Replies

I've done a bit of digging, and I'm not sure the PAPI was off.

In two different places:

In response to a claim the SFO 29L PAPI and GS were OTS, a poster counters there is no current NOTAM that the PAPI was OTS. The timestamp is just before the current NOTAM went up.
In a pilot forum, a poster claims he had made an approach to 28L only a few hours before the crash. Another aircraft making a simultaneous approach to 28R wandered off the centerline and caused a TCAS alert. Distracted momentarily, he posts that he looks forward and "sees 4 whites on the PAPI" and had to increase his descent rate.

Of course, I can't corroborate either of these. But, I just wanted to caution you there is conflicting info on the PAPI.

More from the same pilots forum:

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!

Emphasis is mine. This appears to corroborate the PAPI being OTS.

But, immediately following it:

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.

This is a more recent report, so I'd put more credence in it.

It was followed by:

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

and:

Departed SFO yesterday, no VASIS, PAPIS or ILS at KSFO. Only G/S available according to NOTAMS is what's in your FMS.

A number of people posted the NOTAM saying the SFO 28L PAPI is OTS, but others followed up and pointed out that it was date/time'd AFTER the crash.

The entire thread is here: http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/518568-asiana-flight-crash-san-francisco-26.html

So, it's looking like there is some confusion about whether the PAPI was actually OTS. If these reports are accurate, its status was changing, right up until the crash.