Wrong engine?

Here's the latest news on TransAsia Airways Flight 235, an ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop, which crashed in the Keelung River in Taipei on February 4. The accident claimed the lives of 35 people with 8 missing. Preliminary findings were presented by Thomas Wang, executive director of Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan. Many questions have been asked, foremost of which was: why did the pilots turn off the wrong engine? The flight-data recorders revealed that the right engine did not flame out as what the pilot reported, but went into idle mode, obviously still running. But then the left engine was shut down and made the situation fatal. We'll wait for more updates, but I'm sure there's going to be a lot of discussion and retraining regarding crew coordination as a result of the accident.

A search for aircraft accidents involving the ATR 72 aircraft on the web reveals a string of accidents since the aircraft entered service in 1989. For TransAsia Airways alone, there has been 4 fatal accidents, including this one.

ATR 72 Turboprop
c www.libertasoccidentalis.org

Here comes the 'Flying Palace'

An Airbus A380 Superjumbo, dubbed as 'The Flying Palace,' needs a new buyer.

It turned out it was Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia who was the original client for The Flying Palace and was then sold to another client, but the deal was canceled, even before the aircraft is delivered. The prince bought the double-decker for US$319 million in 2007 and after the lavish modification, the aircraft's price is estimated to be more than US$500 million.

Pictures of the interior of The Flying Palace shows the ultimate flying in style. One wonders how technology could transform a large aircraft into a 'palace in the sky'.

Airbus has a hard time selling the A380, currently priced at US$480 million. Emirate Airlines holds 44% of the total contract for the Superjumbo. It holds the record as the world's largest commercial aircraft and presently has a total order of 317.

A380 Superjumbo
c www.forbes.com