Pursuits
Fatal Asiana Crash in San Francisco Blamed on Confused Pilots
This article is for subscribers only.
Pilots on the Asiana Airlines flight that crashed in San Francisco last year get most of the blame in a report today by U.S. safety officials. The investigation faults the pilots for mismanaging their approach to the airport, relying on automatic flight controls they didn’t fully understand, and failing to notice their speed was too slow.
The crew of Asiana Flight 214 also decided to abort their landing far too late, according to the report, and the Boeing 777 ended up striking a sea wall before breaking apart, spinning nearly 360 degrees and catching fire near the runway. The report cites pilot fatigue as a factor in the July 6, 2013, accident. The crew was landing the flight from Seoul just before noon local time—or 3:30 a.m. Korea time.