Asiana Airways plane hits antenna as it lands at Japan airport

An Asiana Airways plane smashed into a communications antenna as it came in to land at a Japanese airport, footage showed Wednesday, injuring 27 people in an accident redolent of the airline's fatal 2013 crash in San Francisco.

Aerial footage from Hiroshima airport in western Japan showed the localiser - a large gate-like structure, six metres (18 feet) high that sits some distance from the start of the runway - splintered, with debris spread towards the landing strip.

Sets of wheelmarks were visible on the grass area in front of the runway, while at least one large fragment of the localiser - which aircraft use to find the landing strip - was on the tarmac.

Several hundred metres away, skid marks showed the Airbus A320 had careered off the runway and rotated more than 90 degrees. What appeared to be a chunk of the localiser was seen dangling from one wing and emergency escape chutes were deployed.

Those on board flight OZ162 from Incheon, near Seoul, to Hiroshima, spoke of terror and confusion.

"There was smoke coming out and some of the oxygen masks fell down. Cabin attendants were in such a panic and I thought 'we are going to die'," a woman told Japanese networks late Tuesday.

All 73 passengers and eight crew members had evacuated, and no one was killed, but 25 passengers and two crew members had been injured, Japanese officials said.

An aviation safety official at the transport ministry in Tokyo told AFP that teams of investigators were on their way.

"The left side of the aircraft's horizontal tail was damaged... but how the accident occurred should be determined as the transport safety board carry out their investigation," he said.

The South Korean carrier said 18 passengers - 14 Japanese, two Koreans and two Chinese - had been hurt. Only one of them had to stay overnight in hospital. There was no explanation for the discrepancy between Asiana and the Japanese authorities.

"Asiana Airlines apologises for causing concern to the passengers and the people over the accident," it said in a press statement.

"Asiana Airlines has immediately set up a response team to cope with the aftermath.

"As to the determination of the cause of the accident, we will co-operate as closely as possible with the relevant authorities." An Asiana spokeswoman told AFP in Seoul it was checking Japanese news reports that the flight was approaching the runway at a lower altitude than normal before it grazed the communications tower near the runway.

Tuesday's accident carries echoes of an Asiana flight that crashed in San Francisco in July, 2013, killing three people and leaving 182 injured.

US investigators concluded that a mismanaged approach for landing in a highly automated cockpit was the probable cause of the accident, in which a Boeing 777 clipped a sea wall with its landing gear, then crashed and burst into flames.

The South Korean Transport ministry ordered a 45-day suspension of Asiana Airlines' service to San Francisco as a penalty.

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Mismanaged approach, complex cockpit cited in Asiana crash

A mismanaged approach for landing in a highly automated cockpit was the probable cause of last July's crash of a South Korean airliner in San Francisco, US investigators said on Tuesday.

Three young Chinese citizens died and 182 people suffered injuries when Asiana Flight 214 from Seoul clipped a sea wall with its landing gear, then crashed and burst into flames, in the first commercial airliner disaster in the United States since 2009.

"In this investigation, we have learned that pilots must understand and command automation, and not become over-reliant on it," said acting chairman Christopher Hart of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

"The pilot must always be the boss," added Hart, a licensed pilot himself, at the end of a day-long NTSB hearing that concluded the federal agency's probe into the July 6, 2013 disaster.

While the Boeing 777 was in the hands of "a seasoned flight crew with a good safety record, they misunderstood the automated systems at their command," Hart said.

The NTSB, which never explicitly assigns blame, refrained from explicitly accusing the Asiana crew of pilot error.

Instead, it cited a long and varied list of contributing factors, from the Boeing 777's automated throttle system to pilot fatigue and jet lag after an otherwise routine 10-1/2 hour trans-Pacific hop.

Investigators testified that captain Lee Kang-Kuk, a seasoned Airbus A320 pilot transitioning to the bigger Boeing 777, cut the autopilot on final approach into San Francisco, where the instrument landing system was out of service on an otherwise clear sunny day.

Doing so put the auto-throttle on hold, meaning it would no longer automatically control airspeed, explained investigator-in-chief Bill English.

When the jet dipped below the correct glide path, Lee reacted by pulling the nose up - but the auto-throttle, still on hold, failed to deliver an expected burst of engine power that would have enabled the airliner to make the runway.

"The Boeing 777 is one of the more sophisticated and automated aircraft in service," Hart said.

"But the more complex automation becomes, the more challenging it is to ensure that pilots adequately understand it," he added.

English said Asiana, established in 1988 as a rival to Korean Air, emphasized "maximum use of automation" by its pilots, including the use of autopilots at as low as 1,000 feet (330 meters) from the ground.

Without mentioning Lee by name, English said the captain lacked sufficient practice in hand-flying the airplane, without the help of instrumentation.

"Pilot skills degrade if not practiced," he noted.

Lee flew into San Francisco with an instructor in the co-pilot's seat, Lee Jung-Min, who himself was freshly certified to train new 777 pilots. A first officer was in a jump seat.

While finding issues in the cockpit, the NTSB hailed the fact that 99 percent of the passengers and crew survived - and that 98 percent "self-evacuated" from the burning wreckage.

Flight attendants had performed "admirably and bravely," said Hart, who stressed the role that seat belts played in saving so many lives.

Of the three fatalities, one was hit by an exit door, while the others - hurled out of the aircraft on impact - had been seen by other passengers not buckling their seat belts for landing.

One of those passengers was later struck by a fire truck as she awaited help beneath the left wing.

For the flying public, Hart said, the lesson is clear: "Pay attention to your cabin crew's instructions. Make sure you are buckled in."

Asiana meanwhile said the NTSB "has properly recognised the multiple factors that contributed to the accident, including the complexities of the auto-throttle and autopilot systems, which the agency found were inadequately described by Boeing in its training and operational manuals."

