On July 23, 2014, a fourteen year old TransAsia Airways ATR 72-212A with a crew of four and fifty-four passengers, was making a go-around prior to landing near Magong Airport in Taiwan, and instead of landing, TransAsia Airways flight GE222 impacted buildings and the ground. GE-222 flies from Kaohsiung to Magong.
ATC lost contact with the crew at 90 metres (300ft) above the ground. The flight was coming from Kaohsiung International Airport, Taiwan and initially suffered delays from Typhoon Matmo. Bad weather on landing led to the disastrous go-around at 7:06 p.m. The pilot had been advised to delay landing and crashed about a thousand feet shy of the runway in heavy gusting wind (47 mph) in Xixi village in the Penghu Islands, also reported as Huhsi township. There had just been ten inches of rain.
The accident occurred after the first go-around. The pilots were on their second attempt. Two residences were damaged in the crash, and four residents injured.
Two hundred troops, eight ambulances and two fire trucks responded to the scene.
Eleven people were rescued, all suffering injuries and serious burns. One died at the hospital, and the others are in critical and serious condition. Lee Yi-liang, 60, was the pilot. His co-pilot was Chiang Kuan-hsing, 39. It has not been reported if they are among the survivors. The death toll has fluctuated since the accident was reported. It appears that of all the 58 aboard, only 11 were hospitalized, and one or more of those at the hospital have died. None survived of the 47 still in the plane though they are being reported as missing, feared dead. The injured were hospitalized at military Tri-Service General Hospital in Magong. Makung Airport was closed after the accident, forcing a number of planes to reroute or cancel.
The Metars at the time of the crash:
RCQC 231130Z 23019G29KT 800 + TSRA SCT002 BKN006 FEW012CB OVC016 24/23 Q0998 RMK A2948 NOSIG R20/0800N TS OVHD STNRY =
RCQC 231110Z 25018G28KT 800 + TSRA SCT002 BKN006 FEW012CB OVC016 22/22 Q0998 RMK A2948 R20/0800 TS OVHD STNRY =
RCQC 231100Z 22011G21KT 1600 TSRA SCT002 BKN006 FEW012CB OVC016 23/22 A2945 RMK NOSIG Q0997 RERA TS OVHD STNRY =
RCQC 231040Z 19013G24KT 1600 TSRA SCT002 BKN006 FEW012CB OVC016 22/22 Q0996 RMK A2942 RERA TS OVHD STNRY =
Initial reports about the crash had it confused with a four month old ATR that made a successful landing.
