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  • 6/5/2025

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00:00A Taiwanese commuter flight, landing in bad weather, goes horribly wrong.
00:11Trans-Asia 222D, copy.
00:19I understand that we are going to face a major accident investigation.
00:24People are saying that the typhoon caused the crash.
00:27Speculation on a cause runs rampant.
00:31What was the minimum descent altitude?
00:33But the evidence points investigators in a troubling direction.
00:37Unfortunately, the pilots perished in this accident,
00:40so it's impossible to ask them after the fact what was going on.
00:49Mayday, mayday.
00:51On a rainy summer evening, Trans-Asia flight 222 is in a holding pattern,
00:543,100 feet above the Taiwan Strait.
00:55On a rainy summer evening, Trans-Asia flight 222 is in a holding pattern, 3,100 feet above the Taiwan Strait.
01:09The pilot flying is Captain Li Yi Liang.
01:11Heading 240.
01:12He's a former military pilot with 22 years of commercial experience.
01:15Trans-Asia 222, heading 240.
01:16Heading 240.
01:18He's a former military pilot with 22 years of commercial experience.
01:20Trans-Asia 222, heading 240.
01:21He's a former military pilot with 22 years of commercial experience.
01:24Trans-Asia 222, heading 240.
01:26Trans-Asia 222, heading 240.
01:30He's a former military pilot with 22 years of commercial experience.
01:33Trans-Asia 222, heading 240.
01:35He's a former military pilot with 22 years of commercial experience.
01:36Trans-Asia 222, heading 240.
01:40First officer Qiyong Quan Xing is the pilot monitoring.
01:44He's been in the job for just two and a half years.
01:47Trans-Asia 222, heading 240.
01:55The pilot flying flies the airplane.
02:04The pilot not flying is overseeing the flying of the airplane
02:08and is trained to interject and to intercede
02:11if procedures aren't being followed
02:13or if the aircraft is in a dangerous situation.
02:18The Trans-Asia crew is flying an ATR-72 twin-engine turboprop,
02:23a popular short-haul airliner.
02:26The ATR-72 has an excellent reputation.
02:29It's been in production since the late 1980s.
02:32There are 54 passengers and four crew on board.
02:37Almost all are Taiwanese nationals.
02:45Flight 222 departed from Kaohsiung City,
02:48the second largest city in Taiwan.
02:50It's headed for Magong in the Penggu Archipelago,
02:54a popular Taiwanese vacation spot.
02:58When we hear Penggu and Magong,
03:01we think of summertime and going to the sea and lots of tourists.
03:13Bad weather has delayed their arrival.
03:17Excuse me.
03:19How long before we land?
03:21The flight has been circling along with three other aircraft
03:24for close to half an hour.
03:34The delay is the result of Typhoon Matmo.
03:39The Category 2 storm hit peak intensity a day earlier
03:43with winds of nearly 90 miles an hour.
03:46Taiwan is located in a tropical area,
03:50so it's normal that we get typhoons even in the summer.
03:56There was a typhoon just passing through the Taiwan area
03:59and moving to China.
04:01But there was thunderstorm, heavy rain,
04:04and a very strong wind, a gust wind.
04:07But now the weather in Magong is starting to improve,
04:13so air traffic control starts bringing in the circling planes.
04:20UNIAIR 7647, Magong runway 20 now open.
04:26Visibility 1,600 meters.
04:28State your attention.
04:30UNIAIR 7647, request runway 20, approach.
04:34There were a total of four airplanes in the air at the time
04:39waiting to get into Magong Airport.
04:44The Trans-Asia captain checks the approach chart,
04:47preparing for his turn to land.
04:49Visibility 1,600.
04:52We can now use 2-0.
04:55Trans-Asia, 2-2-2, you're next in line.
04:59Say your intention.
05:02Trans-Asia, 2-2-2, request runway 20, VOR.
05:08Trans-Asia, 2-2-2, roger.
05:11Fly heading 0-2-3-6-0, radar vector.
05:16VOR approach.
05:19A VOR is a type of radio navigation device
05:22that's commonly used to either help the aircraft navigate
05:26over large areas of land,
05:28or more specifically as part of an instrument landing system.