"We again express our great sorrow for the accident, the loss of life and the injuries sustained by the passengers and crew."

"The NTSB made four training recommendations to Asiana, all of which Asiana has already implemented," the airline added in its statement.

In a statement, Boeing "respectfully" disagreed with the NTSB's suggestion that the complexity of its automated cockpits was a factor in the first fatal accident ever involving its 777 model, in service for two decades.

It said its auto-flight system had been used successfully for more than 200 million flight hours across several airplane models, and for more than 55 million safe landings.

"The evidence collected during this investigation demonstrates that all of the airplane's systems performed as designed," Boeing said.

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SIA widens US coverage through expanded Asiana Airlines partnership

 Singapore Airlines (SIA) is providing access to Los Angeles, Seattle and Honolulu in the United States to its customers after announcing an expanded codeshare agreement with Asiana Airlines on Monday (June 2).

In a statement, the airline said it is now codesharing on Asiana-operated flights beyond Seoul's Incheon International Airport to the three US cities. Honululu is a new port of call, while SIA operates flights to Los Angeles and flies to Seattle through another partner airline, a company spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia.

Both parties have been codesharing since September 2005 on flights between Singapore and Seoul-Incheon.

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Asiana crash: Rescuers failed to assist run-over teen

Video footage from the helmet of a rescuer on a plane crash in San Francisco last year appears to show emergency teams failing to assist a teenaged survivor, moments before she was accidentally run over by a fire truck.

Three passengers died when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 clipped a seawall with its landing gear, skidded off the runway and burst into flames at the end of an otherwise routine flight from Seoul to San Francisco on July 6.

One of the victims, Ye Mengyuan, 16, had been pulled alive from the plane and placed near one wing.

But the Chinese teenager was later run over and killed by a fire truck, which did not spot her lying under a layer of fire retardant foam. US prosecutors decided in October not to bring charges against the firefighter driving the truck.

CBS on Thursday broadcast segments of the video, allegedly obtained by a person close to the family of the victim.

The footage shows that firefighters knew there was a person lying on the landing strip after the accident.

The video shows a truck with rescuers approaching. The man with a camera installed on his helmet sticks out his hand and asks the truck to stop.

"There's a body right there, right in front of you," he says.

Then, a group of rescuers are seen running past the girl's body without stopping to check her vital signs.

Another 182 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 777 were injured, in the first fatal commercial airline crash in the United States since 2009.

The San Francisco Fire Department declined to comment on the video.

The department has already apologised to the girl's family.

Countering reports that the police had released the video, police official Gordon Shyy said "We would not release anything that relates to an investigation that is ongoing."

A lawyer for the Ye family, Justin Green, told CNN "the video is the best evidence of what happened. It shows at least five firefighters who saw her, who understood she was there and none of them did the basic steps to check if she was alive."

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Asiana pilot felt "stressed" prior to San Francisco crash

The pilot of a South Korean airliner that crashed in San Francisco in July felt stressed about touching down without a functioning instrument landing system to guide him, according to documents made public Wednesday.

Three passengers died when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 clipped a seawall with its landing gear, skidded off the runway and burst into flames at the tragic end of an otherwise routine flight from Seoul on July 6.

Another 182 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 777 were injured, in the first fatal commercial airline crash in the United States since 2009.

A summary of Captain Lee Kang-Kuk's interview with US air accident investigators was released Wednesday as part of a day-long National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing in the US capital.

"We have the opportunity today to ensure that the lessons of this tragedy are well-learned and that the circumstances are not repeated," NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman said.

According to the NTSB summary, Lee -- a seasoned aviator undergoing transition training to the Boeing 777 -- told investigators he felt "very stressful" about making a visual approach.

The instrument landing system (ILS) at San Francisco had been out of service since June due to construction work, calling for a hands-on approach on an otherwise fine summer day.

Under normal circumstances, the ILS would let pilots know if they were too high or too low. A visual approach requires looking out the window and taking cues from an array of approach lights at the runway's edge.

"Asked about whether he was concerned about his ability to perform a visual approach, he said, 'Very concerned'," the NTSB summary said.

"Asked what aspect he was most concerned about, he said 'the unstable approach'" -- the ability to set up an airplane for landing at a precise speed, direction and rate of descent.

"He added, 'exactly controlling the descent profile and the lateral profile… that is very stressful'."

Lee had flown Airbus A320s for Asiana from 2005 until February this year, when he began training to master the bigger 777.

He had 9,700 hours of flight experience, but only 35 hours in the Boeing 777.

Earlier in his career, he told investigators he had twice landed at San Francisco, once manually, as co-pilot of an Asiana Boeing 747.

In the co-pilot's seat at the end of the 10-1/2 hour flight was Lee Jung-Min, who had 3,200 hours' experience in the Boeing 777 but was only recently certified to instruct other pilots on its operation.

Bill English, the NTSB investigator leading the Asiana probe, said the autopilot was switched off about three miles out, and that the airspeed dipped as low as 103 knots, or 34 knots below the ideal approach speed.

The aircraft, meanwhile, descended so low that an array of approach lights at the end of the runway -- a key visual aid to landing -- showed four red lights, a situation that would call for an aborted landing.

A final NTSB report is not expected before the middle of next year.

None of the ill-starred flight's four pilots, 12 flight attendants and 291 passengers, many of them South Korean and Chinese nationals, were scheduled to testify Wednesday.

All three of the fatalities were young Chinese women, including one who was fatally hit by a fire engine as she lay stricken near the runway.

Giving expert testimony, Nadine Sarter, who studies the impact of automation on human performance, said a complex automation system was most likely to be a hindrance at the very instant it is most needed.

"In that sense, it could get in the way," said Sarter, an engineering professor at the University of Michigan.

"Pilots sometimes rely too much on automated systems and may be reluctant to intervene" when a situation calls for hands-on control, added Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) scientist Kathy Abbott.

