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According to the reference, the Fokker 27 and Fokker 28 they began with were in fact Fokker 27-0050 and Fokker 28-0100, which were Fokker 50 and Fokker 100.
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==History==
==History==
The company was founded in 1966 as '''Yongxing Airlines'''. The initial fleet consisted of [[Douglas DC-6]], [[Fokker F27 Friendship]], and [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] aircraft.<ref name="atdb">[http://www.aerotransport.org Information about Formosa Airlines at the Aero Transport Data Bank.]</ref> Later, the more modern [[Dornier Do 228]] was introduced.
The company was founded in 1966 as '''Yongxing Airlines'''. The initial fleet consisted of [[Douglas DC-6]] aircraft.<ref name="atdb">[http://www.aerotransport.org Information about Formosa Airlines at the Aero Transport Data Bank.]</ref> Later, the more modern [[Dornier Do 228]] was introduced.


In 1987, the branding was changed to '''Formosa Airlines''',<ref name="atdb"/> after the historical name of Taiwan. In order to modernize the fleet, [[Saab 340]] airliners were ordered, the first of which could be put into service in 1988. The next fleet growth occurred in 1995, when [[Fokker 50]]s and [[Fokker 100]]s were introduced with Formosa Áirlines.<ref>[http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Formosa%20Airlines.htm Formosa Airlines fleet list at airfleets.net]</ref> In 1996, [[China Airlines]], the largest Taiwanese airline, acquired a 33 percent stake, which was increased to 41 percent in 1999. In the same year, Formosa Airlines was merged into [[Mandarin Airlines]],<ref name="atdb"/> thus creating a regional subsidiary of China Airlines.<ref name="atdb"/>
In 1987, the branding was changed to '''Formosa Airlines''',<ref name="atdb"/> after the historical name of Taiwan. In order to modernize the fleet, [[Saab 340]] airliners were ordered, the first of which could be put into service in 1988. The next fleet growth occurred in 1995, when [[Fokker 50]]s and [[Fokker 100]]s were introduced with Formosa Áirlines.<ref>[http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Formosa%20Airlines.htm Formosa Airlines fleet list at airfleets.net]</ref> In 1996, [[China Airlines]], the largest Taiwanese airline, acquired a 33 percent stake, which was increased to 41 percent in 1999. In the same year, Formosa Airlines was merged into [[Mandarin Airlines]],<ref name="atdb"/> thus creating a regional subsidiary of China Airlines.<ref name="atdb"/>

Revision as of 08:21, 29 July 2013

Formosa Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign
VY FOS —
Founded1966
Ceased operations1999
(merged into Mandarin Airlines)
Formosa Airlines
Traditional Chinese國華航空
Simplified Chinese国华航空
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuóhuá Hángkōng
Former name
Traditional Chinese永興航空
Simplified Chinese永兴航空
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYǒngxīng Hángkōng

Formosa Airlines was a regional airline from Taiwan.

History

The company was founded in 1966 as Yongxing Airlines. The initial fleet consisted of Douglas DC-6 aircraft.[1] Later, the more modern Dornier Do 228 was introduced.

In 1987, the branding was changed to Formosa Airlines,[1] after the historical name of Taiwan. In order to modernize the fleet, Saab 340 airliners were ordered, the first of which could be put into service in 1988. The next fleet growth occurred in 1995, when Fokker 50s and Fokker 100s were introduced with Formosa Áirlines.[2] In 1996, China Airlines, the largest Taiwanese airline, acquired a 33 percent stake, which was increased to 41 percent in 1999. In the same year, Formosa Airlines was merged into Mandarin Airlines,[1] thus creating a regional subsidiary of China Airlines.[1]

Accidents and incidents

  • On 9 October 1983, a Britten-Norman Islander (registered B-12202) of Yung Shin Airlines was damaged beyond repair in a landing incident at Orchid Island Airport. The twelve people on board survived.[3]
  • Another accident at Orchid Island involving an Formosa Airlines aircraft (the company had been renamed by then) occurred on 14 August 1990. A cargo-configured Dornier Do 228 (registered B-12268) was approaching the airport when it crashed 15 meters short of the runway threshold, killing the two pilots.[4]
  • On 28 February 1993, the six people -- two pilots and four passengers -- on board a Do 228 (registered B-12238) died when the aircraft crashed into the sea during a landing attempt at Orchid Island in heavy rain.[5]
  • Another Formosa Airlines Do-228 (registered B-12298) was damaged beyond repair when its undercarriage collided with an airport fence in a landing attempt at Green Island Airport on 14 June 1993. The 20 passengers and two pilots that had been on the scheduled passenger flight from Taitung City survived.[6]
  • In 1995, Formosa Airlines suffered the write-off of two of its Do 228 in only three days. On 15 June, a belly-landing incident occurred at Taitung Airport at 15:07 local time. The airplane with the registration B-12288 had originated at Green Island.[7] On 18 June, the pilots of the airliner registered B-12208 lost control during taxiing at Green Island Airport, resulting in the Dornier running into a ditch.[8] Each flight had 17 passengers on board, all of which survived.
  • On 5 April 1996, six passengers of Flight 7613 from Taipei lost their lives when the aircraft, a Do 228 registered B-12257, crashed into the sea off Matsu Beigan Airport at 16:25 local time. In poor visibility conditions, the pilots had decended too steeply. There were eleven survivors.[9]
  • The worst accident in the history of Formosa Airlines happened on 10 August 1997, again on the Taipei--Matsu route. At 08:33 local time, Flight 7601 (a Do 228, registered B-12256) hit treetops and a water tower following an aborted landing attempt in a heavy rainstorm. All persons on board (two pilots and fourteen passengers) died when the airplane crashed 1 kilometer off Matsu Beigan Airport and erupted into fire.[10]
  • Following another air disaster killing 13 people on 18 March 1998, Formosa Airlines was grounded temporarily, as it was determined that the pilots had not complied with the standard operating procedure. The Saab 340 (registered B-12255) with eight passengers and five crew members on board crashed a few minutes into a scheduled passenger flight from Hsinchu to Kaohsiung, at 19:32 local time. During the pre-flight check, the pilots had noticed that several systems were unavailable, including the autopilot and electronic flight instrument system (EFIS). Violating the minimum equipment list, according to which the aircraft would not have been considered to be in a non-flyable condition, the pilots decided to take-off nevertheless. In flight, the aircraft proved to behave in an unpredicted way, because leading edges of the wings could not be kept at equal temperatures because of the failing bleed air supply, causing a loss of control.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Information about Formosa Airlines at the Aero Transport Data Bank.
  2. ^ Formosa Airlines fleet list at airfleets.net
  3. ^ 1983 Yung Shin Airlines accident at the Aviation Safety Network.
  4. ^ 1990 Formosa Airlines accident at the Aviation Safety Network.
  5. ^ February 1993 Formosa Airlines crash at the Aviation Safety Network.
  6. ^ June 1993 accident at the Aviation Safety Network.
  7. ^ 15 June 1995 accident at the Aviation Safety Network.
  8. ^ 18 June 1995 accident at the Aviation Safety Network.
  9. ^ 1996 accident at the Aviation Safety Network
  10. ^ 1997 accident at the Aviation Safety Network.
  11. ^ 1998 Formosa Airlines plane crash at the Aviation Safety Network
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