05:32Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin our approach
05:35to Magong Airport.
05:37Please ensure that your tray tables are safely stowed
05:39and that your seat belts are fastened.
05:53UNIAR 7-647, clear to land.
05:57The first of four flights waiting to land has now been cleared
06:00and will soon be on the ground.
06:04We're going to our Trans-Asia, 2-2-2.
06:06Vales from airport for VOR runway 20.
06:10Trans-Asia, 2-2-2, Maigong Tower.
06:13Runway 20, continue approach.
06:21Cab and crew, prepare for landing.
06:29Um...
06:31Passing 5 miles.
06:32Okay, flat 15.
06:35One of the biggest differences between pilots who do short-haul flights
06:41versus pilots who do much longer flights
06:43is quite simply, the short-haul pilots will have more take-offs and landings.
06:48Speed check.
06:55Flat 15 set.
06:57And take-offs and landings, and of course the approach to landing
07:00is often the busiest, most stressful part of the flight.
07:04The ATR-72 is just minutes from the runway.
07:10Trans-Asia, 2-2-2.
07:13Runway 2-0.
07:17Wind 250 degree, 1-900 knots.
07:20Clear to land.
07:22Copy runway 2-0.
07:24Wind copy.
07:25Clear to land.
07:26Trans-Asia, 2-2-2.
07:28Clear to land.
07:30Flaps 30.
07:32Extending the wing flaps gives the plane the extra lift it needs
07:36at the slower landing speed.
07:39Flaps 30.
07:40Gear down.
07:41Flaps 30.
07:48500.
07:56300.
07:58Set altitude 300.
08:00The captain calls out an altitude for his first officer to dial into the autopilot.
08:05altitude set 300.
08:07200.
08:09The captain decides to go lower.
08:11The plane is now less than 30 seconds from the ground.
08:14Have you seen the runway?
08:15No.
08:17No?
08:18No, sir.
08:19O-okay.
08:20The plane is now less than 30 seconds from the ground.
08:33Have you seen the runway?
08:39No.
08:41No?
08:42No, sir.
08:43Oh, okay.
08:44Okay.
08:45Hurry, hurry.
08:46Go up!
08:47Go up!
08:48Go up!
08:49The captain tries to abort the landing and climb out.
08:57Go up!
09:01But it's too late.
09:06Ah!
09:07Ah!
09:08Ah!
09:09Ah!
09:10Ah!
09:11Ah!
09:12Ah!
09:13Ah!
09:14Ah!
09:15Ah!
09:16Ah!
09:17Ah!
09:18Ah!
09:30Trans-Asia Flight 222 has crashed into the village of Shishi, less than a mile from the Taiwanese airport where it was scheduled to land.
09:38Ah!
09:39Ah!
09:40Ah!
09:41Ah!
09:42Ah!
09:43Ah!
09:44Ah!
09:49Ah!
09:50Incredibly, some passengers have survived the horrifying accident.
09:55All they can do now is wait for help.
10:04Taiwanese rescuers race to the crash site of TransAsia Flight 222.
10:10They soon discover that of the 58 people who were on board, 48 are dead.
10:20It was about sometime after 7 o'clock in the evening.
10:33I was watching the news and there's the breaking news headline on the TV.
10:40Thomas Wang of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council will lead the investigation into the puzzling crash.
10:47When I see the image coming out from news, then I understand that we are going to face a major accident investigation.
10:59Relatives of passengers and crew gather at nearby hospitals for news about the fate of their loved ones.
11:06The light of day reveals the full scale of the devastation in the Taiwanese village of Shishi.
11:23The fiery crash of TransAsia 222 not only killed 48 people on board the plane,
11:29It also injured five villagers.
11:34The small community is reeling.
11:38When we arrived at the crash site, all the victims, they were all been to the hospital already.
11:50So we can only see the wreckage and several houses being destroyed by the airplane.
11:56In the beginning, we do not understand why the aircraft were flying into a residential area instead of landing on the runway.
12:10Wang knows that all across Taiwan, people will soon be demanding answers.
