Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Flight Deck Forums > Rumours & News
Reload this Page >

Asiana flight crash at San Francisco

Rumours & News Reporting Points that may affect our jobs or lives as professional pilots. Also, items that may be of interest to professional pilots.

Asiana flight crash at San Francisco

Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:01
  #301 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
According to CNN, the two deceased individuals found on the runway were both holders of Chinese passports. Would flight attendants have had Chinese passports?

Quite possible, I know Korean Air uses Chinese cabin crew quite often.
balus is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:01
  #302 (permalink)  
Psychophysiological entity
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Tweet Rob_Benham Famous author. Well, slightly famous.
Age: 84
Posts: 3,267
Received 22 Likes on 13 Posts
Poor souls. Looking at the jagged edge of the rear bulkhead, I'd imagine they may have been injured before hitting the ground.

Would there still be significant cabin pressure at that stage?

I'm really surprised at the way the dome is torn open. I assume there is no structural member attached to the centre that would have pulled on it when the tail came off.
Loose rivets is online now  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:02
  #303 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: phoenix, AZ, USA
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I have been flying into SFO quite a bit recently. There has been construction on 28R and left for a while. The threshold has been displaced and the ILS and PAPI are OTS.

We do the FMS bridge visual to 28R almost exclusively. The only vertical guidance is the FMS VNAV path and my Mark 1 eyeballs. I haven't done an ILS into SFO in a long time, you don't need it if you know how to fly.

The 300' per nautical mile is ingrained in our flying, we do a visual in the sim with no aids every year (we only do 12 month AQP sessions).

This may turn out to be a repeat of the JAL DC8 accident in 1968. Maybe we will see an acknowledgement similar to Captain Asoh. Article 160 of the Korean criminal code provides for sentencing to a prison labor camp of you are responsible for aircraft damage. This will not be a good outcome for that crew. And it would be worse if they had been expats.

I was offered a contract at Asiana back in the 90s, I have friends flying in Korea and China now. The remarks you read hear about culture and competence are valid. These guys are not trained to fly anything but rigid procedures. They are not comfortable outside their tight little box. Aviation exists in too fluid an environment to be operated this way.

Last edited by cactusbusdrvr; 7th Jul 2013 at 07:02.
cactusbusdrvr is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:04
  #304 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Surrounded by aluminum, and the great outdoors
Posts: 3,780
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Some passengers reported "rattling/shaking" just before initial impact...Stall??
ironbutt57 is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:07
  #305 (permalink)  
epc
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: US
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
According to CNN, the two deceased individuals found on the runway were both holders of Chinese passports. Would flight attendants have had Chinese passports?
In this case, the fatalities are likely female students from a high school class trip. Chinese press is reporting that 2 female students have not checked in yet.
epc is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:17
  #306 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: blue earth
Posts: 227
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Asiana jet crash further tarnishes Korean carrier's safety record
By Jack Kim and Hyunjoo Jin | Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) - Asiana Airlines, the South Korean carrier whose Boeing 777 crashed while landing at San Francisco airport on Saturday, had been trying to clean up a tarnished safety record that included two other fatal crashes in its 25-year history.

One of the pilots of flight 214, Lee Jeong-min, is a veteran who has spent his career at Asiana. He was among four pilots on the plane who rotated in two-person shifts during the 10 hour-plus flight, a senior Asiana official told Reuters.

"The pilot's name is Lee Jeong-min, and (he is) a veteran pilot with long experience," said the official, who requested anonymity. "Our investigation committee is looking into the accident in San Francisco," he said.

Lee, in his late 40s, had 12,387 hours of flying experience, including 3,220 hours on the Boeing 777, according to the Transport Ministry in Seoul.

A second pilot on board the aircraft, Lee Kang-kook, had 9,793 hours flying experience and 43 hours on the 777.

The ministry said earlier that the aircraft's fuselage appeared to have hit the ground, sending the plane off the runway and causing massive damage to the body of the jet.

Asiana, South Korea's junior carrier, is a member of the Star Alliance with 91 international passenger routes, 28 cargo and 14 domestic routes. It operates a fleet of 80 aircraft.

