Asiana Airlines flight OZ-131 had to return and make an emergency landing in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 21st.
The Airbus A350-900 plane took off for Seoul, South Korea, but had to turn back due to an issue with the nose gear.
The plane landed safely. All two hundred and nineteen passengers aboard remained unharmed.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-204 had to return and make an emergency landing in Seoul, South Korea, on July 8th.
The Airbus A350-900 plane took off for Los Angeles, California, but had to turn back after the crew received indication of abnormal tire pressure.
The plane landed safely. All three hundred and seven people aboard remained unharmed.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-271 had to return and make an emergency landing in Seattle, Washington, on October 29th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane took off for Seoul, South Korea, but had to return due to an issue with the weather radar.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-1165 had to return and make an emergency landing in Seoul, South Korea, on October 25th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane took off for Kansai International Airport, Japan, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a bird strike.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-588 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, on May 27th.
The Boeing 747-400 flying from Brussels, Belgium, to Seoul, South Korea, had to divert because one of its main gear doors was open.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-707 had to make an emergency landing in Jeju Island, South Korea, on January 5th.
The Airbus A321-200 plane flying from Seoul, South Korea, to Angeles, Philippines, was diverted due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 166 passengers and 8 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-521 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, on December 5th.
The Boeing 777-200 plane heading from Seoul, South Korea, to London, United Kingdom, was diverted due to an engine fire indication.
The plane landed safely. All 199 people aboard remained unharmed.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-201 had to return and make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on September 27th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane took off for Seoul, South Korea, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 353 people aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-551 made a safe emergency landing at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey, on August 13.
The Airbus A330-300 flying from Seoul, South Korea, was about to reach when it received a lightning strike.
The plane landed safely.
No one was injured.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-116 made a hard landing at Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan, on December 1.
The Boeing 767-300, flying from Seoul, South Korea, was about to land when he crew noticed an indication of some issue with its left side main gear.
The plane landed safely.
All 149 people aboard remained unhurt.
On November 14, the officials from South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said they will ban Asiana Airlines flights to San Francisco for 45 days, as a punishment for 2013 crash.
The Asiana Flight 214 crashed during final approach to San Francisco International Airport in July last year and claimed 3 lives while around 200 others were injured. After a year-long investigation, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board officials concluded that the pilots were responsible for the crash as they made errors during landing.
Asiana Airlines, which sells around 170,000 tickets annually for Incheon-San Francisco flights, said in a statement that they will appeal the ministry’s decision. “The decision will cause serious passenger inconvenience given the high traffic on the route. In that case, the authorities are normally recommended by regulations to fine an airline instead of suspending flight,” the statement said.
It is not yet clear when the flights would be suspended.
Recent documents released by the federal investigators reveal Asiana Airlines’ stance on the San Francisco plane crash that happened on July 6, last year.
The documents are a part of the report submitted by Asiana Airlines to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In the report, the airline has acknowledged that the slow speed of plane was probably a cause of accident, and the irregularities in the Boeing 777-200ER’s autothrottle contributed to some extent. The plane’s navigation equipment was showing the autothrottle to be upholding the set speed, when in fact the equipment had disabled the minimum airspeed protection function of the aircraft.
Boeing has maintained in their report submitted to the NTSB that all the components and functions of the aircraft were working properly and did not contribute to the crash.
The incident happened when the flight was en route from Taipei to San Francisco. Three lives were lost while 200 were injured.
Recently Asiana Airlines admitted the pilot was flying too slowly.
The post is an update of:
Breaking News: Asiana Airlines Crash in San Francisco
NTSB Issues Investigative Update on Crash of Asiana Flight 214
Before Crash, Asiana Airlines Told to Revamp
Update on Asiana Crash
Asiana Crash Updated
Asiana Flight 214 Investigative Hearing Postponed
Automated Cockpit Props up Undertrained Pilots
The mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has raised many concerns about the air travel safety. However, the global statistics reveal that air travel is becoming safer with time. 