12:17We are looking for evidence to help us to explain why the aircraft crashed.
12:23We are looking for the recorders, the flight data recorder and the copy voice recorder.
12:25We are looking for the recorders, the flight data recorder and the copy voice recorder.
12:30They also hope to find the plane's flight controls and the two engines.
12:32We are looking for the plane's flight controls and the two engines.
12:37We are looking for any evidence can show us that whether there's any malfunction.
12:38As the salvage team gathers the wreckage.
12:39As the salvage team gathers the wreckage, investigators begin mapping.
12:40We are looking for the wreckage.
12:41We are looking for the flight data recorder and the copy voice recorder.
12:46They also hope to find the plane's flight controls and the two engines.
12:58We are looking for any evidence can show us that whether there's any malfunction.
13:03As the salvage team gathers the wreckage, investigators begin mapping the crash site.
13:09It's then that they make their first major discovery.
13:16Thank you very much.
13:22Apparently there's wreckage all the way over here.
13:28The first point of impact was not in the village.
13:31It was in a nearby forest.
13:34Let's get somebody out there, see what they can find.
13:37The first impact point, the area with trees is about 200 meters away from the residential area.
13:46Investigators can now see that the plane was not lined up with the runway on its descent.
13:52For some unknown reason, it was off course.
13:58Why were they so far off course?
14:05At this early stage in the investigation, the cause of the crash is still a mystery.
14:11But already the team has recovered the black boxes.
14:16The devices could provide many of the answers they're looking for.
14:21In the beginning phase, we do not want to speculate too much.
14:26So at that time, we just collect all the evidence we can find and wait for the recorders' real come out.
14:41At investigation headquarters in Taipei, the team begins sorting evidence,
14:46while they wait to see what the black box data will reveal about the TransAsia crash.
14:51What have you found?
14:54But already media reports are filled with speculation.
14:58People are saying that the typhoon caused the crash.
15:01Well, let's see what effect the typhoon had.
15:04Right, so we got the flight track up there.
15:10Wang wants to know exactly how close flight 222 was to the eye of the storm at the time of the crash.
15:21We know they took off at 5.45pm and they were coming in for landing at 7pm.
15:27Matt Mo is the third typhoon in the western Pacific in less than three weeks.
15:37This doesn't look like it was the typhoon.
15:40The weather data shows that at the time of the crash, the typhoon was 142 nautical miles northwest of Penggu,
15:49and moving away from the islands.
15:55The typhoon was almost out of range.
15:57Ma Gong was not in the eye of the storm.
16:00But Thomas Wang knows that the airport could still have been affected by the typhoon's outer rain bands.
16:08The typhoon memo is probably just a medium-sized typhoon.
16:12But even that, they will bring a lot of water and, of course, strong wind.
16:20They need to know how the distant typhoon was affecting airport weather conditions at the moment of the crash.
16:28They take a closer look at the weather data.
16:32Wind speed 11 knots, gusting to 21 knots, but within the operational limits of the aircraft.
16:40They calculate that winds may have been strong enough to push the commuter plane off course,
16:45but not enough to cause a catastrophic upset.
16:48What about the visibility?
16:52I've got images from the airport at that time.
16:55Visibility will be a very key issue for us to understand whether the flight crew can visually locate the wrong way or not.
17:05They study CCTV surveillance footage of the airport, starting from about 30 minutes before the plane went down.
17:12Okay, pretty clear.
17:16Then suddenly the rain comes in.
17:19From the CCTV, we can see the wrong way, we can see some signage on the airport, and we can see there was raining.
17:31Can you bring up the images from just before the crash?
17:37They know that TransAsia 222 crashed at 7.06 PM.
17:42The airport images from just before that time reveal some stunning evidence.
17:47It's starting to be more than just rain, that's a serious storm.
17:54After 7 o'clock start to getting stronger, we got heavy rain shower and the visibility decrease very quickly just after 7 o'clock.
18:10Pilots are required to have a minimum range of clear visibility in order to land.
18:16Investigators estimate that at the time of the crash, visibility was so limited,
18:22the TransAsia crew would not have been able to see the runway until they were practically on top of it.
