Taiwan TransAsia plane crash: Likely impact point discovered, says investigator

Officials search through the wreckage where TransAsia Airways flight GE222 crashed on July 23 in poor weather near the airport at Magong on the Penghu island chain on July 25, 2014. A line of trees about 500m away from the crash site of flight G
Officials search through the wreckage where TransAsia Airways flight GE222 crashed on July 23 in poor weather near the airport at Magong on the Penghu island chain on July 25, 2014. A line of trees about 500m away from the crash site of flight GE222 is suspected to be the aircraft's point of impact, the Aviation Safety Council (ASC) revealed on Saturday, July 26. -- PHOTO: AFP 

TAIPEI (The China Post/Asia News Network) - A line of trees about 500m away from the crash site of flight GE222 is suspected to be the aircraft's point of impact, the Aviation Safety Council (ASC) revealed on Saturday.

TransAsia Airways Flight GE222 departed from Kaohsiung International Airport in Taiwan around 5.43pm last Wednesday. A typhoon was sweeping across Taiwan on the day of the accident. Unable to land smoothly, the pilot attempted a forced landing, later crashing in a small patch of empty land 1km to 2km away from the Magong Airport landing strip, which caused the deaths of 48 passengers and injured 10 people.

According to the ASC, burn marks were discovered in the woods that are about 200m away from the village that the aircraft crashed in, so the investigators did not exclude the possibility of the woods being the first point of impact.

The ASC said that the black boxes of the aircraft that were recovered from the crash site contain the complete conversation between pilot and co-pilot in the 30 minutes before the crash.

According to the ASC, the data contained inside the two black boxes is being analysed currently, and the analysis is scheduled be completed within three to five days.

The ASC said that the four minutes after the pilot told the air traffic control operator that he would try to land again will become the key focus of the investigation.

According to the ASC, a team of investigators, including experts from the aircraft manufacturer and the French authority responsible for carrying out safety investigations related to accidents or serious incidents in civil aviation, will arrive in Penghu to join the investigation today or tomorrow.

The identities of 35 out of the 48 deceased victims from the crash of TransAsia Airways flight GE222 have been confirmed, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) announced yesterday.

According to the CAA, the death certificates for 34 victims have been issued and DNA has been collected from 11 other victims in order to confirm their identities.

The CAA said that the identities of all victims will be confirmed by the end of today.

As for the transportation of bodies, the CAA said that with the consent of victims' families, seven bodies were transported to Kaohsiung yesterday and four more bodies will be sent back today.

According to Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, one injured passenger surnamed Chang, who was transported back to Kaohsiung last Thursday night, underwent a second surgery in order to stabilise his condition.

Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital said that five hospitalised passengers who suffered from minor injuries are in stable condition.

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