On Saturday, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash landed at San Francisco International Airport killing two and injuring 182 out of 307 on board, including passengers and crew. The plane was destined for San Francisco from Shanghai, China with a stop in Seoul, South Korea on the way. One of the victims is thought to have died after being run over by an emergency vehicle. The investigation is still ongoing as to determine whether the accident was of human or mechanical error and the victim’s cause of death.
Clues from the voice recorder in the cockpit indicate that the pilot was descending too slow and too shallow and therefore opted to speed up the aircraft within seven seconds of landing, according to CNN. Within a second and a half, the crew attempted to abort the landing but it was too late as the tail struck the seawall at the end of the runway and was severed from the rest of the plane on impact, notes NPR.
Check out a video recording of the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Accident. WARNING: Video may be disturbing
The plane then skid on its belly across the runway and erupted in a cloud of smoke and flames. The passengers were inflicted with a number of injuries varying in severity, from road rash to full paralysis. The two victims were Chinese students en route to attend church camp at West Valley Christian School in hopes of improving their English. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also looking into reports that one of the victims was run over by an emergency vehicle during the rescue process.
The NTSB has yet to determine the direct cause of the crash and is considering whether the pilot is to blame. Lee Kang-kuk was at the helm of the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 and, as CNN notes, it was his first time descending in that specific type of aircraft, though he had controlled one in past flights. Supposedly, he’s logged upwards of 10,000 hours in the air, 43 of which were in control of a Boeing 777. He’s also flown to San Francisco from Seoul multiple times between 1999 and 2004.
Of the investigation, NTSB head Deborah Hersman said “I would discourage anyone from drawing any conclusions at this point.”
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to BostInno for the latest information regarding the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash as we’ll continue to keep you updated as details become available.