18:27Visibility can't be more than a couple of hundred meters. How could they have been allowed to land?
18:44Taiwanese investigators need to understand why TransAsia Flight 222 was allowed to land in Margong,
18:50when visibility at the airport was severely limited.
18:59Visibility was no more than 500 meters. Why did you let them land?
19:04They put their questions to the air traffic controller who was on duty the night of the crash.
19:08The controller asked to inform the flight crew for certain information such as runway use, the visibility and the wind conditions.
19:22The weather report said that it was fine.
19:25At 1900 hours, they reported a visibility of 1,600 meters.
19:30Uniair 7-6-4-7, Margong runway 2-0, now open. Visibility 1,600 meters. State your intention.
19:441,600 meters of visibility is the required minimum for the approach the TransAsia crew was flying.
19:50These are from the time of the crash.
19:59Clearly the visibility was less than the minimum. All you had to do was look out the window to see that.
20:04Well, that's what we were told.
20:09Where do you get your weather data from?
20:13It comes from the weather center here at the airport.
20:16Magong Airport is a joint civilian and military facility.
20:24Weather data is collected and distributed by the military.
20:30I'm going to go check outside.
20:33An observer goes outside to check conditions at least every 30 minutes.
20:37Weathermen had to record a lot of information, like temperature, wind direction, air pressure.
20:55Investigators learned that at 6.58 on the evening of the crash, eight minutes before the fatal impact,
21:00the weather observer returned to the office after checking conditions.
21:07It's raining harder out there, but visibility is still fine.
21:11The visibility at the time the flight crew decided to land on that runway was within limits.
21:16Good evening, air traffic control, local observations.
21:23Visibility of 1,600 meters through thunderstorm rain.
21:29Scattered clouds for 200 feet.
21:31The weather observer reported to the control tower at 7.02 p.m., four minutes before impact.
21:43At the same time, the rain picked up in intensity.
21:48During the approach, visibility worsened.
21:53Going out again to do another check.
21:54The visibility was decreasing from 1,600 feet to 1,800 feet, all the way down to 500 feet because of the heavy rain.
22:10By the time the controller received the updated report at 10 past 7, it was already too late.
22:16Trans-Asia 222, do you copy?
22:25Trans-Asia, Magong Tower, come in.
22:29He could not possibly have informed the crew.
22:32They had already crashed.
22:37Thanks very much for your time.
22:39It's now clear that weather conditions at Magong Airport changed rapidly in the minutes before the crash.
22:44But for Thomas Wang, a delayed weather report does not explain the disaster.
22:50Altitude set 300.
22:53He wonders why the pilots didn't simply abort the landing altogether.
22:59200.
23:01Every aircraft flight is ultimately responsibility of the flight crew.
23:06It's up to them to make a decision whether to continue the flight or not continue the flight.
23:11Because if they don't see the runway, they should do the prudent thing and actually execute a missed approach.
23:17At a nearby hangar, investigators sift through the remains of Trans-Asia Flight 222.
23:29They're looking for any sign of a mechanical fault, anything that could explain why the aircraft veered off course and crashed short of the runway.
23:40So we check all the control surface and the control linkage and we check the power plan.
23:52They find nothing that points to a control surface having failed in flight.
23:57Both of the turboprop engines appear to be mechanically sound and their electronic circuitry all looks normal.
24:05But we find there's no evidence to show that there is an existing mechanical problem or engine problem.
24:14The careful analysis leaves no doubt. Flight 222 was not brought down by a mechanical or systems failure.
24:24Investigators are going to need another theory.
24:30Why Trans-Asia Airways Flight 222 crashed on approach to Magong is still a mystery.
24:36But now investigators have a new tool in their effort to find the cause.
24:41The plane s flight data recorder.
24:49The FDR is particularly important in this accident because it has information that can't be gleaned from other sources.
24:56Such as the settings of the engines, the settings of the flight controls, the maneuvers that were done before the crash are all going to be in the FDR.
25:04They're not going to be in any other place.
25:06How did you end up way over here?
25:08I've got the data already now.
