Suggest you re read Barit1 and Won2Go recent posts..very erudite and appropriate . As a long time ex bus driver and a recent convert to the 777, FLCH appears to be a real design trap that really after all this time, particularly with the ER models, should have been redisigned out of the auto system..I believe the 787 has something very similar to managed descent and open descent but in any event, a bus would have reverted to an alpha floor mode which may have salvaged the hull and pax, even at the later stage of GA application in this event.
Korean cultural dynamics MUST be scrutinised again and the whole issue of standardising, possibly via ICAO, the stabilised approach criteria, now has to be mandated. Asian carriers with large a/c do not fly visual approaches..the number 3 and 4 options never apply..it is always with an attempt to primarily 1L the RX and chinese G/s the approach via the FMS. Situational awareness is always via the "rose nav" and distance out, never by looking out of the obvious window. Traffic is always courtesy of TCAS and rarely through lookout. Min qualification Asian training is now the norm and type conversions are the thinnest courses that the bean counters sanction for the techs to design. Equally, minimum line training after minimum sims are also the norm. If the FO was handling Pilot, with 43 hours on type, i.e. less than 4 long haul sectors, it will be interesting to see what training experience the captain possessed.
SFO, particularly with arrivals from the west, is frequently a slam dunk approach with a visual over or close to the san Mateo Bridge. PAPI options are sometimes limited and in trail approaches with other aircraft close in parallel on the L or R runway, pretty much the norm. For those of us who employ old school skills and actually fly the a/c manually and visually, this is a straight forward exercise..to others, irrespective of where the cheese may be..its a challenge. I am drawn to reflect on what appears to be a cliche nowadays.."if you think training is expensive..try an accident"....