Yesterday morning at 02:55 UTC, TransAsia Airways flight 235 crashed shortly after departing Songshan Airport (RCSS) in Taipei. The flight was destined for Kinmen Shang Yi Airport (RCBS). The current numbers being reported are 31 fatalities, 15 injured, and 12 missing. After watching the video footage that was caught, any survivors  of something so catastrophic is a miracle.

TransAsia Airways started domestic passenger service in 1951 and operated flights until 1958. Although they were still in business, they didn’t have scheduled flight services again until 1988. Their fleet includes mostly an Airbus line from the 320 through the 330. They do own a small amount of turboprops.  The aircraft involved is an ATR-72-600, a type the airline has operated since 1991. This particular airframe, B-22816, was delivered new on April 15, 2014.

B-22816_TransAsia
TransAsia Airways ATR-72 taxiing to the active runway for departure.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those who perished and also with those passengers and crew who are still missing.