25:12They scan through hundreds of data points looking for anything out of the ordinary.
25:17The information confirms earlier findings that flight 222 was mechanically sound.
25:24It did not suffer a systems failure.
25:27Wait a minute.
25:29Then they spot something.
25:32One minute before impact, they were at 200 feet?
25:37What was the minimum descent altitude?
25:41According to the rules of the approach flight 222 was flying, the pilots must not go below a preset minimum descent altitude, or MDA, until they can see the runway.
25:54If they can't see it, they are to do what's called a missed approach.
26:01Have you seen the runway?
26:03Go around and make another landing attempt.
26:06No.
26:07No.
26:09Or divert to another airport.
26:16It says the minimum descent altitude was 330 feet.
26:20The minimum descent altitude is something that's computed ahead of time by the civil aviation authorities, based on the objects on the ground, the terrain, and other hazards that are around that runway.
26:32Take a look at this.
26:33Wang can see that for almost 14 seconds, the aircraft holds at 200 feet, well below the minimum altitude.
26:42The weather data suggests the pilots wouldn't have been able to see the runway from where they were.
26:48If the visibility was so bad, why did they ignore the MDA?
26:52Why would they do this?
26:54We need to hear what was going on in that cockpit.
27:00While investigators struggle to understand what went wrong aboard TransAsia 222, Taiwan is in mourning for the 48 lives lost in the crash.
27:12It is the nation's deadliest air disaster in more than a decade.
27:33Vincent Lin, chairman of TransAsia Airways, tries to ease the pain felt by relatives of the victims.
27:42No one can imagine what happened.
27:46So, the most important thing is to fix the things we need to do.
27:52The things we need to do is to fix the things we need to do.
27:54The things we need to do is to fix the things we need to do.
28:07Critical evidence that could shed new light on the crash
28:10is finally available to investigators.
28:13The cockpit voice recording.
28:15In this accident, it's very important to get the CVR for a couple of reasons.
28:19First, unfortunately, the pilots perished in this accident, so it's impossible to ask them after the fact what was going on.
28:27But more importantly, this gives a record during the entire flight of what was said in the cockpit.
28:32Ready?
28:34Let's start near the end, just before the landing.
28:38Investigators hope the recording can reveal why the crew flew below their minimum descent altitude before crashing into a village.
28:46TransAsia 222, request heading 240.
28:54TransAsia 222, heading 240. Approved.
28:58Magong Tower, TransAsia 222, 8 miles from airport for VOR, runway 20.
29:09TransAsia 222, Magong Tower, runway 20. Continue approach.
29:15Cabin crew, prepare for landing.
29:20Flap 15 set.
29:28Soon, investigators hear something unexpected.
29:31Gear down.
29:33Okay.
29:35Before landing checklist.
29:37Gear down.
29:39Flaps 30.
29:41Control auto.
29:42Takeoff lights on.
29:43Icing lights off.
29:44Runway 20.
29:45Clearance received.
29:46Before landing checklist complete.
29:50Wind 290.
29:52Wait, stop.
29:55Was that their before landing checklist?
29:58The first officer just blurted it out. The captain didn't even seem to be listening.
30:02Pilots are supposed to acknowledge each item on a checklist with standardized call and response communication.
30:09Just keep going.
30:12Um, 300.
30:13Altitude set 300.
30:16Both pilots did not adhere to standard operating procedures.
30:20Things such as reading checklists.
30:22Standard operating procedures are vital to aviation safety, based on sometimes decades of experience.
30:28So to ignore that decades of experience without a good reason, puts the aircraft and the people around them at risk.
30:33The voice recorder from flight 222 is giving investigators a glimpse into how the pilots executed their landing.
30:44200.
30:46Hold it there.
30:47Hold it there.
30:50They knew the minimum descent altitude was 330 feet, but the captain seemed to just ignore that too.
30:57Maybe they can see the runway after all.
31:00Let's find out.
31:01Let's find out.
31:07While approaching 200 feet, they disengage the autopilot.
31:12Disengaged.
31:14The captain is now controlling his descent by hand.
31:17Turning off the autopilot simply means that they are turning off any automated flight functions.