Captain Dave McKenney of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) said today's pilots are expected to use automated systems so often that they get "few chances" to keep up their manual skills.

He underscored the challenges of landing at San Francisco, where pilots would be busy not only setting up for landing, but also looking out for other traffic to avoid a mid-air collision.

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Cockpit automation under scrutiny in Asiana crash probe

US air accident investigators hold a hearing Wednesday into the role that sophisticated cockpit automation might have played in the fiery crash of a South Korean airliner in San Francisco.

Three passengers died when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 clipped a seawall, skidded out of control and burst into flames upon landing after an otherwise routine flight from Seoul on July 6.

Another 182 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 777 were injured -- and first indications suggested the pilots approached the runway at well below the optimum speed for landing.

Wednesday's nearly 12-hour hearing was supposed to be a two-day affair, but its scheduled start Tuesday was postponed.

Keith Holloway of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the hearing will "gather additional factual information" as the federal agency moves closer to a final report on the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 777.

"Typically it takes about 12 months to complete a full investigation," he told AFP. "This is just one phase, a fact-gathering stage, of the investigation."

None of the four pilots, 12 flight attendants and 291 passengers, many of them South Korean and Chinese nationals, are lined up to testify.

Instead the hearing at an NTSB conference centre in downtown Washington will hear expert testimony on such issues as cockpit automation in the Boeing 777 and the training of Asiana pilots in its operation.

It will also dwell on the effects of automation on pilot performance in the moments prior to an accident, airport emergency response and the crash-worthiness of aircraft interiors.

All three of the dead were young Chinese women, including one who was fatally hit by a fire engine as she lay stricken near the runway.

Landing just before noon on a clear and sunny Saturday, but with San Francisco airport's instrument landing system reportedly out of service, Flight 214 had been cleared by air traffic controllers for a visual landing on Runway 28 Left.

Amateur video of the moment of impact showed the aircraft's nose up, and its rear hitting the ground first, before it bounced abruptly then spun around 180 degrees, shedding its tail.

Large sections of the fuselage were gutted in the ensuing fire.

On the scene two days later, NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman said the aircraft was coming in to land at a speed significantly below the 137 knots (158 miles per hour, 254 kilometres per hour) that it should have been holding on final approach.

"We are not talking about a few knots here or there. We're talking about a significant amount of speed below 137," she told reporters.

Initial investigation also found the precariously slow speed triggered the Boeing 777's stall warning system -- a vibration on the controls known as a "stick shaker" -- four seconds prior to impact.

San Francisco airport is among the busiest in the United States, handling more than nine million international and 33 million domestic travellers in the year to June 2012.

Asiana has defended the two pilots at the controls at the time of the July 6 accident, Lee Kang-Kuk and Lee Jung-Min, saying they were "competent" veteran aviators whose experience included dozens of flights to and from San Francisco.

It also said in July that "there were no engine or mechanical problems" on the aircraft, which it acquired in 2006.

Lee Kang-Kuk, a pilot for some 10 years, was midway through training to fly the Boeing 777 and its all-digital instrument panel, known in pilot jargon as a "glass cockpit."

Lee Jung-Min, with many flying hours in the "triple seven," acted as co-pilot and instructor.

Two other pilots were on board as well -- not unusual for a long transpacific journey that would call for a mid-flight change of cockpit crew.

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Firefighters caused death of Asiana crash victim: coroner

One of the victims of this month's Asiana Airlines jet crash in San Francisco survived impact but was killed on the tarmac when she was run over by an emergency vehicle, officials said on Friday.

Results of the autopsy on 16-year-old Chinese student Ye Mengyuan, one of three people killed in the July 6 disaster, had been keenly awaited after firefighters admitted a tarmac accident was possible.

The girl, who was "alive at the time," died due to "multiple blunt injuries that are consistent with being run over by a motor vehicle," San Mateo county coroner Robert Foucrault told reporters.

San Francisco fire chief Joanne Hayes-White offered her "condolences and apologies to the family... in light of the coroner's findings in this tragic accident."

"Obviously this is very difficult news for us -- we're heartbroken," Hayes-White said. "We're in the business of saving lives."

The city fire chief said the entire emergency operation was still under review.

"I continue to be very proud of all the men and women of our department. Many of our members risked their lives to save passengers and crews that day," she said, lamenting the "tragic accident."

A police inquiry found that Ye was hidden under a layer of white foam, used by firefighters as a flame retardant in the wake of the crash upon landing of Asiana Flight 214.

Hayes-White said the vehicle involved was likely "one of the specialized rigs at the airport," adding: "There were many surrounding the aircraft."

She said fire department personnel were cooperating with both a police probe and the one led by the US National Transportation Safety Board.

The two other people killed in the crash were also female Chinese youths.

More than 180 others injured in the crash of the Boeing 777, which had left Shanghai and made a stop in Seoul before heading to San Francisco.

Two of them were still in critical condition on Friday, with "spinal cord injury, abdominal injuries, internal bleeding, road rash and fractures," San Francisco General Hospital said in an update.

The passenger jet had 307 people on board, including 16 crew members. More than 120 people escaped unharmed.

The crash was the carrier's first passenger jet crash in 20 years.

According to preliminary findings from the NTSB, the plane crashed because it was flying too low and too slowly as it approached the runway.

The tail of the aircraft broke off as the plane clipped a seawall short of the runway, skidding out of control and quickly catching fire.

It has also emerged that the otherwise experienced pilot was undergoing his first major training on the Boeing 777, and it was his co-pilot's first time working as instructor.

Asiana has argued the pair were "competent" veterans with around 10,000 flying hours including dozens of flights to San Francisco.

Officials in South Korea have said that Asiana, the country's number two airline, will be subject to a weeks-long government investigation.

