National Airborne Service Corps to Appeal After Losing Dismissal Case Against Pilot
The National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) announced on the 19th that it will appeal a court ruling regarding a pilot's dismissal. The case stems from an incident on April 7, 2020, when a captain, surnamed Wang, crashed helicopter NA-103 during an emergency training exercise due to operational violations, causing approximately NT$324 million in damages. The NASC dismissed him with two major demerits according to regulations, but the pilot filed an administrative lawsuit. In a retrial, the Kaohsiung High Administrative Court ruled in the pilot's favor, citing management deficiencies at the NASC. The NASC disagreed, insisting the primary cause of the accident was the pilot's personal violations and errors in judgment, and will appeal to uphold flight safety and discipline.
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- 📰 Published: May 19, 2026 at 18:13
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Regarding media reports that a pilot dismissed for crashing a helicopter successfully overturned his case, with the Kaohsiung High Administrative Court's retrial finding that the National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) also had management issues, the NASC clarified today that parts of the report are inconsistent with the facts and that it will file an appeal to safeguard flight safety and discipline.
The Ministry of the Interior's National Airborne Service Corps stated in a press release this afternoon that some content in media reports about the handling of personnel and attribution of responsibility for the NA-103 flight accident was inconsistent with the facts, and it wished to issue a clarification to avoid public misunderstanding.
The NASC stated that on April 7, 2020, the pilot, surnamed Wang, as the captain of a training aircraft, should have strictly adhered to discipline, perfected the training plan, and managed all risk factors to ensure the lives of the crew and the safety of high-value national equipment. However, he disregarded flight discipline and safety, violated regulations by carrying personnel from a partner agency during emergency procedure training, and did not respond to the co-pilot's suggestions, ultimately leading to the aircraft losing control and being severely damaged.
This resulted in a significant loss for the NASC, with aircraft repairs estimated at approximately NT$324 million, not to mention the severe endangerment of the crew's lives.
The NASC stated that the cause of the NA-103 accident was investigated and a formal report was published by the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB). The investigation's conclusions are professional and credible, and the NASC has been implementing subsequent flight safety improvements based on these findings.
The relevant investigation conclusion mentioned, "The pilot-in-command of the accident aircraft had insufficient knowledge of the characteristics and complete operating procedures for tail rotor failure. When performing the tail rotor failure procedure, he failed to comply with the operating procedures and did not grasp the key techniques. During the execution of the maneuver, he did not place both feet on the directional control rudder pedals, which resulted in his inability to promptly correct the aircraft's rightward deviation when it lost its level attitude, causing the main rotor to strike the pavement and the aircraft to lose control and crash."
The NASC believes that the report's claim that Pilot Wang was operating the emergency maneuver training under orders from a superior is a generalization. The execution of emergency maneuvers must still follow the flight manual, and portions not permitted for live aircraft operation must be excluded. Pilot Wang's major misconduct constituted "dereliction of duty," severely impacting flight discipline and mission execution. Therefore, the dismissal with two major demerits was an administrative action in accordance with the law and the principle of proportionality.
Regarding the retrial's verdict of "management deficiencies, solely shifting blame," the NASC said it could not agree with this view. It emphasized that while flight training has inherent risks, the pilot's personal operational violations and errors in professional judgment were the primary cause of the accident. To rectify flight discipline and prevent the spread of a negative effect where "one can have an accident without being held responsible," the NASC will prepare evidence and file an appeal to set the record straight.
This Corps is responsible for national disaster relief and rescue missions. Every pilot and every helicopter is a precious national rescue asset. For a pilot's gross negligence, we insist on the principle of "zero tolerance for flight safety" and will not let the outcome of an administrative lawsuit waver our determination to uphold flight safety and discipline.
The Ministry of the Interior's National Airborne Service Corps stated in a press release this afternoon that some content in media reports about the handling of personnel and attribution of responsibility for the NA-103 flight accident was inconsistent with the facts, and it wished to issue a clarification to avoid public misunderstanding.
The NASC stated that on April 7, 2020, the pilot, surnamed Wang, as the captain of a training aircraft, should have strictly adhered to discipline, perfected the training plan, and managed all risk factors to ensure the lives of the crew and the safety of high-value national equipment. However, he disregarded flight discipline and safety, violated regulations by carrying personnel from a partner agency during emergency procedure training, and did not respond to the co-pilot's suggestions, ultimately leading to the aircraft losing control and being severely damaged.
This resulted in a significant loss for the NASC, with aircraft repairs estimated at approximately NT$324 million, not to mention the severe endangerment of the crew's lives.
The NASC stated that the cause of the NA-103 accident was investigated and a formal report was published by the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB). The investigation's conclusions are professional and credible, and the NASC has been implementing subsequent flight safety improvements based on these findings.
The relevant investigation conclusion mentioned, "The pilot-in-command of the accident aircraft had insufficient knowledge of the characteristics and complete operating procedures for tail rotor failure. When performing the tail rotor failure procedure, he failed to comply with the operating procedures and did not grasp the key techniques. During the execution of the maneuver, he did not place both feet on the directional control rudder pedals, which resulted in his inability to promptly correct the aircraft's rightward deviation when it lost its level attitude, causing the main rotor to strike the pavement and the aircraft to lose control and crash."
The NASC believes that the report's claim that Pilot Wang was operating the emergency maneuver training under orders from a superior is a generalization. The execution of emergency maneuvers must still follow the flight manual, and portions not permitted for live aircraft operation must be excluded. Pilot Wang's major misconduct constituted "dereliction of duty," severely impacting flight discipline and mission execution. Therefore, the dismissal with two major demerits was an administrative action in accordance with the law and the principle of proportionality.
Regarding the retrial's verdict of "management deficiencies, solely shifting blame," the NASC said it could not agree with this view. It emphasized that while flight training has inherent risks, the pilot's personal operational violations and errors in professional judgment were the primary cause of the accident. To rectify flight discipline and prevent the spread of a negative effect where "one can have an accident without being held responsible," the NASC will prepare evidence and file an appeal to set the record straight.
This Corps is responsible for national disaster relief and rescue missions. Every pilot and every helicopter is a precious national rescue asset. For a pilot's gross negligence, we insist on the principle of "zero tolerance for flight safety" and will not let the outcome of an administrative lawsuit waver our determination to uphold flight safety and discipline.