Pilots to blame for Taiwan crash

Tragic scene: A file photo showing a local resident walking past the tail section of the TransAsia Airways flight GE222 after it crashed near the airport at Magong on the Penghu island chain. — AFP

TAIPEI: Two TransAsia Airways pilots caused a 2014 plane crash that left 48 people dead by flying too low as they attempted to land on an island during a typhoon, Taiwan’s aviation authorities said.

Taiwan’s aviation body said the pilots flew below the minimum altitude required in poor visibility caused by Typhoon Matmo on July 23, 2014, in its final report into the airline’s second fatal accident in a year.