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Not a nice thing to know when your motto is to save lives yet you caused the death of a young life. The white foam didn't help matters and in the chaotic scene after the crash, such an incident is unfortunate, my condolences to the girl's family.

Asiana drops lawsuit against TV station

Asiana said Wednesday it had decided not to file a lawsuit against a US television station which aired false and offensive names for the pilots involved in a fatal crash.

The South Korean airline had earlier said it was planning a defamation lawsuit against Fox network affiliate KTVU news Channel 2 in Oakland over its coverage of the crash in San Francisco earlier this month.

The TV station identified the pilots of the Asiana Boeing 777 as "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow."

KTVU cited the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as its source, but quickly realized the mistake and apologised.

Asiana also said it would sue the NTSB but on Monday backtracked, and on Wednesday it withdrew the same threat against KTVU.

"Asiana decided not to proceed with the suit," the airline said, citing an apology by the station.

Three people died when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 from Shanghai via Seoul crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport on July 6 and more than 180 were injured.

The jet clipped a sea wall with its tail as it came in to land at the US airport and skidded out of control before catching fire.

Two teenage Chinese girls died at the scene and another girl, also Chinese, died from her injuries.

Four pilots have been quizzed by US aviation officials over the deadly crash.

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Sigh of relief for the TV station. One less thing to be preoccupied about for the airline. This is an honest mistake.

Asiana passengers file lawsuit against Boeing

A group of 83 passengers aboard an Asiana Airlines flight which crash-landed in San Francisco has filed a lawsuit seeking millions from the aircraft's manufacturer Boeing, their lawyers said Tuesday.

While a final determination of what caused the deadly crash of the Boeing 777 is years away,Chicago-based Ribbeck Law said initial reports indicate it could have been caused by a mechanical malfunction of the auto-throttle.

Boeing could also have been at fault for the design of sliding ramps which deployed inside the plane, "further injuring passengers and blocking their exit to safety," Ribbeck said in a press release.

There were also possibly problems with the seatbelts given that police officers "had to pass knives to crew members inside the burning wreckage" so they could cut passengers free," Ribbeck said.

The class action lawsuit was filed in Chicago, Boeing's corporate headquarters.

It will be expanded in coming days to include Asiana and several component part manufacturers "who may be responsible for this disaster," Ribbeck said.

The Asiana jet from Shanghai via Seoul clipped a sea wall with its tail as it came in to land at the US airport on July 6 and skidded out of control before catching fire, leaving three dead and more than 180 injured.

Zhang Yuan, who suffered severe spinal injuries and a broken leg, said it was important that victims protect their rights "immediately."

"It is terrible that the sliding ramps deployed inside the plane blocking our way to the exit door, trapping us inside the burning plane," she said in the statement.

"My husband, my daughter, other passengers and I would not have suffered such terrible injuries if the sliding ramps and the seat belts would not have trapped us in the burning wreckage."

Ribbeck filed a motion Monday seeking to require Boeing to provide details about the jet's design and maintenance and will seek access to all of the evidence discovered in the course of the investigation.

Swift legal action is "vital" for the victims and their families because international treaties prohibit US safety regulators from making determinations of liability or fault.

"Just compensation to these families cannot be provided under the law, until liability of all parties is established first," Kelly said.

"Ribbeck Law's independent experts will monitor the official investigation and will conduct our own investigation for our clients to assign fault to each of the responsible parties for this tragedy."

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Now they start pointing fingers to the auto-throttle? Malfunctioning sliding ramps and seatbelts are now among the equipments hindering with rescue efforts? Boeing is in serious hot soup now. With the B787 still giving problems, this incident is one which they had hoped never occurred. In fact, we all do hope so.

Asiana Pilots Fear Criminal Charges in San Francisco Crash

Pilots of the Asiana Airlines Inc. jet that crashed nine days ago fear they will face criminal prosecution in the carrier's home country of South Korea, said people familiar with their thinking, a prospect that alarms U.S. pilot-union leaders and air-safety experts.

The Korean pilots of the Boeing 777, which hit a sea wall after making a dangerously low and slow approach to San Francisco International Airport in good weather, returned to Seoul on Friday. Before leaving, the pilots told associates they are concerned that their government intends to hit them with criminal charges for lapses in the cockpit.

Unlike in the U.S., South Korean law and precedent make that a possibility. South Korean law allows prison sentences of up to three years in the event of pilot negligence.

The captain of a Korean Air DC-10 that crashed in 1989 in Libya went to prison, according to news accounts at the time.

The Asiana pilots told these associates that they didn't expect to face jail time immediately upon arriving home, but they received no such assurances for the long term, according to a person familiar with the details.

Efforts to reach the pilots directly were unsuccessful. The union that represents them, the Air Line Pilots Association of Korea, has criticized the scrutiny of the crew's actions before the crash, saying information released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has focused only on pilot error while neglecting possible contributing factors.

The South Korean transportation ministry on Wednesday is slated to kick off a four-week probe of the crash, said a senior official with the ministry. The agency plans to delve into pilot training, whether the pilots followed proper approach procedures and their prior experience landing in San Francisco.

The official said there were no current plans to charge the pilots criminally, though the final decision hinges on the probe.

The crash left three dead and dozens injured. It all but destroyed the jet, which had an estimated market value of $63.9 million, according to aviation-consulting firm Avitas.

In a meeting with Korean government officials Monday, Asiana said it would enhance its pilot training, update its data on airports with difficult approaches and move to ensure better cockpit communication with pilots.

The plan was presented as part of a session on risk management attended by eight Korean carriers, and an Asiana spokeswoman declined to elaborate. The airline previously said it planned to beef up certain kinds of training, though Asiana has repeatedly said the pilots on Flight 214 were highly experienced and their training met all domestic and international standards.

