Investigations into the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 (see story here) have revealed that the aircraft – bound from Seoul, South Korea – was coming in too slow and low, and that the pilots were attempting to increase speed and abort the landing seconds before impact.
According to the preliminary assessment conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), what was supposed to be a routine landing quickly escalated into a disaster within seconds.
However, when asked if the pilots were at fault for the crash, Deborah Hersman, head of the NTSB was quick to emphasise that nothing was conclusive yet.
The tragedy, which claimed the lives of two young Chinese women and injured 182, also resulted in the temporary closure of San Francisco (SFO) International Airport.
South Korean investigators will also work jointly with the NTSB to facilitate their investigation, along with the questioning of Lee Kang-gook, the pilot who was sitting in the captain's seat.
It was revealed earlier today that the pilot was making his first landing with a Boeing 777 at San Francisco International Airport, even though it was not his first time flying into SFO and he had clocked up 43 hours of flight time in the aforementioned aircraft model.
Asiana has issued a statement on their website expressing their condolences and sympathy to those affect by the crash, and pledges to actively cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
Click here for a recent Business Traveller feature on aircraft ditching.
Visit www.flyasiana.com for more information.
Clement Huang