As per the recent statistics released by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the reported number of fatalities in international flight incidents was 372 in 2012. In 2013, the number reduced to 173.
In Asia alone, the number of fatalities has reduced from 161 in 2012 to 50 in 2013.
The disappeared Malaysian Airlines aircraft, Boeing 777 remained involved in only 1 fatal accident last year i.e. the Asiana Airlines Flight Crash, resulting in 3 deaths.
In the first couple of weeks after a crash, an airline carrier will distribute partial payments of $20,000 to $30,000 to each family with no catches. Families should know that this money is available to them.
Money is not that important to families waiting for news of their lost loved ones, but for some, even that soon after someone is gone, the family is feeling the hurt. In many places, it is a paycheck to paycheck world. Airlines can drag their feet in regards to this partial payment. This is what is behind the recent fine to Asiana.
Asiana was fined $500,000 last month because they failed to attend to the victims and their families properly for the Asiana flight 214 in San Francisco in July. Airlines have to follow their “family assistance plan.” You’ve seen parts of that plan before—the toll free phone number, the reports of assistance to families. These things aren’t out of the goodness of their hearts, but the consequence of the Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act of 1997.
Asiana dragged their feet in contacting families—about ¾ of the passengers were approached within 2 days, but some took as long as five days. Imagine that your loved ones died or were severely injured, and the airline didn’t call for five days. That’s an eternity.
The Department of Transportation’s statement on the matter said that “Asiana’s response to the crash of flight 214 indicates that the carrier failed to commit sufficient resources to carry out its family assistance plan….In the very rare event of a crash, airlines have a responsibility to provide their full support to help passengers and their families by following all the elements of their family assistance plans…The last thing families and passengers should have to worry about at such a stressful time is how to get information from their carrier.” Additionally, Asiana failed to widely publish the family members’ information hot line, failed to send in an adequate number of translators and personnel, in addition to not contacting family members quickly enough.
Take a look at the plan below:
The Asiana investigation continues.
Back in July, the pilot who was insecure about making a visual approach in a 777 crashed at San Francisco International Airport on a visual approach in Asiana Flight 214’s Boeing 777. Specifically, he told NTSB investigators “it was very difficult to perform a visual approach with a heavy airplane.” The glideslope was not working at the San Francisco airport, and that was an instrument the (*undertrained) pilot was relying on. The plane came in so low the tail struck the seawall and broke off. The video below shows the plane rotate 360 degrees and catch fire by the runway.
Video with news commentary
Before impact, the relief pilot in the jump seat repeated several times “sink rate” trying to warn the pilots at the controls that the jet was too quickly losing altitude. One of the pilots said “It’s low.” Then there was a stick shaker alert (which occurs when the plane is about to stall from flying too slowly. I once had a pilot do a presentation that included the disturbing grinding of the stick shaker alarm as it violently vibrated the control yoke. It’s an alarming direction to the pilots to increase thrust.)
When the stick shaker went off, the instructor called for a go around. It went off four seconds before impact. It was too late.
Both the instructor and the captain were relying on the auto throttle, and both were unaware it was off.
I’m not discounting the wounds of the injured, nor those three deaths, nor the tragedy of one of the teen victims being run over by an airport crash tender. (That’s a whole tragedy by itself—who knows if she might have survived but for being so obscured by foam that she was not visible to crash responders—through the firemen who carried her out surely must have known she was there.)
A dozen critically injured, a hundred-sixty-nine injured, but only three deaths.
It’s nothing short of a miracle. Especially on inspecting the condition of the burned out shell of the hull. Especially on reviewing the just-released surveillance video that shows the plane splintering after impacting the firewall, cartwheeling like a crippled gymnast down the runway and dissolving into a cloud of dust and flame. No jet fuel fire here——leaking oil ignited as it poured on to a hot engine.
The Kazan crash (Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363) from November 17th is fresh in my mind. Everyone aboard–fifty people (forty-four passengers and six crew) all died. The plane just fell from the sky while landing at an impossible 75-degree-nose-down attitude, piloted by a pilot whose license is apparently fake. Everyone in that crash died. (Tatarstan surveillance below.)