Many air-safety experts argue that making pilots criminally liable threatens to chill their voluntary reporting of hazards and prevent airlines from benefiting from other confidential safety information needed to eliminate budding dangers. And when prosecutors pursue prison terms after a crash, critics contend, it makes it harder to determine precisely what happened.

U.S. pilot-union officials and safety advocates have launched a behind-the-scenes effort to head off any criminal action, seeking support from U.S. government and airline officials.

"I am concerned about the issue," said Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, the largest pilot union in North America, which assisted the Asiana pilots during the crash investigation. Criminalization, he said, can end up "crippling the ability to learn from accidents so they can be prevented."

U.S. laws and tradition essentially preclude criminal charges even against pilots who cause fatal accidents, except when their actions are intentional, egregiously reckless or result from drugs or alcohol.

But from Asia to Europe to Latin America, judges and prosecutors over the years have filed criminal cases, typically over the strong objections of labor, independent air-safety groups and the International Civil Aviation Organization, an arm of the United Nations.

France, Spain, Brazil and Indonesia are among countries where air crashes have spurred criminal probes. The moves prompted ICAO to set up a special task force that recently submitted recommendations, which remain confidential, to prevent criminalization of accidents.

Kenneth Quinn, the task force's vice chairman and a partner in the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, said criminal action shouldn't follow a crash "unless there is evidence of willful misconduct or gross negligence." Mr. Quinn is general counsel of the nonprofit Flight Safety Foundation, which fights air-accident criminalization.

Some say moves to file criminal charges sometimes can be understandable. In countries where crash victims or their families "don't have a viable way to get meaningful compensation" through civil procedures, "it's natural for people look toward criminal prosecution," said James Kreindler, a plaintiffs' attorney with the New York law firm Kreindler & Kreindler LLP.

Meantime, there has been criticism over the NTSB's extensive, early disclosures of preliminary data from its investigation. Some of the pilots' backers feel the focus on apparent pilot error may provide ammunition for those inclined to pursue a criminal case.

Last week, ALPA criticized the safety board for "prematurely releasing" information from recorders aboard Asiana 214, before investigators fully interviewed the pilots. The union also complained that without providing the full context behind data that was made public, such disclosure "represents a potential detriment to flight safety."

An NTSB spokeswoman said "we routinely provide the public with factual information" about accidents. "For the public to have confidence in the investigative process," she said, "transparency and accuracy are critical."

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This is sad isn't it? Errors of a pilot that is not being committed willfully being subjected to criminal charges in the country. From having one of the best jobs in the world, you ended up in a small prison cell for not doing your job fitting to expectations.

Asiana airlines faces government investigation

South Korea's Asiana airlines will be subject of a three-week government investigation after one of its passenger jets crash landed in San Francisco, officials said Monday.

The transport ministry also ordered all South Korean airlines to step up safety measures and provide additional training for their pilots and crew.

"South Korean airlines are required to strengthen safety measures in all areas, from flight operation, maintenance and their operation manuals to facilities," vice transportation minister Yeo Hyung-Koo said in a statement released by his office.

The order came Monday at talks between transportation ministry officials and executives from the country's eight carriers.

The probe into Asiana will investigate whether it violated any rules in its operation and training, the ministry said.

Four pilots from the Boeing 777 that crashed on July 6 will be questioned from Wednesday. The pilots returned home on Saturday after being quizzed by US aviation officials.

The Asiana jet from Shanghai via Seoul clipped a sea wall with its tail as it came in to land at the US airport and skidded out of control before catching fire, leaving three dead and more than 180 injured.

Two teenage Chinese girls died immediately after the accident and another girl, also Chinese, died from her injuries on Friday.

Asiana said Monday it would file a defamation suit against Fox network affiliate KTVU news Channel 2 in Oakland for mistakenly confirming and airing false and offensive names for the pilots.

It cited the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as its source, but quickly realised the mistake and apologised. The NTSB blamed the mistake on an intern.

"The KTVU broadcast has seriously undermined the honour of our company," the carrier said in a statement.

The ministry said it had received a message of regret from the NTSB over the report.

Two of the four Asiana pilots onboard were in the cockpit at the time of the crash.

Questions have been raised about whether their perceived lack of experience in flying the B777 played a role in the accident -- the carrier's first passenger jet crash in 20 years.

Lee Kang-Kuk, a pilot for 10 years, was at the controls and in the middle of training to fly the B777, which he had flown for around 40 hours previously.

Lee Jung-Min, acting as co-pilot and trainer, had received his teaching license for the aircraft a month before the accident and had flown the B777 for 3,200 hours before.

Asiana has argued the pair were "competent" veterans with around 10,000 flying hours including dozens of flights to San Francisco.

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Even the government is concerned about the safety in training and now want some answers on how did the accident allow itself to happen. This must have all the airlines based in South Korea scrambling for details/procedures to provide for the ministry to vet through.

US officials apologise for Asiana crash names gaffe

US officials apologized late Friday for mistakenly confirming false and offensive names identifying the pilots of the Asiana flight that crashed in San Francisco last weekend, leaving three dead and scores injured.

Fox network affiliate KTVU news Channel 2 in Oakland identified the pilots in their noon broadcast Friday as "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow."

KTVU cited the National Transportation Safety Board as their source, but quickly realized the mistake and apologized.

"These names were not accurate despite an NTSB official in Washington confirming them late this morning," KTVU said.

The NTSB later apologized for the "inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed" as those of the Asiana pilots -- and blamed the mistake on an intern.

"In response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft," the statement read.

The NTSB "does not release or confirm the names of crew members or people involved in transportation accidents to the media," the board said.

"Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated."

The NTSB told the San Francisco Chronicle that the offensive names "originated at the media outlet," and that the intern did not realize they were offensive and was "acting in good faith and trying to be helpful."

Three people died when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport on July 6 and more than 180 were injured.

In Seoul, Asiana Airlines earlier identified the pilot flying the Boeing 777 that crashed as Lee Kang-Kuk, 46.

