Taiwan's Civil Aviation regulator, Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) will impose penalties on China Airlines (CAL), Starlux Airlines, and the Starlux crew after an investigation found they failed to follow established diversion or go-around procedures earlier this year.
CAA said on Sunday that the Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has completed an investigation report, confirming that there were negligence in both cases, and imposed penalties on the operator and the pilot respectively, and will send the case to the Council for the subsequent decision on the amount of the penalty.
On April 3, a CAL flight CI753 experienced a single-engine failure but chose to return to Kaohsiung Airport instead of landing at the nearest alternate airport, sparking a controversy.
On that day, China Airlines flight CI753 from Taipei to Singapore experienced an engine failure during the flight, and the captain diverted the flight to Kaohsiung Airport with only one engine.
There were other airports nearby that could have been used for diversion, but the pilot's decision to choose a faraway airport instead of a nearby one sparked discussion, and insiders pointed out that there are many factors to consider when choosing a diversion airport, including weather and flight distance.
The Civil Aviation Administration stated that after comparing relevant data such as weather and telephone calls, the pilot's execution of the in-flight shutdown and diversion process did not violate regulations.
However, the flight failed to land at the alternate airport on the route or the nearest suitable airport, indicating that China Airlines' monitoring operations were still flawed, and the operator will be punished after review.
As such, the CAA will impose penalties on the airline following a review, the aviation regulator said in a statement.
In response, China Airlines (CAL) acknowledged that its reporting mechanism for abnormal situations during the diversion incident could be further improved.
China Airlines reported to have conducted an internal review and completed the revision and adjustment of the flight-related operation manual, and strictly enforced the implementation of relevant operating procedures by personnel.
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On March 3 this year, two Starlux pilots operating flight JX789 from Taipei to Clark International Airport in the Philippines reportedly failed to perform a go-around maneuver in accordance with the airline's flight operations procedures.
On that day, Starlux Airlines flight JX789 was approaching Clark Airport in the Philippines. Because the approach was higher than the normal glide path, the pilot decided to take a retry. During the process, the pilot did not use the autopilot properly, which increased the speed and descent rate of the aircraft, causing the ground proximity warning system to be activated.
The captain then controlled the aircraft to climb to a safe altitude and finally landed safely. At that time, Starlux Airlines stated that the two pilots did not follow the company's flight operation procedures when approaching and retrying, and after investigation, they resigned.
The CAA said that after investigating the landing and go-around of flight JX789, it found that the crew did not follow proper procedures and that the airline's internal reporting mechanism was flawed. As a result, penalties will be issued separately to the airline and the pilots following the review.
Starlux responded that upon learning of the incident, the carrier pointed out that it has a zero-tolerance attitude towards any behavior that affects flight safety and will never condone it. After learning of the incident, Starlux Airlines immediately investigated and proactively reported it to the competent authorities.
While cooperating with the ongoing investigation, the carrier said it has implemented several measures to enhance pilot training and improve internal reporting procedures to prevent any recurrence.
Reportedly, the two pilots have submitted voluntary resignations following the carrier's investigation into the incident, Starlux Chairman Chang Kuo-Wei said last Friday during the company's annual shareholders meeting.
According to the Civil Aviation Act, the Civil Aviation Administration can fine pilots between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000, and airlines can be fined between NT$600,000 and NT$3 million, but the amount of the fine will still have to be determined after a CAA review meeting.
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