Installing eye-tracking devices inside aircraft cockpits could be useful in aviation safety investigations, an Aviation Safety Council (ASC) official said yesterday.
Aviation investigators rely on information recorded on “black boxes” — flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders — to investigate plane crashes, council executive director Thomas Wang (王興中) said.
“However, what we are missing is why pilots did or said something. What information led them to make an erroneous judgement? Eye-tracking devices would help us see what pilots see and know, and for how long,” Wang said.
Wang in April proposed the devices at the European Network of Civil Aviation Safety Authorities Seminar in Slovakia and in August at the International Accident Investigation and Prevention Conference in San Diego.
In his presentation, which he coauthored with Cranfield University senior lecturer Li Wen-chin (李文清), Wang gave as an example the TransAsia Airways GE235 crash investigation in 2015.
One of the key findings of the TransAsia probe was that the aircraft’s No. 2 engine automatically switched to feathered mode soon after takeoff to reduce drag, because it was not producing enough power, the council said.
Investigators also found that rather than shutting down the engine, the pilot shut down the No. 1 engine — which was functioning normally — and switched off the fuel circuit.
The error caused both engines to shut down and led to the crash.
“All we know is the conversation between the two pilots and that the engine was shut down. If we knew what the pilot saw before he shut down the wrong engine, we might determine what caused him to make the error,” Wang said.
Companies are developing image recorders that could be installed in the cockpit in the near future, Wang said.
However, pilots have only agreed to be filmed from behind for privacy reasons, he said.
The device could help with crash investigations or other aviation accidents, and could also be used to train pilots, Wang said.
Installation of such devices depends on whether international organizations can reach a consensus on their necessity and address pilots’ privacy concerns, Wang said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it