Of course one can see the physics—that everyone on the Tatarstan flight received the full direct impact, versus how the rolling of the Asiana plane dispersed some of the impact energy. Still, there is tremendous force in a crash.
I know I should be talking about pilot training, because this is yet another crash that appears to be due to pilots becoming too dependent on technology. But I will focus on that another day. Right now, I am overwhelmed after looking at the crash tape.
Asiana—Cartwheeling Catastrophe
I am surprised that I have neither heard or seen choruses of amazement that all but three people survived the rolling catastrophe in San Francisco. Some credit should perhaps go to the rescue crew, quick actions of the cabin crew, performance of the emergency slides, and maybe even the aerodynamics of the 777 whose seats are required to withstand 16g of dynamic force.
Sure, there was error involved in this crash, but when you look at the survival rate, some credit is due to the 5.5 billion Boeing put into research, development and safety of the 777.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s Investigative Hearing into the crash landing of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 originally scheduled for December 10, has been postponed due the government closing because of inclement weather in the Washington DC area.
The agenda for the previously scheduled two-day hearing has been slightly revised so that the hearing can be completed in one day. It is expected that the hearing will run until 8:00 p.m.
The hearing will be held at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center at 429 L’Enfant Plaza SW in Washington. Directions to the Board Room are available at www.ntsb.gov/about/conference_center.html.
The revised agenda can be found below:
Agency provides third investigative update on San Francisco crash
The National Transportation Safety Board is convening a 2-day investigative hearing to discuss the ongoing investigation into the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 and to gather additional factual information. The hearing, which will be held December 10–11, 2013, at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, DC, will focus on pilot awareness in highly automated aircraft, emergency response, and cabin safety. Parties participating in the investigative hearing will be announced at a later time.
Below is an update of the ongoing investigation. This is a factual update only and no interviews are being conducted.
The investigator-in-charge and investigators from the Operations and Human Performance Group traveled to Korea and met with officials from Asiana Airlines and the KARAIB. While in Korea, investigators conducted numerous interviews with Asiana management and training personnel, observed Asiana procedures in a simulator and an exemplar aircraft, and gathered further documentation on airline training and policies.
NTSB investigators from the Maintenance Group also traveled to Korea and reviewed the records for the accident airplane, including the maintenance that had been performed on the evacuation slides.
The Survival Factors Group conducted an examination of the evacuation slide/raft systems at the manufacturer’s facility in New Jersey and is planning future testing of the systems. The group also re-examined the wreckage to gather additional information about the fire propagation and structural damage. Following that examination, the wreckage was sectioned and moved to a secure storage facility.
Investigators and party members met in Seattle to examine the recorded flight data and compare it to the expected airplane systems operation. The Systems Group is currently developing a test plan for the mode control panel and the Vehicle Performance Group is finalizing the event simulation match.
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board is convening a 2-day investigative hearing to discuss the ongoing investigation into the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 and to gather additional factual information. The hearing, which will be held December 10–11, 2013, at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center in Washington, DC, will focus on pilot awareness in highly automated aircraft, emergency response, and cabin safety. Parties participating in the investigative hearing will be announced at a later time.
Below is an update of the ongoing investigation. This is a factual update only and no interviews are being conducted.
• The investigator-in-charge and investigators from the Operations and Human Performance Group traveled to Korea and met with officials from Asiana Airlines and the KARAIB. While in Korea, investigators conducted numerous interviews with Asiana management and training personnel, observed Asiana procedures in a simulator and an exemplar aircraft, and gathered further documentation on airline training and policies.
• NTSB investigators from the Maintenance Group also traveled to Korea and reviewed the records for the accident airplane, including the maintenance that had been performed on the evacuation slides.
• The Survival Factors Group conducted an examination of the evacuation slide/raft systems at the manufacturer’s facility in New Jersey and is planning future testing of the systems. The group also re-examined the wreckage to gather additional information about the fire propagation and structural damage. Following that examination, the wreckage was sectioned and moved to a secure storage facility.