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Not funny at all. And how did it even end up on the news is mind boggling. A total disrespect for everyone involved in the crash.

Third passenger dies of injuries in Asiana jet crash

A third girl, reportedly Chinese, died Friday of injuries sustained in the Asiana jet crash in San Francisco, as authorities confirmed that a firetruck ran over one of the other victims.

Two female Chinese teenagers died July 6 when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport, with the accident leaving more than 180 others injured.

The third victim had been in critical condition and died early Friday, San Francisco General Hospital said in a statement, adding that the family had asked further details to be withheld.

China's official news service Xinhua, citing the hospital, described the victim as a female Chinese student.

The third death was confirmed shortly after San Francisco police told AFP that one of the teenagers who died in the crash "had been run over at least one time by a fire truck."

Police spokesman Albie Esparza said it is not yet clear whether or not the teen was already dead.

Firefighters, who raced to the scene shortly after the crash to help douse the flames blazing from the aircraft, had earlier told police of the "possibility" that one of their trucks ran had ran someone over.

The police investigation concluded that the accident occurred because firefighters had sprayed the immediate ground area with white foam, used as a flame retardant, Esparza explained.

"It's believed that the victim was on the ground, covered, and not seen by anybody," he added.

"So when the fire truck moved to reposition itself, that is when the body of the victim was discovered lying in the track of the fire truck."

Authorities are still conducting an autopsy to determine cause of death, Esparza added. The coroner's office could not immediately confirm when final autopsy results will be available.

Of the others who were injured when the plane crashed, two adults remain in critical condition, SFGH said, noting that the hospital is still caring for three other adults and a child.

According to preliminary findings from a US transport safety agency probe, the plane crashed because it was flying too low and too slowly as it approached the runway.

The tail of the aircraft broke off as the plane clipped a seawall short of the runway, skidding out of control and quickly catching fire.

The airplane pilot, 46-year-old Lee Kang-Kuk, was an experienced aviator but was undergoing his first major training on the Boeing 777, and it was his co-pilot's first time working as instructor.

The US National Transportation Safety Board has said analysis of cockpit voice recorders showed the pilots made no mention of the too-slow speed during the plane's doomed approach until it was 100 feet from the ground.

The NTSB had previously revealed the plane's speed had dipped to 103 knots three seconds before the crash -- sharply below the target landing speed of 137 knots at the threshold of the runway.

Asiana Flight 214, from Shanghai, with a stop in Seoul, had 307 people on board, including 16 crew members. Some 123 escaped unharmed.

There were 141 Chinese passengers on board the plane. As of Thursday, Xinhua reported that six of the Asian country's nationals remained in area hospitals.

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A sad news to hear. Another young life lost due to the crash. Hopefully one of the casualties didn't die due to the fire truck running over her.

South Koreans dismiss cockpit culture as cause of crash

South Korean aviation officials on Friday dismissed any suggestion that a deferential culture in which junior pilots were afraid to challenge their seniors played a part in the crash of an Asiana jet in San Francisco.

Two people died and more than 180 were injured when a Boeing 777 crashed last Saturday after clipping a seawall short of the runway, skidding out of control, shredding the tail of the plane and catching fire.

An investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board is focusing much of its attention on Lee Gang-Kuk, who was landing the 777 for his first time, and his trainer Lee Jeong-Min.

"We're certainly interested to see if there are issues where there are challenges to crew communication," Deborah Hersman, head of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) which is investigating the crash, said Wednesday.

Aviation industry have been training pilots in order "to make sure that a junior pilot feels comfortable challenging a senior pilot and to make sure the senior pilot welcomes feedback in a cockpit environment from all members of the crew and considers it", she said.

But Chang Man-Heui, director of flight standards at the South Korean transportation ministry said it was "outrageous to suggest that traditional Korean Confucianist culture might have contributed to the accident".

"It's true that authoritarianism existed in the cockpit until the late 1990s (of South Korean flights) but we have now a completely different culture," he said, dismissing such a suggestion as "anachronistic".

One incident partly blamed on rigid relations between senior and junior pilots was the 1999 crash of a Boeing 747 Korean Air cargo shortly after takeoff from London.

The plane's captain, who had a malfunctioning cockpit indicator, censured his first officer who was communicating correct information to the control tower, according to British investigators.

Another accident linked to a deferential culture involved a Korean Air Boeing 747 that prematurely descended on an approach and slammed into a hillside short of the runway at Guam in 1997, killing 223 of 254 aboard.

The captain failed to respond to warnings from his junior pilot that they were flying too low, according to reports.

These crashes and other accidents sparked a hectic government-led campaign to improve cockpit environment as part of global efforts at better crew resources management, which have largely paid off, local experts said.

Professor Jung Yun-Sick at Jungwon University, a former Asiana pilot, noted drastic changes had occurred not only in aircraft cockpit but the South Korean society as well.

"I assure you that cockpit culture has undergone great changes and become as much democratic as other countries", he said.

"But this does not mean there should be no hierarchical order in the cockpit as aircraft, as well as ships, need a strict command and control", he said.

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Ah, when such allegations surface it is of no surprise the airline will defend themselves fiercely. Who can blame the rumours when such occurrences did happen in the past and it can still exist in today's environment especially in the airline industry where seniority is very much emphasized. It is a very old fashion ay of doing things and it should have been abolished long ago.

Asiana pilots appeared unaware of speed until too late

The pilots of the Asiana Boeing 777 that crashed in San Francisco appeared to be unaware the plane was flying too slowly until just seconds before the aircraft slammed into the ground.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chief Deborah Hersman said Thursday that analysis of cockpit voice recorders showed no talk of speed during the plane's doomed approach until it was 100 feet from the ground.

Nine seconds before impact, a call was made to increase speed. Two different members of the cockpit crew then made separate requests to abort the landing, three seconds and 1.5 seconds before the crash, Hersman said.

"There is no mention of speed until about nine seconds until impact," Hersman told a news briefing.

The NTSB had previously revealed the plane's speed had dipped to 103 knots three seconds before the crash -- sharply below the target landing speed of 137 knots at the threshold of the runway.

Two people died and more than 180 were injured when Asiana flight 214 crashed on Saturday after clipping a seawall short of the runway, skidding out of control, shredding the tail of the plane and catching fire.

The NTSB has steadfastly shied away from apportioning blame for the crash, insisting it is too early to draw conclusions as it sifts through a mountain of recorded data and evidence gleaned from interviews with flight crew.

Hersman meanwhile confirmed Thursday that all of the aircraft's automated flight systems had been working correctly during the flight.

"There is no anomalous behaviour of the autopilot, flight director and auto-throttles based on the FDR (flight data recorder) data reviewed to this date," Hersman said.

The NTSB chief also played down suggestions that a mysterious "light" seen by the plane's pilot in the approach had played any part in the crash.

"The pilot flying told the NTSB that at about 500 hundred feet ... he observed a bright point source of light that could have been a reflection of the sun but he wasn't sure," Hersman said.

"The light source was straight in front of the airplane but not on the runway. He briefly looked away from the light and then he looked into the cockpit and he stated that he did not think that the light affected his vision because he could see the flight control instruments and he was able to look at the speed at that time.

"Neither of the other two flight crew members mentioned this light during their interviews. And in the review of the CVR (cockpit voice recorder), there is no discussion of the light."

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This is quite a serious matter when pilots are unaware of something is amiss until the very last moments of the crash. Does this stem from the lack of experience or are they too preoccupied with other matters in the cockpit?

Asiana says pilot trainer of crashed jet new to the job

The trainer assigned to guide a pilot who crash-landed an Asiana Airlines plane in San Francisco was on his first day in the job, the carrier said Tuesday, as investigators began interviewing the cockpit crew.

With speculation mounting that pilot error may have caused the fatal accident, the South Korean airline confirmed that trainer Lee Jung-Min had received his teaching licence for the Boeing 777 just a month before the crash on Saturday.

The trainer, an experienced pilot with thousands of flying hours, was assigned to guide colleague Lee Kang-Kuk, who was landing in the US city for the first time on that model of aircraft.

"This is not something abnormal. Every trainer has his first day as a trainer," an Asiana spokeswoman told AFP on Tuesday.

She added that the trainer had more than 3,000 hours of flight time on the Boeing 777.

The pilot, by contrast, had just 43 hours of flying that model although he was experienced on other aircrafts with more than 9,000 hours of flight time under his belt, Asiana said.

Two teenage Chinese girls were killed and more than 180 people injured when the flight from Seoul clipped a seawall short of the runway and went skidding out of control on its belly, shredding the tail end of the plane and starting a fire.

South Korean passenger Kim Ji-Eun, who was seated a few rows ahead of dozens of Chinese passengers at the rear of the cabin, including the two girls, described the terrifying crash.

"I saw people whose seat belts were somehow unbuckled being thrown out everywhere," Kim, 22, told the Chosun Ilbo daily.

"It was so scary. The (second) thud was so loud that people started screaming. I blinked once and looked back, only to see no one there," she said.

"I was so shocked to realise that none of the people who were seating behind me were there," she told the newspaper.

"I grabbed one of the oxygen masks tangled together overhead and wore it. Then I saw people screaming and jumping out of a big hole made in the aircraft and realised this was a very serious situation," said Kim, who damaged her spine jumping onto a wing.

Officials said about 20 people remained in critical condition in hospital.

A six-member South Korean team arrived in San Francisco on Monday to assist the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in probing the incident, said Choi Jeong-Ho, the head of South Korea's aviation bureau.

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Could this have been his lack of awareness when the plane was way below the intended speed for landing? Would it be better if they assigned a more experienced student to a less experienced trainer and vice versa?

No mechanical problem with crashed jet: Asiana

The South Korean Boeing 777 which crashed in San Francisco after landing short of the runway was only seven years old and had no known mechanical problems, the Asiana Airlines CEO said Sunday.

"We purchased this airplane in March 2006... currently we understand that there are no engine or mechanical problems," Yoon Young-Doo told a press conference, adding that the two people killed were Chinese nationals.

South Korea's transport ministry said separately both the dead were female, born in 1996 and 1997.

The ministry said the plane's tail hit the runway and the aircraft veered to the left off the runway. A total of 181 people were injured.

Yoon said the crew had made an in-flight broadcast as usual, "asking passengers to buckle up for landing. There was no emergency alarm".

He said one pilot had more than 10,000 flying hours, and the other more than 9,000.

"Our pilots strictly comply with aviation rules," the CEO said.

He said the two people who died were passengers seated at the back of the plane.

"Please accept my deepest apology," the CEO said, bowing in front of TV cameras at the press conference.

"We'll make our utmost efforts to cope with the tragedy."

The plane, which originated in Shanghai and picked up passengers in South Korea before heading to San Francisco, had 291 passengers and 16 crew on board.

Among them, 141 were Chinese nationals, followed by 77 South Koreans, 61 Americans, one Japanese, three Indians, three Canadians, one French, one Vietnamese, three others with unidentified nationality and 16 crew.

Anxious relatives swarmed around Asiana's headquarters in Seoul, seeking details of the crash and the whereabouts of the victims.

"I'm very worried about my daughter. She called me a while ago saying she received injuries to the shoulder and legs," a middle-aged woman told journalists.

"But since then, I've heard no word from her. I wonder where she is now."

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye offered sympathies to victims and their relatives.

"I offer my deepest condolences to the victims and their relatives," her spokeswoman quoted her as saying.

"All government agencies concerned will join forces to provide all necessary assistance and resources to deal with the disaster."

A group of some 20 South Koreans including government officials and Asiana staff left on a special flight for San Francisco, the transport ministry said.

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Until the investigations are carried out and a conclusion comes about, there can only be speculations about what really happened before the crash. Some say the pilot decided to go-around but did it too late and the tail hit the tarmac before breaking up from the main body. What caused such an action from the pilot remains to be seen.

 

Two killed as Asiana jet crashes in San Francisco

An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 passenger jet crashed and burst into flames on Saturday as it landed short of the runway at San Francisco International Airport, killing two people and injuring
182 others.

Flight 214 had 307 people on board -- 291 passengers and 16 crew -- when it left Seoul. The aircraft apparently struck a rocky area at the water's edge short of the runway at the airport, a major international hub especially for flights to and from Asia.

"It is incredible and very lucky that we have so many survivors. But there are still many that are critically injured," said San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, who sent condolences to the families of those killed and hurt.

The plane's tail "hit the runway and the aircraft veered to the left out of the runway," South Korea's transportation ministry said in a statement on Sunday from Seoul.

Pictures showed the tail detached from the fuselage, and the landing gear had also sheared off.

The airport was closed immediately after the crash, but two runways later reopened. Some flights were diverted to Los Angeles.

Among those on board were 77 Koreans, 141 Chinese, 61 US citizens, and one Japanese national, Asiana said in a statement.

In Seoul, Asiana Airlines CEO Yoon Young-Doo said that there was nothing wrong with the airplane.

"We purchased this airplane in March 2006... currently we understand that there are no engine or mechanical problems," he said at a press conference, adding that the two people killed were Chinese nationals.

San Francisco General Hospital said it was treating 34 patients, five of them in critical condition. Other patients had been taken to different hospitals in the area.

In total, 123 people aboard the flight were uninjured, US officials said.

Survivor Elliott Stone told CNN that as it came in to land, it appeared the plane "sped up, like the pilot knew he was short."

"And then the back end just hit and flies up in the air and everybody's head goes up to the ceiling."

Video footage showed the jet on its belly surrounded by at least six fire engines that sprayed white foam on the wreckage. Debris was scattered on the runway and in the surrounding area.

"It looked normal at first... the wheels were down," an unidentified man who witnessed the crash told CNN. "It just hit (the seawall) like that and the whole thing just collapsed immediately.

"It just pancaked immediately. The wings caught on the tarmac."

A four-member South Korean government team was also heading to inspect the site of the accident, officials in Seoul said.

One dramatic photo tweeted by a survivor showed people streaming out of the jet following the crash-landing. An inflatable slide was at the front entrance. Other emergency exits also appeared to have been used.

"I just crash landed at SFO. Tail ripped off. Most everyone seems fine. I'm ok," the passenger, David Eun, wrote on Twitter.

But another photo from above showed a more distressing scene, with most of the roof of the plane missing and the cabin seating area charred by fire. The aircraft's wings were still attached.

"I saw some passengers bleeding and being loaded onto an ambulance," another passenger, Chun Ki-Wan, told YTN TV in Seoul.

"Everything seemed to be normal before it crash-landed."

Stone said he feared for the flight crew seated in the back of the plane, which took off in Shanghai, stopped in Seoul before heading to the United States.

"They were sitting in the back end and got hammered because we landed short. And then they all fell out and it was just the most terrible thing I've seen," he said.

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg was supposed to be on the flight with her family and three colleagues, but switched to a United flight and arrived in San Francisco some 20 minutes before the Asiana crash.

"Serious moment to give thanks," she wrote on her own Facebook page.

The White House said President Barack Obama had been briefed on the incident, noting: "His thoughts and prayers go out to the families who lost a loved one and all those affected by the crash."

Asiana is based in Seoul. The twin-engine 777 aircraft is one of the world's most popular long-distance planes, often used for flights of 12 hours or more, from one continent to another.

It was the first fatal crash involving an Asiana passenger plane since June 1993, when a Boeing 737 operated by the carrier crashed into a mountain in South Korea, killing 68.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said there was no indication that terrorism was to blame for the crash.

In Washington, National Transportation Safety Board experts flew west to investigate the crash, while the heads of the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration issued a joint statement thanking the first responders. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the passengers and crew of Asiana Flight 214 and their families," the statement read.

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A regretful news to hear from San Francisco. Two young lives lost and many others injured, some seriously. I pray that there will be no further fatalities in the days to come.

S Korean airlines ban shark fin as cargo

South Korea's two largest airlines, Korean Air and Asiana, said on Thursday they had both decided to ban shark fin from their cargo flights as part of a growing global campaign against the Asian delicacy.

Korean Air, which flies to 45 countries, said in a statement that it had stopped shipping shark fin from June 10.

"Korean Air has joined a campaign to protect an ecological system by imposing a complete ban on the shipment of shark fin," the statement said.

Asiana, the country's second largest airline, said it was following suit.

"Our airline has decided to stop shipping shark fin," an Asiana spokeswoman told AFP, without saying when the ban would be enforced.

Shark fin soup is served by many hotels and Chinese restaurants in South Korea and is a staple at wedding banquets and corporate parties.

Global shark populations have been decimated by the trade. Humans kill about 100 million sharks each year, mostly for their fins, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, which says 90 per cent have disappeared over the past 100 years.

The move brings Korean Air and Asiana into line with a number of other Asian carriers, including Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific which stopped shipping shark fin as cargo last September.

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A piece of news that will affect our stomachs. With  Cathay Pacific Cargo also banning such imports, it is left with only a selected few cargo airlines flying the fins around for people's consumption, no pun intended. If the figures are to be believed, 90% disappearance of sharks in the past decade is an alarming figure. Perhaps it will be good that the rest of the cargo airlines will follow suit and ban flying the fins within their fuselage.