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Basic facts about aircraft ATR-72

Air crashes involving aircraft ATR-72

TransAsia Airways has seen three air crashes involving aircraft ATR-72 in recent years.

An ATR 72 aircraft of TransAsia Airways crashed near an airport in Penghu, Taiwan, on July 23, 2014, killing 48 people and left over 10 injured.

Four flight crew members died after an ATR 72 aircraft of TransAsia Airways crashed into a mountain in Taoyuan, Taiwan, on Jan 30, 1995.

Two were killed after an ATR 72 aircraft of TransAsia Airways experienced severe icing and crashed into the sea on December 21, 2002.

Plane's and pilot's history

The aircraft ATR-72 has also seen other seven accidents in the past decade.

The crashed TransAsia plane was in service for less than a year and underwent routine maintenance on Jan 26, 2015, said Lin Zhiming, head of Taiwan aviation authority, during a news conference.

The pilot, Liao Jianzong, has 4,914 flying hours and the co-pilot 6,922 flying hours.

The observer onboard, Hong Bingzhong, has about 16,000 flying hours, Lin said.