TransAsia ATR Crashes in Taiwan, 48 Dead
The ATR 72-500 failed in its second attempt to land in stormy weather.
TransAsia had taken delivery of three new ATR 72-600s by the time one of its older -500s crashed in Taiwan on Wednesday. (Photo: ATR)
TransAsia had taken delivery of three new ATR 72-600s by the time one of its older -500s crashed in Taiwan on Wednesday. (Photo: ATR)

An ATR 72-500 operated by Taiwan’s TransAsia Airways crashed on its second attempt at landing during a thunderstorm in Magong, Taiwan, killing 48 of the 58 passengers and crewmembers on board. The 70-seat turboprop, operating as Flight GE222, took off from the city of Kaohsiung on a scheduled flight to Magong. According to ATR, the accident happened around 7:30 p.m. local time. Reports out of Taiwan indicate that the airplane hit houses near the airport, but that no fatalities resulted on the ground.