Following right on the heels of the China Airlines crash of February, another civil airplane and a helicopter met with accidents in March. The military also lost four aircraft to crashes, one of them an F-16 fighter. Why have such a large number of tragedies occurred within just a brief period of time? What impact has this had upon Taiwan's society, and what policies is the government formulating to deal with it?

On the evening of February 16, a China Airlines airplane carrying 196 passengers and aircrew lifted off from Bali for Taipei. In the moments prior to landing at Taoyuan's CKS Airport, control of the airplane was lost and it crashed into Taoyuan County's Tayuan Township. There were no survivors and the plane's impact with buildings and vehicles on the ground caused an additional loss of seven lives.

This crash was not only the worst air disaster on domestic record, it also took the lives of the governor of the Central Bank of China and several other high-ranking financial and economic officials, shaking the entire nation. The crash has become the subject of continuous criticism and discussion, and the investigation into its cause, not to mention settlement of compensation claims, is still ongoing. The series of air disasters in March appears to be continuing and now the mere mention of airplanes causes Taiwanese to pale.

On March 2, a Daily Air helicopter was on route to an offshore oil drilling rig located off Makung. On its way to pick up a sick member of the rig crew, its tail rotor contacted the rig platform, causing the helicopter to drop into the ocean. The body of the pilot, Liu Han-chieh, was found that evening. The co-pilot, Lai Lin-ming, and the chief mechanic, Chiang Ching-chuan, were lost when the Bell 412 sank.

Watching three generations of Liu Han-chieh's family sobbing on television, the echoes of their tragedy are still ringing in our ears. Just two weeks later, on March 18, a Formosa Airlines SAAB 340B turboprop was on route to Kaohsiung. Three minutes into its flight, the plane disappeared from radar. Afterwards, it was found to have crashed into the ocean six kilometers off Hsinchu. To date, none of the five crew or eight passengers have been found.

Various disaster relief organizations assigned personnel to the disaster, with helicopters and warships searching from land, sea, and air. But, outside of several large pieces of the hull, most of the fuselage and all of the passengers were obliterated. This has led Hsinchu prosecutor He Ching-tung to suspect an explosion as the cause of this disaster. Various parties have speculated on different possible causes, including engine stoppage and hijacking. Others have even suggested that the plane was victim of an artillery shot fired during recent military exercises. However, on the day of the crash the military called off area exercises due to rain, ruling out this last possibility. But until the aircraft's black box is recovered, there is no way of really knowing what happened.

The military, too, has suffered a number of aviation mishaps of late. On February 17, two people died when an Army TH-55 training helicopter was destroyed near an air base in Tainan County's Kuijen Township. On February 19, an Air Force R-CH1 reconnaissance plane dropped into the ocean off Paisha Bay, causing injuries to the crew. On February 24, an Air Force T-38 training plane was also lost, this time in the ocean off Taitung, resulting in one pilot's death and a second's injury.

The situation is already critical and the disasters keep right on happening. On March 20, a two-seated F-16 fighter belonging to the Air Force disappeared from radar not long after lifting off from a Chiayi air base. Although all three divisions of the national armed forces and the Coast Guard cooperated in the ensuing search, not only were the instructor and trainee pilot not recovered, but no wreckage or oil slick were found. Based on Air Force information regarding fuel, time, and the family situation of the two airmen, the possibility that the two flew to mainland China has been ruled out. Nevertheless, there is no proof that this plane in fact crashed.

The recent series of air disasters has left many broken families in its wake, and left the nation fearful. Although the post-disaster investigations will not bring back any of the deceased, they should be able to prevent similar disasters from striking again. Professor Li Ke-tsung, of Feng Chia Uni-versity's department of traffic engineering and management, believes oversights in normal maintenance and repair do not usually result in disaster. The major factor in air disasters is human negligence. New Party legislator LinYu-fang has also said that our Ministry of National Defense and private sector contractors have always placed great emphasis upon equipment and under-stressed human operation and maintenance. He also stated, "When second-rate personnel operate first-rate machinery, there are sure to be problems."

In the past, domestic civil aviation pilots have been selected from retired members of the Air Force. Though they possess long experience in the operation of fighter craft, the safety demands of civil aircraft are different, as is the entire mindset of military and civil aviation pilots. Tsai Ching-Yen, vice chairperson of the National Science Council and former director of the National Civil Aviation Bureau, points out that there have been problems regarding the transition of pilots from the military to civil aviation. At present, the Taiwan Provincial Government's Department of Education is considering establishing a flight school in Hualien to train pilots. This has already received approval from the Ministry of Education and brings with it a ray of hope for the Taiwan civil aviation sector.

Aside from this, our national legislators have been exerting pressure upon the transportation and defense ministries. They want ministers Tsai Chao-chang and Chiang Chung-ling, respectively, to be held fully responsible, otherwise the legislators will refuse to pass the 1999 central government budget. They have been especially adamant about the Minister of Transportation and Communications Tsai Chao-chang. Since the two major disasters of China Airlines and Formosa Airlines, political forces from all parties have cooperated to criticize and apply pressure. Vincent Siew, premier of the Executive Yuan, accepted the resignations of transportation minister Tsai Chao-chang and Civil Aviation Department director Tsai Tui in late March, and also set a deadline for wrapping up the investigation of the disaster and suggested specific methods to improve air safety and ensure appropriate supervision. Lin Feng-cheng, appointed transportation minister at short notice in Tsai Chao-chang's place, promised to seek out the root of the problems as quickly as possible.

Furthermore, Premier Siew has decided to establish an Aircraft Safety Committee to investigate the causes of the crashes, with the additional functions of critiquing present air safety management and its various systems, and developing solutions to problems. To ensure the committee's independence, National Cheng Kung University president Weng Cheng-yi has been chosen as chairperson due to his outstanding academic and administrative performance.

In addition, several members of the Control Yuan have already taken the initiative to seek a full investigation into whether there is an appropriate structure in place for air safety and to determine if the accidents are the result of human error. The Control Yuan will arrange appropriate punishment if either is found to be at fault. Let's hope that with the unceasing demands of the opposition parties for an explanation, the holes in air safety can be sealed and we can have safe skies to fly in once again.

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The F-16 is one of the ROC air force's main second-generation fighters. Following the unexplained disappearance of one of these planes, the military mounted a search operation and launched an enquiry. (photo by Diago Chiu)