Taipei Mountain Collision: 43 Killed in Airplane Crash (64-0536)

Incident Overview and Flight Details An aircraft departed from Taipei-Songshan Airport at 1401 local time, with Taichung's Ching Chuan Kang Airbase as its intended destination. During the initial climb phase, the flight crew received clearance to ascend to 6,000 feet and maintain a heading of 252 degrees. The flight proceeded for approximately six minutes before the aircraft collided with the slope of a mountain situated roughly 30 kilometers southeast of Taipei. The mountain, which has an elevation of 6,150 feet, was the site of the fatal impact. ## Search, Recovery, and Casualties The search and recovery operation for the wreckage took six days to complete. On October 8, the debris was located approximately 10 meters below the mountain's summit. The accident resulted in the deaths of all 43 individuals on board the aircraft. ## Official Investigation Findings The official investigation determined that the aircraft was traveling on a heading of 210 degrees at the time of the accident, rather than the requested 252 degrees. The specific reason for this navigational error and the resulting track deviation could not be determined by the investigators.