Asiana Airlines flight crash

July 6, 2013

From USA Today

Two out of four runways have reopened at San Francisco International (SFO) following the afternoon crash landing of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777.

Asiana Flight 214 from Seoul was attempting to land at San Francisco International Airport when it crashed.

At least five in critical condition

SAN FRANCISCO — An Asiana Airlines flight from Seoul crashed on landing at San Francisco’s airport Saturday, killing two passengers, injuring more than 180 and and forcing dozens of frightened passengers and crew to scamper from the aircraft before it was engulfed in smoke and flames.

One passenger remained unaccounted for late Saturday afternoon. There were 307 on board, including 16 crew. Officials said 123 escaped without injury and 181 were hospitalized or treated for injuries. Among the injured, 49 are in serious condition and five sent to San Francisco General Hospital were in critical condition. Some of the hospital’s other 34 victims are being treated for minor injuries, including fractures and abrasions, and were expected to be released by Saturday night.

“It was all over in 10 seconds,” says Vedpa Singh, who suffered a fractured collarbone. “We heard a big bang, and it was over.”

The cause of the crash has not been determined, but the FBI has has ruled out terrorism. The Boeing 777 appeared to have touched down tail-first and short of the runway. A sheered off tail section rested several hundred feet from the main body of the aircraft, and debris from the plane littered the runway.

Passenger Janghyung Lee told USA Today that the aircraft rattled wildly before landing

Images from the scene showed smoke billowing from the plane and emergency exits open from the plane’s fuselage, with the tail separated from the aircraft. Gaping holes could be seen along the top of the fuselage, blackened by fire.

The flight, which originated in Shanghai China before stopping in Seoul enroute to San Francisco, was carrying 61 U.S. citizens, 77 South Koreans and 141 Chinese.

The two known dead were female passengers, according to the San Mateo County coroner, NBC News reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board was dispatching crash investigators. NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman declined comment on whether pilot error caused the crash. “We have not determined what the focus of this investigation is yet,” she said before leaving Washington, D.C, with a team of investigators. “We will be looking at everything. Everything is on the table at this point.”

Hersman said the investigative team would look at all possible crash causes. “Obviously we have a lot of work to do,” Hersman said before departing Washington for the crash scene.

The investigators will work with the FAA, the aircraft’s manufacturer Boeing and Korea’s Air and Accident Investigation Board, Hersman said. Analysts in Washington, D.C., will examine air-traffic control records, weather and aircraft maintenance issues, she said. Investigators on site will examine the aircraft, the cockpit data recorders and the scene.

San Francisco International Airport was closed for several hours, with incoming flights diverted to other airports, before reopening two of four runways.

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in an e-mail that she had been scheduled to take the flight, but switched to a United flight to cash in air miles for family members. “We are OK. My friend on that flight is OK, too,” Sandberg told USA TODAY.

Samsung executive David Eun, who was aboard the aircraft, was among the first to tweet photos and word of passengers. “Fire and rescue people all over the place. They’re evacuating the injured. Haven’t felt this way since 9/11.”

Asiana Airlines said on its Twitter account, “Our thoughts and prayers are with all the passengers, and flight crew on the flight. We hope to provide you with further info asap… We are currently investigating and will update with news as soon as possible.”

Boeing said in a tweet from its corporate account: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by today’s incident at SFO. We stand ready to assist the NTSB.”

The last fatal accident involving a commercial flight in the U.S. was Colgan Air Flight 3407, which crashed near Buffalo, killing 50 on Feb. 12, 2009.

Saturday’s mishap was the first fatal accident involving a major domestic carrier since November 2001, when a American Airlines flight to the Dominican Republic crashed on takeoff in Queens, N.Y., killing all 260 people on board.

In another crash of a Boeing 777-200ER, British Airways flight 38 crashed just short of the runway at London’s Heathrow on Jan. 17, 2008. That crash had no fatalities, but dozens were injured. That crash was blamed on ice crystals clogging the fuel line on a long flight from Beijing.

Asiana Airlines is based in Seoul. Its website says its Boeing 777 can carry from 246 to 300 passengers. Asiana flies 12 B777-200ER twin-engine jets produced by Boeing. The long-haul jet can fly 14 hours non-stop. The airline operates 79 aircraft and flies 91 international routes to 71 cities in 23 countries.

The FAA investigated two accidents involving Asiana within weeks of one another in November 1998.

In the first incident, on Nov. 11, 1998, an Asiana plane with 220 passengers and 18 crew aboard skidded into a parked plane after landing at Anchorage International Airport in Alaska. Federal investigators blamed the pilot for excessive taxi speed and inadequate maneuvering to avoid the parked plane.

On Nov. 30, 1998, an Asiana cargo plane struck and toppled a crane in the safety zone next to the taxiway after it landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The FAA faulted the co-pilot for misjudging the wing’s clearance.

Welch reported from Los Angeles and Swartz from San Francisco International Airport; Contributing: Donna Leinwand Leger, Bart Jansen, Nancy Trejos and Nancy Blair, USA TODAY; Associated Press