• Investigators and party members met in Seattle to examine the recorded flight data and compare it to the expected airplane systems operation. The Systems Group is currently developing a test plan for the mode control panel and the Vehicle Performance Group is finalizing the event simulation match.
On July 6, 2013 a crash occurred involving Asiana Airlines Flight 214, a Boeing 777. The crash occurred while the aircraft was landing at San Francisco International Airport and appears to be due to pilot error. Many incidents are attributed to pilot error, but there is rarely a single cause.
There are countless victims of general aviation and military accidents, many involving foreign claimants. These accidents range from air balloons, flight training, ground school, air ambulances, banner planes, aerobatics, helicopters, and propeller, turbo–prop and jet–powered aircraft.
The aircraft involved have been Cessna, Cirrus, Beechcraft, Piper, Bellanca, Piper, Lear Jets, Citation Jets, Bell helicopters, Sikorsky helicopters, Robinson helicopters, Aerospatiale helicopters and countless other aviation manufacturers.
Aviation operators are not immune; they are held accountable, as are maintenance facilities and private & public air traffic control centers. Below, please find News and NTSB updates on the Asiana Accident in San Francisco on July 6, 2013.
Asiana Flight 214 clipped a sea wall with its tail as it came in to land at the US airport and skidded out of control before catching fire at San Francisco’s international airport on July 6, killing three people and injuring dozens. Two months prior to the accident, South Korea’s transport ministry had requested Asiana Airlines Inc. to review safety measures.
On April 30, the Korean government told Asiana to hire more pilots, engineers and cabin crew, to centralize its safety management system and to set up oversight for aircraft maintenance.
Had Asiana complied with this directive? Did Asiana have adequate training for new pilots? Was the PIC aware of the situation of the SF airport? – South Korea’s Asiana Airlines will be subject of a three-week government investigation. These are some of the questions that the investigation should be covering.
Lee Kang-Kuk, a ten year pilot was 40 hours into his B777 flight training.
The wrecked fuselage of Asiana Airlines flight 214 is sitting in storage at San Francisco International Airport
The NTSB investigation into the crash of Asiana flight 214 pivots this week from the on-scene phase in San Francisco, with the NTSB closing its on-scene command post today and investigative groups wrapping up their work at the airport.
The investigative team completed the examination of the airplane wreckage and runway. The wreckage will still be available for further examination if necessary at its secure storage location at San Francisco International Airport.
The Airplane Systems, Structures, Powerplants, Airplane Performance, and Air Traffic Control investigative groups have completed their on-scene work and have left San Francisco. The Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder groups completed their work in Washington last week.
The Flight Crew Operations group completed several witness interviews over the weekend. The Survival Factors/Airport group will be completing their interviews of the first responders today.
The next phase of the investigation will include additional interviews, examination of the evacuation slides and other airplane components, and more in-depth analysis of the airplane’s performance.
This is an informational release only. No interviews will be conducted.
Further investigative updates will be issued as warranted.
NTSB STATEMENT ON ERRONEOUS CONFIRMATION OF CREW NAMES
July 12, 2013
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board apologizes for inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed as those of the pilots of Asiana flight 214, which crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6.
Earlier today, in response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft.
The NTSB does not release or confirm the names of crewmembers or people involved in transportation accidents to the media. We work hard to ensure that only appropriate factual information regarding an investigation is released and deeply regret today’s incident.
Some stories of the Asiana Crash in San Francisco
Currently there are 51 hospitalized, 8 in critical condition, one child. Five fire attendants are being treated for burns.
Federal investigators talked to the pilots why they shut down the autopilot 82 seconds before landing. This was the first time the pilot had landed a 777 at this airport. When the fire started in the middle of the plane, there were passengers still in the back that had to walk through the smoke to exit, passing people trapped in their seats. Flight attendants heroically got passengers out of the plane, and tried to put out the fire.
