What happened
On August 22, 2018, an ATR72-212A, registration B-16852, operated by China Airlines (Hua Shin Airlines), was landing on runway 36 at Taichung/Taichung Airport. The flight, AE788, had originated from Penghu Airport and was carrying 74 occupants, including 70 passengers and 4 crew members.
During the approach, the aircraft encountered intermittent cloud cover and rain. At approximately 19:27 local time, the pilot flying (the co-pilot) disconnected the autopilot at an altitude of approximately 243 feet. During the manual phase of the approach, the aircraft began to drift left of the runway centerline. Although the pilot monitoring (the captain) provided verbal corrections, the aircraft continued to deviate.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft was positioned near the left edge of the runway. Due to heavy rain and a sudden downward air current, the aircraft veered off the paved surface, striking the concrete bases of three runway edge lights. The excursion caused substantial damage to the aircraft's right main landing gear and the runway lighting infrastructure. There were no fatalities and no injuries among the 74 people on board.
The investigation
The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) examined the flight data, cockpit voice recorder, and airport infrastructure. The investigation focused on the crew's adherence to company standard operating procedures (SOPs), the visibility conditions during the approach, and the physical characteristics of the runway environment. The investigation also reviewed the crew's use of threat and error management (TEM) and risk assessment protocols during the approach phase.
Findings
- The crew failed to follow company manuals, as the co-pilot was performing the landing under visibility conditions that did not meet the required minimums for the pilot flying in the right seat.
- The pilot flying failed to maintain lateral control of the aircraft after disconnecting the autopilot, allowing a continuous leftward drift.
- The pilot monitoring failed to intervene with a takeover of controls when the aircraft's deviation from the centerline became significant, reducing the safety margin.
- The crew did not utilize the CFIT/ALAR (runway excursion prevention) checklists to assess environmental threats such as heavy rain, thunderstorms, and low visibility.
- The airport runway lacked centerline lights, which could have assisted in maintaining alignment.
- The presence of potholes and irregular concrete structures at the runway edge light bases increased the potential for aircraft damage during an excursion.
Safety action
Following the incident, China Airlines implemented enhanced simulator training focusing on wet runway operations, rejected landings, and crew resource management (CRM). The company also updated its briefing procedures to ensure more robust risk assessments are conducted during the approach phase.