All Grounded Until They Can Show Proficiency

Ten pilots for Taiwanese airline TransAsia have failed an oral test on procedures for flying the ATR 72 aircraft ... the type which went down earlier this month resulting in the fatal injury of at least 42 people.

CNN reports that the pilots have an average of 6,900 flight hours.

TransAsia has administered the oral test to 49 pilots. The 39 who passed will be required to pass a flight test in a simulator to avoid being grounded as well. The pilots who failed the oral test will be given remedial training and asked to take the test again, before moving on to the simulator. Nineteen pilots have not been tested at all, according to the report, and are off flying status until they pass those tests.

The preliminary investigation indicates that both engines on the ATR 72 lost power one after the other, and the plane was in the air for more than a minute without power before impacting a bridge and then going into the river. Fifteen people survived the accident, and one remains missing.

(Image from file)

FMI: http://www.caa.gov.tw/en/bbs/index01.asp?sno=20