https://www.ft.com/content/23dbbd8a-0ae ... f857ea9f09
A UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter, operated by the National Airborne Service Corps, went missing on a return flight to Taitung, in south-east Taiwan, after picking up a patient on the outlying Lanyu Island. The helicopter, which was carrying two pilots, one mechanic and one nurse in addition to the patient and a family member, left Lanyu just before midnight on Monday.
The air force and coast guard are involved in the search, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement on Tuesday.
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomac ... rrying-six
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 06 February, 2018, 2:31pm
Taiwanese search and rescue helicopter carrying six goes missing minutes after take-off
Aircraft disappeared from radar three minutes after taking off from on Orchid Island on Monday night, Air Force Command Headquarters says.
The defence ministry sent a frigate and a helicopter to look for the UH-60M Black Hawk from the National Airborne Service Corps and its passengers,
with President Tsai Ing-wen directing Interior Minister Yeh Jiunn-rong to lead the operation from the ground.
The Air Force Command Headquarters said in a statement on Tuesday that the helicopter disappeared from radar three minutes after taking off from an airport on Orchid Island at 11:48pm the night before.
The National Airborne Service Corps has a fleet of nine Black Hawk helicopters. Following the incident, the remaining eight were grounded for safety checks.
The Army Command Headquarters also grounded all of its 30 Black Hawk helicopters for safety checks on Tuesday.
The National Airborne Service Corps has also cancelled a ceremony planned for Saturday
to celebrate two of its UH-60M Black Hawks being stationed and commissioned in Hualien county,
saying the most pressing issue at present is to search for the missing helicopter and save those aboard.
A pilot who is familiar with the terrain near Lanyu said there was a lot of turbulence in the area, which made taking off and landing difficult.
Weather reports also indicate that it was raining around the time the helicopter took off, the report said.
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