One passenger Eugene Ra describes the instants before the crash, looking out the window knowing they were too low. THe plane’s impact was powerful enough that it snapped the plane, and the spines of at least two of the passengers. The cabin filled with smoke and fear. After the plane stopped, there was silence.
The plane flew in too low and too slow, initiating a stick shaker (stall) warning, and struck the sea wall, severing art of the tail.
Plane Crash San Francisco Asiana Airlines Crash Survivor Interview
* A cautionary note: The official investigation of the cause of the crash will take a year or more. No matter what news releases or speculations come about before the official investigation is just speculation. We do not know, for example, if some part or software in the plane malfunctioned, leading the pilots to respond as they did.
Asiana Press Releases for Incident Involving Asiana Flight
OZ 214 – July 7, 2013 06:30 (Kor. Time) 2013-07-07 10:02
The following information has been confirmed.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ214 (Aircraft Registration HL7742) departed Incheon International Airport on July 6, 2013 at 16:35 (Korea time) bound for San Francisco. Only July 7, 2013 at 11:28 (Local time) an accident occurred as OZ214 was making a landing on San Francisco International Airport’s runway 28.
There were a total of 291 passengers (19 business class, 272 travel class) and 16 cabin crew aboard. The majority of the passengers were comprised of 77 Korean citizens, 141 Chinese citizens, 61 US citizens, 1 Japanese citizen, etc. for a total of 291 people.
Asiana Airlines is currently investigating the specific cause of the incident as well as any injuries that may have been sustained to passengers as a result. Asiana Airlines will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation of all associated government agencies and to facilitate this cooperation has established an emergency response center at its headquarters.
At this point no additional information has been confirmed. New developments will be announced as more information becomes available.
#2
Official Asiana Statement from OZ214 Incident Press Conference 2013-07-07 16:31
We at Asiana Airlines would like express our utmost sympathy and regret for the distress experienced by the passengers of OZ flight 214 and their families as a result of this accident. We apologize most deeply.
Asiana Airlines flight OZ214 departed Incheon International Airport on July 6, 2013 at 16:35 (Korea time) bound for San Francisco. On July 6, 2013 at 11:27 (Local time) an accident occurred as OZ214 landed on San Francisco International Airport’s runway 28.
A total of 291 passengers were aboard the aircraft. (77 Koreans, 141 Chinese, 64 Americans, 3 Indians, 3 Canadians, 1 French, 1 Japanese and 1 Vietnamese)
Asiana Airlines has established emergency response centers to ascertain the cause of this crash and to look after injured passengers and contact their families. Asiana continues to actively cooperate with all Korean and US governmental institutions in the ongoing investigation.
# 3
Statement from July 8th Press Conference on OZ214 Incident 2013-07-08 15:42
Asiana would like to provide a brief update regarding the status of OZ214.
The special charter flight dispatched by Asiana Airlines yesterday at 13:33 (Korea Time) carrying twelve support staff, eight government inspectors and members of the Korean media has arrived on location in San Francisco. Its passengers have begun supporting the victims and their familes and assisting in the investigation.
Asiana Airlines is providing airfare and lodging for families of the passengers. In the event that the number of family members seeking support increases, Asiana is also preparing to operate additional charter flights.
Two Korean family members departed for the United States yesterday. Another four are expected to depart today followed by an additional four on Wednesday. Asiana Airlines is also supporting twelve Chinese family members and six Chinese government officials, who will depart from Shanghai for the United States (via Incheon) today.
48 injured persons are being treated at local hospitals in the San Francisco area. Each hospital is staffed with dedicated personnel and transportation to provide the utmost support for the victims and their families.
Asiana Airlines deeply regrets this accident and is dedicating great efforts to support and ensure a swift and thorough investigation.
* A cautionary note: The official investigation of the cause of the crash will take a year or more. No matter what news releases or speculations come about before the official investigation is just speculation. We do not know, for example, if some part or software in the plane malfunctioned, leading the pilots to respond as they did.