Two years ago, one of its 747 cargo jets bound for Shanghai crashed into the sea off Korea's Jeju island after taking off from Incheon airport. Two pilots on board were killed in the crash, which was blamed on mechanical problems.

In 1993, an Asiana domestic flight from Seoul crashed in driving wind and extremely poor visibility in a botched landing attempt, killing 66 people and injuring 44.

An inquiry found pilot error was the cause of that crash when the plane began a descent while it was still passing over a mountain peak.

Asiana was founded in 1988 by the Kumho Asiana transport and construction conglomerate at a time when South Korea wanted to boost its international appeal as an emerging economic power.

It launched its first international route two years later with flights to Tokyo and Hong Kong, then added flights to Southeast Asia and Los Angeles the following year, gradually expanding destinations to Europe and the Americas.

Asiana has been serving only six U.S. cities and four in Europe, compared with the 21 routes it flies to Japan and more than 30 to China.

With almost 30 mid- to long-range Airbus A350s on order, it has been hoping to meet soaring long-range passenger demand. Six A380 planes are also on order.

Asiana and Korean Air have been vying to increase U.S. routes to cope with rising demand after South Korea was included in the U.S. visa waiver program in 2008.

The two South Korean carriers' fleets were previously flown mainly by former air force pilots, but they have been gradually adding more civilians to their cockpits. According to the Transport Ministry, the ratio is now roughly equal.

(Additional reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Paul Tait)
...

From Yahoo Canada
Cool banana is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:19
  #307 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Earth
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Weather does not look to be an issue. clear skys, day ops.

Fatigue may have contributed. Off body clock, long(ish) flight.

IMO, with no approach guidance they may have decided to complete a raw data visual approach with no auto throttle.

From my experience the 777 A/T is very good. Speed decay would not occur like this (viewing the speed alt data posted earlier).

So, they either decided to turn the A/T off for the approach or it was U/S. More like switched to be switched off as i doubt they would have dispatched with both A/T's U/S ex Seoul.

When you look at the speed vs alt data speed was within ball park approaching 600'. I am guessing they may have taken full flap @ 600' (or just prior) and left thrust at idle (manual thrust). speed was recorded at 85kts @ 120'!!! The stick shaker would have been activated shortly before this and this is when i am assume they attempted a go around? Manual full thrust, nose pitch up but it was all a bit late?? Kinda goes with what passengers reporting with engine noise.

None of this information is factual. Just my opinion on what I have seen and read so far.

Also out of interest, there was a 747-400 holding short of 28L. This could have been a disaster if they had speared left a little earlier.
629bus is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:20
  #308 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dubai and Sunderland
Posts: 818
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
In UK if a runway has no PAPI's then no commercial flights...........
10 DME ARC is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:27
  #309 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,780
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
He says his Asian students come over here for their specialized JAA/EASA and FAA ab initio training
I worked a few years ago at a flight school which existed on Asian training contracts, mostly from China, Vietnam, and Korea. It was remarkable how many students simply did not want to be pilots. They were there because they had been told to become a pilot by either the state, or by family.
Trim Stab is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:28
  #310 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Exclamation Stable Approach Criteria.

From FLIGHTAWARE:
At 11.7 nm final 4200 feet
At 800ft, ROD 1380ft/min 145kts
At 600ft , ROD 1320ft/min 141kts
At 100ft, ROD 120ft/min 109kts
Then at 200ft, ROD +120ft/min, 85kts (STALL or Spurious)
"STABLE" ???
Salen is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:28
  #311 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
PAPIs and VASIs were installed at airports all those years ago to enhance safety as they are aids in ensuring a stable approach during the visual segment of an approach to landing.

SFO 28L/R G/S have been Notamed out for the last 3 weeks and despite that, pilots from all different airlines and countries have done hundreds of visual approaches without incident.

