Taiwan has charged two of its air traffic control officers. These air traffic controllers are accused of having caused a TransAsia plane crash that killed 49 people in 2014.
The plane’s two pilots, who died in the crash, were also blamed for flying Flight GE222 into a residential area as the aircraft attempted to land at Magong city airport in the Penghu islands.
The pilots will not be prosecuted, but ground staff in charge of air traffic that day are being sued for criminal negligence, which carries a jail term of up to five years.
Taiwan’s aviation body in January said the pilots had caused the crash on July 23, 2014, by flying too low as they tried to land during a typhoon.
The probe also blamed other factors for the disaster, including poor communication of weather information to the flight crew and coordination issues at Magong airport.
Prosecutors said Thursday a senior duty officer at Magong surnamed Ching, and another member of staff surnamed Li, contributed to the crash by not allowing the plane to land.
TransAsia has seen several accidents in recent years that have raised concern about the airline’s safety standards.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- The plane’s two pilots, who died in the crash, were also blamed for flying Flight GE222 into a residential area as the aircraft attempted to land at Magong city airport in the Penghu islands.
- Prosecutors said Thursday a senior duty officer at Magong surnamed Ching, and another member of staff surnamed Li, contributed to the crash by not allowing the plane to land.
- The pilots will not be prosecuted, but ground staff in charge of air traffic that day are being sued for criminal negligence, which carries a jail term of up to five years.
