the pilot.
On Sept. 3, 2001, a Bell 206B-3 helicopter became tangled in power lines and crashed when crew were cleaning cap and pin insulators on high-voltage transmission lines for Taiwan Power Co (Taipower), killing two on board.
On Dec. 18, 2014, a Bell 206B-3 helicopter was used to clean cap and pin insulators for Taipower when it suddenly lost power.
The pilot made an emergency landing and two people on board sustained minor injuries.
On Nov. 22, 2015, a Bell 206B-3 crashed when used for cleaning cap and pin insulators for Taipower, killing two on board.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS