Airline says crash plane pilot was still in training
Source: Agencies |
July 9, 2013, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
The pilot of the crashed Asiana Airlines plane at San Francisco airport was still "in training" for the Boeing 777 when he attempted to land the aircraft under supervision on Saturday, the South Korean airline said.
Lee Gang-guk was the second most junior pilot of four on board the Asiana Airlines aircraft. He had 43 hours of experience flying the long-range jet, the airline said yesterday.
The plane's crew tried to abort the descent less than two seconds before it hit a seawall on its approach to the airport, bounced along the tarmac and burst into flames.
It was Lee's first attempt to land a 777 at San Francisco airport, although he had flown there 29 times previously on other types of aircraft, said South Korean transport ministry official Choi Seung-youn. Earlier, the ministry said he had accumulated almost 10,000 flying hours, including 43 at the controls of the 777.
Below target speed
Investigators have determined that Asiana Airlines Flight 214 was traveling "significantly below" the target speed during its approach.
After the crash that killed two Chinese students and sent more than 180 people to hospital, officials said the probe was also focusing on whether the airport or plane's equipment could have malfunctioned.
The South Korean government said officials would be inspecting engines and landing equipment on all Boeing 777 planes owned by Asiana and Korean Air.
Investigators said the weather was unusually fair for foggy San Francisco. During the descent, with throttles set to idle, the pilots never discussed any problems with the plane or its positioning until it was too late.
Seven seconds before the Boeing 777 hit the ground, a member of the flight crew made a call to increase the jet's lagging speed, US National Transportation Safety Board chief Deborah Hersman said at a briefing based on the plane's cockpit and flight data recorders. Three seconds later came a warning the plane was about to stall.
Two and a half seconds later, the crew attempted to abort the landing. The air traffic controller guiding the plane heard the crash almost instantly, Hersman said.
Low to the ground
While investigators from both the US and South Korea are in the early stages of an investigation that will include a week-long examination of the wreckage and alcohol tests for the crew, the news confirmed what survivors and other witnesses had reported: a slow-moving airliner flying low to the ground.
Pilots normally try to land at the target speed, in this case 137 knots, plus an additional five more knots, said Bob Coffman, an American Airlines captain who has flown 777s. He said the briefing raised an important question: "Why was the plane going so slow?"
Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said another pilot, Lee Jeong-min, was tasked with helping Lee Gang-guk get accustomed to the aircraft.
The plane's Pratt & Whitney engines were on idle and the pilots were flying under visual flight rules, Hersman said.
The autopilot would typically have been turned off while the automatic throttle, which regulates speed, would be on until the plane descended to 150 meters, Coffman said. At that point, pilots would check their speed before switching to manual.
Meanwhile, hospital officials said two of the people who remained hospitalized in a critical condition were paralyzed with spinal injuries, while another two showed "road rash" injuries consistent with being dragged.
Lee Gang-guk was the second most junior pilot of four on board the Asiana Airlines aircraft. He had 43 hours of experience flying the long-range jet, the airline said yesterday.
The plane's crew tried to abort the descent less than two seconds before it hit a seawall on its approach to the airport, bounced along the tarmac and burst into flames.
It was Lee's first attempt to land a 777 at San Francisco airport, although he had flown there 29 times previously on other types of aircraft, said South Korean transport ministry official Choi Seung-youn. Earlier, the ministry said he had accumulated almost 10,000 flying hours, including 43 at the controls of the 777.
Below target speed
Investigators have determined that Asiana Airlines Flight 214 was traveling "significantly below" the target speed during its approach.
After the crash that killed two Chinese students and sent more than 180 people to hospital, officials said the probe was also focusing on whether the airport or plane's equipment could have malfunctioned.
The South Korean government said officials would be inspecting engines and landing equipment on all Boeing 777 planes owned by Asiana and Korean Air.
Investigators said the weather was unusually fair for foggy San Francisco. During the descent, with throttles set to idle, the pilots never discussed any problems with the plane or its positioning until it was too late.
Seven seconds before the Boeing 777 hit the ground, a member of the flight crew made a call to increase the jet's lagging speed, US National Transportation Safety Board chief Deborah Hersman said at a briefing based on the plane's cockpit and flight data recorders. Three seconds later came a warning the plane was about to stall.
Two and a half seconds later, the crew attempted to abort the landing. The air traffic controller guiding the plane heard the crash almost instantly, Hersman said.
Low to the ground
While investigators from both the US and South Korea are in the early stages of an investigation that will include a week-long examination of the wreckage and alcohol tests for the crew, the news confirmed what survivors and other witnesses had reported: a slow-moving airliner flying low to the ground.
Pilots normally try to land at the target speed, in this case 137 knots, plus an additional five more knots, said Bob Coffman, an American Airlines captain who has flown 777s. He said the briefing raised an important question: "Why was the plane going so slow?"
Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said another pilot, Lee Jeong-min, was tasked with helping Lee Gang-guk get accustomed to the aircraft.
The plane's Pratt & Whitney engines were on idle and the pilots were flying under visual flight rules, Hersman said.
The autopilot would typically have been turned off while the automatic throttle, which regulates speed, would be on until the plane descended to 150 meters, Coffman said. At that point, pilots would check their speed before switching to manual.
Meanwhile, hospital officials said two of the people who remained hospitalized in a critical condition were paralyzed with spinal injuries, while another two showed "road rash" injuries consistent with being dragged.
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