31:24And the airplane is fully under manual control of the captain and the first officer.
31:29The investigators listen closely for any indication that the crew could actually see the runway ahead.
31:35Have you seen the runway?
31:36No, sir.
31:37When they descend to 200 feet, they are still looking for the runway.
31:47No.
31:48No, sir.
31:49Okay.
31:51Okay.
31:52Okay.
31:54When they descend to 72 feet, they are still looking for the runway.
32:01It then takes the crew a full 13 seconds before they decide to take any action.
32:09Given the speed the aircraft is flying, they could have traversed several hundred meters in a 13-second span.
32:20The fact that they spent any time at all in that condition really increased the likelihood that they would hit the ground or hit an object on the ground.
32:30So we pretty much sure they cannot see the runway.
32:35But they decide to just descend the aircraft, try to find the runway.
32:40Why did they wait so long to do anything?
32:41I want to hear it again.
32:42From the beginning.
32:43Why did they wait so long to do anything?
32:47I want to hear it again.
32:48From the beginning.
32:49Anti-skid test?
32:50Check.
32:51They return to the CVR, scouring it for clues from early in the recording.
32:52They return to the CVR, scouring it for clues from early in the recording.
32:57Stand by.
32:58I want to hear it again.
32:59I want to hear it again.
33:00Why did they wait so long to do anything?
33:02Why did they wait so long to do anything?
33:03I want to hear it again.
33:04From the beginning.
33:05Anti-skid test?
33:06Check.
33:07They return to the CVR, scouring it for clues from early in the recording.
33:20Stand by.
33:21After start checklist complete.
33:27What they hear is alarming.
33:31Sir, do we preset next altitude 3, 4, 0 or 400?
33:34Time and again, the pilots struggle with basic procedures.
33:39Huh?
33:41Everything from checklists to setting altitude.
33:44Preset next altitude 400.
33:46It's always surprising when you have a recording that indicates that pilots are violating standard procedures.
33:53The recording then gives a strong clue as to why the crew was struggling.
33:59I'm so tired.
34:01Sir, are we holding here?
34:04Yes.
34:06Okay.
34:09Right orbit or left orbit?
34:11Do right orbit, holding pattern.
34:15In the CVR, we clearly heard the pilot was yawning and saying that he was tired.
34:22Given that the pilot was tired, as evidenced by the yawning, this implies that the pilot will not be as sharp when it comes to reacting to situations and to actually carrying out decisions once they're made.
34:42This will make it less likely that the crew as a whole will be able to respond to emergency situations.
34:49Why is he so tired?
34:51We need to look into the pilots.
34:57We need to look into the pilots.
35:04Records show that Trans-Asia hired First Officer Qiyong Quanxing three years ago, with no previous airline experience.
35:12Captain Li Yi Liang had been a commercial pilot since 1992.
35:18He'd flown into Magong Airport many times in all sorts of weather.
35:24This guy's record was spotless.
35:27It's clear that the captain had much more experience flying than the first officer.
35:33It's when they look at the flight logs of the two pilots that they make an important discovery.
35:39We find that the flight crew accumulated a lot of flight time compared to other domestic airlines.
35:48The logs show that over the past 90 days, the captain flew 278 hours.
35:55The first officer, 264 hours.
35:58Over the past three months, they flew an average of six flights a day.
36:05When an airline increases the frequency of flights, you may get into a situation where people are more fatigued,
36:11where people are flying beyond what is reasonable.
36:16Seven months into the Trans-Asia investigation, the airline is back in the news.
36:21Hello?
36:24What?
36:26Again?
36:27On February the 4th, 2015, Trans-Asia Airways Flight 235 crashes into a river shortly after take-off from Taipei's Songshan Airport.
36:43Only 14 of the 57 people on board survive.
36:47It's the same aircraft type and the same airline in the same country.
36:51My initial reaction was, how can there be another huge accident?
36:59What's going on at Trans-Asia?
37:02Taiwan's Trans-Asia Airways has suffered two fatal accidents in seven months.
37:08Investigators can't help but wonder, is there a systemic problem with the company?
