The pilot of the crashed TransAsia plane was still holding the joystick in the cockpit of the aircraft, when his body was recovered.

The 42 year old pilot, Liao Chien-tsung, has been hailed as a hero as he tried his best to avert the crash. Liao Chien-tsung has been applauded for steering the plane between commercial buildings and apartment blocks before the stalled aircraft crashed in a river.

The TransAsia Flight GE235 took off from Taipei's downtown Songshan airport and was headed for the Taiwan island of Kinmen. The airplane was carrying 58 passengers and crew when it flew on Wednesday. The aircraft swayed nose-up between buildings, and flew over an overpass and a taxi with one of its wings and then crashed upside down into a shallow river.

The bodies of the pilot Liao and his co-pilot were recovered from the virtually new turboprop ATR 72-600's cockpit. Their bodies were found to be still holding the joystick, with their legs broken badly. The voice and data recorders from the plane have also been found that will help to have better information about final moments of the crashed plane.

According to the reports, the last communication from one of the pilots was "Mayday Mayday engine flameout". A flameout can take place when there is faulty combustion or when the fuel supply to an engine is interrupted, however twin-engined airplane can usually continue flying with one engine. The airplane was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127M engines.

The aviation regulator in Taiwan has ordered TransAsia and Uni Air, a subsidiary of EVA Airways Corp 2618.TW, to carry out engine and fuel system checks on the remaining 22 ATR aircraft they still operate.