So sure, the average airline crew is supposed to be able to do a visual approach to landing without an issue. However if Accident and Incident reports tell us one thing, its that they happen when we least expect them to and the reasons for their occurrence ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Coming from the west, they would have been vectored for the downwind. If they found them selves high turning base they would have been busy trying to "get back into the slot". Without the traditional vertical guidance of the G/S and PAPI, it takes a little more brainwork (using their FMS or handy 3 in 1 rule would have helped) to make it all come together. However, if they haven't done any raw visuals in recent times it is possible to lose Situational Awareness (positional and operational) during the resulting "Arms and Elbows" moment.

In our business, Mr. Murphy is always lurking not too far in the background and with these safety enhancers unavailable, Statistics and Probability once again formed an alliance and the dreaded Swiss Cheese holes lined up, resulting in what looks to be an undershoot in this very Lonnnngg and Heaaaaavvy 777. (Go Around at Company Mandated Alt)

This is all speculation of course but I just can't see this accident happening if the ILS and/or PAPI was operational in SFO. My 2 cents.

But for the Grace of God go I....

Last edited by Jasavir; 7th Jul 2013 at 07:39.
Jasavir is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:33
  #312 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Glorious England.
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by 10 DME ARC
In UK if a runway has no PAPI's then no commercial flights...........
Do you have a reference for that?
pabs1977 is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:40
  #313 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,780
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
In UK if a runway has no PAPI's then no commercial flights...........
I've never heard of that before. Reference? Possibly that is a requirement by some operators, but as far as I know it is not a regulatory requirement. If it is then I have been in infraction a few times!
Trim Stab is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:43
  #314 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Boldly going where no split infinitive has gone before..
Posts: 4,783
Received 44 Likes on 20 Posts
It's sounding more like Turkish at AMS than BA at Heathrow.....
Wizofoz is online now  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:45
  #315 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 1,642
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The same FB poster "Ben" has been interviewed on TV.
He says that the 2 fatalities were cabin crew thrown out the back of the plane, through a hole, on impact.

I'm not negating this but "Ben" from his seat in 30K, seems to have "seen" a lot of things happen?



He stayed on board and went to help down the back by the looks of tv reports.

Last edited by Mr Angry from Purley; 7th Jul 2013 at 07:46.
Mr Angry from Purley is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:46
  #316 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 2,044
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The 777 has autothrottle wake up, ie when the aircraft approaches a stall the power comes on automatically to almost full power. This gives pilots great confidence however autothrottle wake up is inhibited in FLCH.
Can someone who flies/flew 777 and FBW Airbus, an insight into the similarities/differences between this and 'Alpha Floor' would be appreciated...

For the 777 guys not familiar with Alpha Floor, a summary
Alpha Floor is a low speed protection (in normal law) which is purely an autothrust mode. When activated, it provides TOGA thrust. As the aircraft decelerates into the alpha protection range, the Alpha Floor is activated, even if the autothrust is disengaged. Activation is roughly proportional to the rate of deceleration.

Alpha Floor is inhibited:
* below 100 feet radio Altitude,
* if autothrust unserviceable,
* following double engine failure on an A340 (or one engine out on the twins),
* following certain system/auto flight failures,
* above Mach 0.53.

Last edited by NigelOnDraft; 7th Jul 2013 at 07:52.
NigelOnDraft is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:51
  #317 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SE England
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I went into SFO r28L last week, no glide slope, and no papis visual approach only and the DME doesn't read 0dme at the threshols!
Many, if not most pilots no longer have the background, training or experience to fly pure unaided visual approaches. This isn't their fault, it's just the way things are.
a1anx is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:52
  #318 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 223
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Absolutely shocking that SFO had not pre-installed new PAPIs ahead of the new displaced threshold going in. Unexcusable. Especially if this is identified be root cause of accident.
gordonroxburgh is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 07:58
  #319 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Botswana
Posts: 887
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'm sorry but questions like "will the passengers get their bags back?" when two people are confirmed dead is banal, insensitive and distasteful.
RexBanner is offline  
Old 7th Jul 2013, 08:07
  #320 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Planet Earth
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
A1anx...
Who are the examiners that are allowing this to happen?
Seems to me that if you can't 'fly the plane' and not the computer, maybe you should get a desk job at Microsoft...

Last edited by Latte tester; 7th Jul 2013 at 08:08.
Latte tester is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.