37:13My first thought was that a relatively small airline to have two, apparently, independent accidents in such a short space of time.
37:23But upon further review, looking at some of the findings from the second accident,
37:28it turns out that there was actually some connectivity between the two.
37:31Poring over financial records and other documents, they analyzed Trans-Asia's corporate history.
37:38This company's been expanding rapidly.
37:42This airline was expanding the routes that they were flying on this particular aircraft.
37:47At the same time, they weren't expanding the number of pilots to keep up with that.
37:52So as a result, the pilots who had been flying the ATR-72 were being given more flight segments and more work, in other words.
37:58Some of these pilots were flying up to eight flights a day.
38:04Employees complained to management about their workload.
38:08However, the management ignored their complaints and did nothing about the workload.
38:15Investigators now wonder, how did Trans-Asia's management practices affect their pilots?
38:21OK, gentlemen, whenever you're strapped in, we'll start the simulation.
38:24Most importantly, how common was it for pilots to ignore standard operating procedures?
38:35They ask a group of the company's ATR-72 pilots to fly the route from Kaohsiung to Magong in a simulator,
38:43with the added challenge of a nearby typhoon.
38:46We just sit in the jumpsuit and observe how the flight crew, they work together.
38:57To investigators' surprise, pilot after pilot fails to follow the proper procedures.
39:04Thank you very much for your time.
39:10It's a stunning discovery.
39:15OK, we're done here.
39:17Just about every single one of them ignored standard operating procedures.
39:19My first impression was, it should never happen at this time.
39:29That's 2014.
39:34We educate all the pilots, we have to do things according to the procedures.
39:39I was surprised that there was still a pilot doing something by their own way.
39:49And the investigation in this case discovered that this was not a one-off sort of thing happening just in this flight.
39:56But this was something that was systemic within the airline.
39:59Because this shows that this sort of behavior was normal.
40:03This sort of behavior was acceptable.
40:05Investigators finally understand what led to the crash of Flight 222.
40:14It starts with a tired captain piloting his ninth flight in the past 29 hours.
40:21Preset next, altitude 400.
40:24Working for an airline where standard operating procedures are routinely ignored.
40:29The remnants of a typhoon delay the flight's arrival in Magong.
40:36Though the winds are not strong enough to upset the plane, they are strong enough to blow the flight slightly off course.
40:43Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin our approach to Magong Airport.
40:49The pilots then ignore one of the most basic rules of aviation.
40:53Assuming the runway will eventually appear ahead of them through the rain.
40:58They fly below their minimum descent altitude.
41:05Altitude set 300.
41:07It appears that the first officer complied with the variation from standard operating procedure.
41:14200.
41:15And so in this case, I think it was a hazardous behavior to not speak up and challenge the captain when rules are being violated.
41:27The pilot.
41:35Have you seen the runway?
41:40No.
41:42Oblivious to how close they are to disaster, they drop low enough to hit a tree, sealing their fate.
41:49On a situation where you have an organization not adhering to procedures, there are many ways to correct this.
42:07First, the airline management itself could have stepped in and said, look, we're going to start flying according to procedures, or we're not going to fly at all.
42:20In their final report, investigators call on TransAsia to fully review its safety management system and pilot training program.
42:29They ask Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration to strengthen its oversight of airlines.
42:37And they recommend that the Air Force Command find better ways of reporting airport weather conditions.
42:46But when the recommendations are published in January 2016, they come too late to help TransAsia.
42:54Financial struggles forced the company out of business later that same year.
43:03We decided to break the aircraft in this morning.
43:06The previous three months of the pandemic has been over 22 years.
43:11We are not happy to be in the past.
43:13The board has been over 200 years.
43:16TransAsia Airways no longer exists.
43:19When I heard that this company was closing, I was surprised.
43:22We thought that they would become a better airline over time.
43:37So it was unfortunate when we heard that they were shutting down.
43:40What was really disheartening was to see that this was in a sense preventable.
43:53There are many opportunities to have stopped this or to correct it before the accident happened.
43:58Unfortunately, none of them happened.
43:59Unfortunately, none of them happened.