Preliminary information released by the Aviation Safety Council of Taiwan on the February 4 accident involving an ATR-72 would suggest that there was a master warning in the cockpit associated with the right engine (nr.2). Subsequently the throttle of the left engine (nr.1) was brought back to idle, after which the nr. 1 condition lever was set to the fuel shutoff position resulting in left engine shutdown.
The Aviation Safety Network compiled a list of 17 airliner and military transport accidents in which the flight crew shut down the wrong, working, engine following engine problems. The most recent occurrence was a Jetstream 41 aircraft that crashed in 2009 during a training flight near Durban Airport in South Africa.
To illustrate the different situations in which an engine shut down can occur, the Aviation Safety Network also compiled a list of ATR-72-500 and -600 (all equipped with PW127 engines) incidents that the application of emergency procedures following real or perceived engine problems. This list cannot be considered complete, nor does it say anything about the safety of the ATR-72 airplane or PW127 engines.
List of accidents in which the flight crew shut down the wrong engine following engine problems:
| date | type | registration | operator | fatal | location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14-JAN-1946 | Douglas Dakota (DC-3) | KK154 | RAF | 0 | near Blakehill Farm |  |
| 22-FEB-1946 | Douglas Dakota (DC-3) | KK208 | RAF | 0 | near Yangon Airport |  |
| 16-MAY-1946 | Douglas DC-3 | NC53218 | Viking Air Transport | 27 | near Richmond Airport |  |
| 01-FEB-1947 | Douglas Dakota (DC-3) | KJ971 | RAF | 0 | Middle Aston | |
| 27-JAN-1949 | Douglas DC-3 | NC17713 | United Air Lines | 0 | Alameda, CA | |
| 12-JUL-1951 | Vickers Valetta | VW194 | RAF | 10 | near RAF Lyneham | |
| 11-JUL-1955 | Vickers Varsity | WJ904 | RAF | 0 | near Thorney Island | |
| 04-NOV-1957 | Douglas DC-3 | VH-EWF | East West Airlines | 0 | near Sydney, NSW |  |
| 23-DEC-1984 | Tupolev 154B-2 | CCCP-85338 | Aeroflot / Krasnoyarsk | 110 | Krasnoyarsk |  |
| 08-JAN-1989 | Boeing 737-4Y0 | G-OBME | BMA | 47 | Kegworth | |
| 18-APR-1991 | Dornier 228-212 | F-OHAB | Air Tahiti | 10 | near Nuku Hiva |  |
| 22-APR-1992 | DHC-6 Twin Otter 200 | N141PV | Perris Valley Aviation | 16 | near Perris Valley, CA | |
| 19-JUL-1995 | Douglas DC-3 | N54NA | private | 1 | near Independence… | |
| 05-DEC-1995 | Tupolev 134B-3 | 4K-65703 | Azerbaijan Airlines | 52 | near Nakhichevan |  |
| 29-AUG-2001 | CASA CN-235 | EC-FBC | Binter Méditerraneo | 4 | Málaga Airport |  |
| 24-SEP-2009 | BAe Jetstream 41 | ZS-NRM | SA Airlink | 1 | near Durban Airport |  |
| 04-FEB-2015 | ATR 72-600 | B-22816 | TransAsia Airways | 35 | Taipei |  |
Selection of ATR-72 (PW127 engine) in-flight engine shut down incidents:
| date | type | registration | operator | location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26-DEC-2008 | ATR-72-500 | Mount Cook Airlines | Wellington |  |
|
| 10-JAN-2010 | ATR-72-500 | PP-PTO | TRIP | Foz do Iguaçu |  |
| 8-AUG-2011 | ATR-72-500 | PK-WFG | Wings Abadi Airlines | Medan |  |
| 13-SEP-2011 | ATR-72-500 | OY-CIM | Cimber | Copenhagen |  |
| 3-OCT-2011 | ATR-72-500 | I-ADCC | Air Dolomiti | Firenze |  |
| 2-MAY-2012 | ATR-72-500 | B-22810 | TransAsia Airways | Taipei | |
| 12-JAN-2013 | ATR-72-500 | F-OIQN | Air Tahiti | Papeete | |
| 24-JUN-2013 | ATR-72-500 | EC-KKQ | wiftair, opf Air Europa | Madrid | |
| 10-SEP-2013 | ATR-72-500 | PP-PTQ | TRIP | João Pessoa | |
| 2-OCT-2013 | ATR-72-500 | OK-YFT | CSA Czech Airlines | Budapest |  |
| 26-MAR-2014 | ATR-72-600 | 9M-LMH | Malindo Air | Kuala Lumpur |  |
| 29-SEP-2014 | ATR-72-500 | EI-REM | Flybe, opb Stobart Air | Münster |  |
| 27-NOV-2014 | ATR-72-500 | D4-CBT | TACV | São Vicente |  |
| 30-NOV-2014 | ATR-72-500 | SE-MDB | Braathens Regional opf Gotlandsflyg | Visby |  |