The July 6, 2013 crash at San Francisco International Airport of a Boeing 777 operated by Korean Asiana Airlines speaks again of the absolute necessity of human skill and vigilance despite our highly automated mechanical world. Airline travel is one of the safest ways to travel. It is also totally unforgiving of any neglect or inattention despite years of experience and knowledge of those in the industry.
What is known so far is that the pilot landing the aircraft had years of experience and over 10,000 flight hours. However, he had relatively few hours of experience in the Boeing 777 and something like 9 previous landings none of which included at San Francisco international. However, it must be kept in mind that before he was type rated in the aircraft, he was required to prove his proficiency by hours of simulator time, learning the systems of the aircraft and proving his competency. Something else went wrong.
A few of the things are obvious to those of us in aviation. The fact that the aircraft was allowed to slow well below proper landing speed, indicates the pilot flying was not monitoring his airspeed and more importantly his copilot (and any other pilot in the jump seat) was not doing so also. Unfortunately, some copilots either for cultural or intimidation reasons, will not speak up if they believe something is going wrong. That may have happened here until it was too late.
Also, landing at San Francisco International Airport is done over water until you reach the runway. On a nice calm day, the water is”flat”and it is very difficult to tell how high you are over flat water. Clearly, the pilot was not aware how low and slow he was going.
Several other questions regarding the inoperative glide slope aid may have contributed to the pilots inability to determine what his proper rate of descent to the runway should have been.
The Franecke law group and Louis S Franecke, an aerospace engineer and pilot, who has landed on the same runway at San Francisco international many times is uniquely positioned to investigate and represent those who have been injured in this crash. Is not as simple as it 1st may appear a few days after the crash. It is only through careful evaluation and participation in the early stages of the investigation that truth will be determined. The NTSB will take at least over a year before they will issue what they believe may have caused the crash. People who have been injured cannot wait that long and require representation by experienced aviation attorneys now. See LouisFranecke.com
