Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that crash-landed at San Francisco airport was “significantly below” its target speed near the runway and the pilot tried to abort the landing, US investigators say.
The pilot was flying into San Francisco for the first time at the controls of a 777, Asiana Airlines says.
The flight from Seoul with 307 people fell short of the runway on Saturday, killing two and injuring dozens.
The aircraft apparently hit a sea wall, ripping off its tail.
Passengers and crew escaped down emergency slides as it burst into flames.
Asiana Airlines confirmed that two female Chinese teenagers died in the crash. They had been seated at the back of the aircraft.
They are believed to be the first-ever fatalities in a Boeing 777 crash.
San Francisco’s coroner is currently trying to establish whether one of the two fatalities occurred after a passenger was run over by an emergency vehicle rushing to the scene of the crash.
At a news conference on Sunday, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chief Deborah Hersman said aircraft speed was below the planned 137 knots (158 mph; 254 km/h) as it approached the runway.
Citing information both from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, she said there was a call to increase the speed about two seconds before the impact.
The pilot then requested to abort the landing and “go around”, Deborah Hersman added.
Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that crash-landed at San Francisco airport was “significantly below” its target speed near the runway and the pilot tried to abort the landing
“We have to take another look at the raw data and corroborate it with radar and air traffic information to make sure we have a very precise speed.
“But again, we are not talking about a few knots here or there. We’re talking about a significant amount of speed below 137,” she said.
Asked about possible reasons for this, Deborah Hersman stressed that “everything is on the table” and “it is too early to rule anything out”.
It has now emerged that although the pilot who was at the controls had nearly 10,000 flying hours – only 43 hours of those were on a Boeing 777.
Asiana Airlines said that Lee Kang-kook was assisted by another pilot who had more experience flying that type of aircraft.
Although he had flown into San Francisco 29 times at the controls of other types of aircraft, this was the first time he was doing so at the controls of a Boeing 777.
In a separate development, US officials confirmed that a navigation system helping pilots make safe descents was turned off for maintenance at San Francisco airport.
The Glide Path is used for landings in bad weather conditions; however, it was clear and sunny when the Asiana Airlines aircraft crashed on Saturday.
The twin-engine Boeing 777 has a good safety record for long-haul and is used by many major carriers.
The only previous notable crash occurred when a British Airways plane landed short of the runway at London’s Heathrow Airport in 2008.
Five people are in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital, hospital spokesperson Rachael Kagan said. Three others are being treated at Stanford Hospital.
About another 15 have yet to regain consciousness, said Margaret Knudson, interim surgery chief at the hospital,
Altogether 181 people were taken to hospital, mostly with minor injuries.
There were 291 passengers and 16 crew on board, Asiana said.
Nationalities on board included 141 Chinese, 77 South Koreans and 61 US citizens, the airline said.
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The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft with 307 people on board that crash-landed at San Francisco airport killing two people did not have mechanical problems, an airline official has said.
The head of the South Korean airline Asiana, Yoon Young-doo, did not rule out human error but said the pilots were experienced veterans.
Most of the 307 people on board were injured, 49 of them seriously.
The plane came down short of the runway, ripping off its tail, after apparently hitting a sea wall.
One survivor said the plane came in to land too fast and too low, but there was no warning of problems.
Passengers and crew escaped down emergency slides as it burst into flames.
Yoon Young-doo apologized “deeply” for the effect the accident had had on all those involved, bowing in front of TV cameras at a Seoul news conference.
He said there was no emergency alarm and the crew had made the usual requests to passengers to fasten their seatbelts to prepare for landing.
“Currently we understand that there were no engine or mechanical problems,” he said.
The pilots were veterans, he added, and one had more than 10,000 flying hours.
Asiana confirmed that two female Chinese teenagers died in the crash. They had been seated at the back of the aircraft.
They are believed to be the first-ever fatalities in a Boeing 777 crash.
The twin-engine aircraft has a good safety record for long-haul and is used by many major carriers.
The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft with 307 people on board that crash-landed at San Francisco airport killing two people did not have mechanical problems
The only previous notable crash occurred when a British Airways plane landed short of the runway at London’s Heathrow Airport in 2008.
Boeing said in a statement it would provide technical assistance to the investigation.
Five people are in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital, hospital spokesperson Rachael Kagan said. Three others are being treated at Stanford Hospital.
Altogether 181 people were taken to hospital, mostly with minor injuries.
There were 291 passengers and 16 crew on board, Asiana said.
Nationalities on board included 141 Chinese, 77 South Koreans and 61 US citizens, the airline said.
All of the passengers have been accounted for.
Footage of the scene showed debris strewn on the runway and smoke pouring from the jet, as fire crews sprayed a white fire retardant into gaping holes in the craft’s roof.
One engine and the tail fin were broken away from the main wreckage.
Passenger Ben Levy said there had been no warning of problems, although the plane appeared to be coming in too fast and too low.
“It happened in a flash, nobody was worried about anything,” he said.
But once the aircraft crashed, “there was chaos, disbelief, screaming”.
“My seat had been pushed to the floor, it was a mess everywhere,” Ben Levy recalled.
Nevertheless, people “calmed down pretty quickly” and evacuated the plane without pushing or stepping on each other.
Meanwhile another passenger, David Eun, tweeted a picture of people evacuating down the plane’s emergency inflatable slides and wrote: “I just crash landed at SFO. Tail ripped off. Most everyone seems fine. I’m ok. Surreal…”
A witness to the crash, Ki Siadatan, said the plane “looked out of control” as it descended over San Francisco Bay to land just before 11:30.
Arrivals and departures at the San Francisco airport have been suspended since the incident.
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Terri Weissinger from California was trapped eight days at San Francisco International Airport because she couldn’t pay the baggage fees.
Terri Weissinger had decided to move home and booked herself on a flight from California to Idaho.
Eight days after turning up at San Francisco International Airport, however, Terri Weissinger was still in the departure lounge – having not even boarded a plane.
Terri Weissinger from California was trapped eight days at San Francisco International Airport because she couldn't pay the baggage fees
The issue was having booked her flight just before a federal law went into effect requiring ticket brokers to disclose all hidden fees, Terri Weissinger didn’t know about her airline’s extra baggage fees.
Having packed too much, Terri Weissinger had just $30 to her name, while the baggage fee was $60.
U.S. Airways refused Terri Weissinger permission to board despite her offer to pay the fee when she landed or leave one of her bags behind.
U.S. Airways said their policy didn’t allow them to let her board without paying and airport security meant she couldn’t leave her luggage.
While attempting to resolve her situation, Terri Weissinger missed her plane – thereby racking up another $150 in fees.
Terri Weissinger remained stuck, with no option but to live in the terminal. The woman slept in a stairwell and was treated for anxiety at the airport medical clinic.
When she tried to plead with airport authorities for help, Terri Weissinger was threatened with arrest on vagrancy charges.
Speaking to ABC 7, Terri Weissinger said: “[It’s] ridiculous. I couldn’t believe it sometimes, you know, it’s just incredibly ridiculous situation to be in.”
Finally, Terri Weissinger saw a listing for the nearby Airport Church of Christ in a phone book and call them.
Moved by her situation, the church quickly raised the $210 Terri needed to pay her fees and get on her plane.
U.S. Airways said in a statement: “We have apologised to Ms Weissinger for her experience, but unfortunately are unable to offer a refund.
“When you purchase a non-refundable ticket, you accept the terms and conditions. If a passenger cannot travel with their bags, they need to make other arrangements.”
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