ATC RECORDING
 

Is it tucked under the right side of the fuselage, behind the wing root? Looks like the fuselage may have ridden over it after it broke off?

Birdstrike
 

Hopefully everyone got out alive. While there are similarities in the dynamics to BAW38, the hypothesis of power loss from a multiple birdstrike at very low altitude may be closer, as someone has already pointed out the BAW hull at RR while these are PW.

Hell of a strong aircraft.

While it is similar to the BA land short with water frozen to slush in the fuel, that was after an extended winter flight with OAT of minus 70C extremely cold. Followed by a continuous descent approach with engine power only being brought up at 4 miles finals - and they didn't spool up.
The weather is not cold enough and I don't believe that Asiana are part of the Tailored Arrival trials into SFO so they would not have been a continuous descent and would have made more noises about engine problems earlier.
However, a bad bird strike at the wrong time could cause a similar problem. I am sure that we will know inside 12 hours.

Looks to me like they under shot and smacked the tail off of the rocks at the end of the runway.

Reports say everyone got off safely.

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/ks...2013-1800Z.mp3

ATC recording has the pilots talking to the tower after the crash, so some on board systems were still operational once the dust began to settle.

This picture shows the crash happening. Lots of smoke starting from the beginning of the runway
https://twitter.com/stefanielaine/st...173696/photo/1

Impressive that after destroyed on the ground, the pilot stills call on the radio...

Cruise OAT was not unusually cold over the N. Pacific today.

Regarding KSFO.

The thresholds for 28L/R have been displaced very recently by ~300ft. Furthermore, new glideslopes have been installed/are in the process of being installed.

Aircraft are usually cleared for a visual to 28L/R on a CAVOK day like today.

If the had the ILS for 28L showing, TCH would have been 64ft.

Note VGSI and ILS glidepath are not coincident

Sky News doing a good job.

Now airing shots showing that the debris field starts exactly at the waters edge.

If reports are correct, looks like it was a very lucky escape and that the tail strike occurred right at the waters edge. High AOA and early tail strike suggesting a fully extended glide by the crew?

Listen to the audio feeds. He'd declared an emergency prior to landing.

From what i heard he did not declare an emergency. he acknowledged a normal landing clearance.

Well judging by the ATC tape it was ops normal until they hit, they were cleared to land and no emergency seems to have been declared since a United flight was waiting to go just short of the runway. They must have got a pretty good view of that.

Either something happened very short final and the crew had no time to advise ATC or they were unaware of anything wrong/didn't communicate it to tower.

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!

Very easy to undershoot or overshoot without vertical guidance! Espesecially as this crew probably hadn't done a visual approach for a long time!

Asiana flight crash at San Fransisco
 

Maybe then the crew of the united will hold the key, assuming they didn't have their heads down in their instruments at the time

Can anyone confirm the ILS was off the air, and the traffic was doing visual approaches into SFO?
What is the policy on visual approaches in Asiana?

When BA crashed it was winter and the temp at cruise level was -73 degrees celsius. They had a long flight in unusual cold conditions. I'm putting my money on this accident NOT being ice related.

This one is better, it shows landing on both L & R

Conducted LOC approach into SFO last night, glideslope out of service for both 28R & L due construction (until August 22nd) , PAPI was working last night. Departed this morning in relatively calm winds, visual approaches were in use for the 28's.

Back to the basic aircraft skill ... Visual App without ant vertical assistance. And if you want any instrument assistance ... use the FMC ... 60 to 1 rules ... extend the centerline and add the altitude of 3000 ft ...
Basic aircraft AOA and landing attitude should be well known if you are on a 777-200ER ... right?

Confirm no G/S on both 28L and 28R. PAPI only

http://aeronav.faa.gov/content/aeron...ach_Status.pdf

If its a visual only approach surely you'd extend a centerline and fly the FMS vertical profile as a backup to your visual at the very least?? Especially if you don't do visuals that often?