The Control Yuan has censured Army Command Headquarters for negligence in the April crash of an AH-64E Apache attack helicopter in Taoyuan County, but acknowledged that further investigation could yield other culprits, since its own probe did not cover technical factors.
An initial investigation concluded that flight safety measures did not adhere to standard procedures and flight plans were not followed, Control Yuan member Chao Chang-ping (趙昌平) said.
The government agency has asked the army to “correct” its operations by setting up a standard operating procedure to improve flight safety.
Major General Huang Kuo-ming (黃國明), deputy inspector-general of the army, yesterday said the branch of the military has promised to heed the Control Yuan’s advice and make the necessary improvements soon.
However, the attribution of responsibility for the accident should take into account the investigations into the incident being carried out by the government and Washington, Chao said.
After the April 25 crash, the Ministry of National Defense and the army assembled a task force including US technicians to determine if it was human error or mechanical failure that brought the helicopter down.
The Apache that crashed was one of 18 delivered to Taiwan by the US since November last year. The chopper was being flown in a flight training exercise when it collided with the top of a three-story residential building in Taoyuan County’s Longtan Township (龍潭), damaging four homes and destroying the helicopter, but causing no serious injuries.
The two pilots on board were unhurt, except for minor scratches.
The army released its own report on the crash yesterday, which named environmental factors and pilot error as the main causes of the crash. The report was reviewed by the Aviation Safety Council, the Civil Aeronautics Administration and experts.
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