Rescuers work at the site of the plane accident in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, Feb. 4, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua]

Newly-released analysis of a dramatic plane crash in Taiwan earlier this year has revealed the captain of the TransAsia flight mistakenly switched off the plane's only working engine just before it crashed.

Thomas Wang, head of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council, says their analysis has confirmed earlier suggestions that pilot error is the likely culprit behind February's crash.

He says they believe the pilot turned off the only working engine while trying to compensate for a flame-out in the other engine.

"Number one engine was cut off manually. Number two was put on auto feather by the system. In the end, there was a period of time that both engines had no output. So engine one was totally cut off. The other was still running but there was no output."

The release of the preliminary findings has also revealed the captain had failed simulator training connected to the flame-out of an engine after takeoff.

The report does say the pilot did eventually pass simulator training for that scenario.

The pilot is among 43 people killed after the aircraft lost power shortly after take-off on a flight from Taipei to Kinmen Island.

It narrowly missed a bridge while on its way down, and eventually slammed into the Keelung River.

14 did manage to survive the crash in early February.

A final draft on the accident is due out in November.