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Asiana Pilot Says a Flash of Light Blinded Him Just Before Landing
KQED ^ | 7/10/2013 | Katrina Schwartz

Posted on 07/10/2013 7:09:15 PM PDT by knak

The flying pilot of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 told National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials that he was "blinded" temporarily by a flash of light at 500 feet, or 34 seconds before impact -- about the same time the pilots realized they were flying too low and going too slow. The NTSB doesn't know what caused the flash, and is continuing to investigate.

At Wednesday's NTSB briefing, NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman released information from the board's investigation. She detailed who was on the crew, the communications between air traffic control and the Asiana pilots, and the plane's evacuation.

Evacuation delayed 90 seconds

Additionally, crash pilots initially told flight attendants not to evacuate. A flight attendant seated in the middle of the plane looked over and saw fire outside the plane window and sent his colleague to the front of the plane to communicate with the head flight attendant. With the knowledge of the fire, the flight attendants then began to evacuate the plane, staring about a minute and a half after the crash.

NTSB officials are also saying that three flight attendants, not two, were ejected from the back of the aircraft when it hit the ground.

Pilot error or plane malfunction?

Hersman explained that there are many levels of automation on an airplane, including auto-pilot and auto-throttle. Throttle refers to the plane's power and pilots use auto-throttle to control speed and help with ascent and descent. Hersman said that in the last 2½ minutes before the Asiana flight crashed, there were multiple auto-pilot and auto-throttle modes in use.

“There are multiple modes being engaged," Hersman said. "We need to understand how they work together and what it means. We still have some work to do in this area.” The NTSB has not sorted out whether pilots knew what they were doing or if there was a malfunction.

One place where the aircraft did malfunction was in deploying evacuation slides. Two flight attendants on the right side of the plane were pinned by evacuation slides that inflated inside the aircraft after impact. “The evacuation slide normally inflates when it’s in the armed position and the door is opened," Hersman said. "It is unknown at this time why the doors inflated inside the aircraft.”

SFO runway cleanup

The NTSB will release the runway to SFO in the next 24 hours, if not by tonight, but the airport will still have a lot to clean up before the runway can reopen. Airport employees will have to remove plane debris and chunks of seawall dragged onto the runway, repair runway systems and rebuild the seawall before runway 28L will be back in service. That likely means more delays at SFO.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: asiana; asiana214; fl214; flight214; sfo
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To: knak

Manfred Mann?


21 posted on 07/10/2013 7:19:19 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement ("World Peace 1.20.09.")
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To: cripplecreek; justlurking

i thought it said he saw his life flashing before his eyes


22 posted on 07/10/2013 7:20:11 PM PDT by bigheadfred (barry your mouth is writing checks your ass cant cash)
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To: knak

A UFO was testing it’s zombie gun...


23 posted on 07/10/2013 7:20:19 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: knak

Was the pilot relying on the auto throttle to maintain the correct speed? Maybe this malfunctioned and they didn’t notice it until too late?


24 posted on 07/10/2013 7:20:37 PM PDT by NYFreeper
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To: tsowellfan

The laser can be mounted on a beam similar to a rifle stock with sights. But I’m skeptical of the whole “light” thing anyway.


25 posted on 07/10/2013 7:21:00 PM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by Nature, not Nurture™)
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To: knak

Yup, that’s what happens when you open your eyes after sleeping.


26 posted on 07/10/2013 7:21:48 PM PDT by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
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To: ConservativeStatement

wrapped up like a douche?


27 posted on 07/10/2013 7:22:05 PM PDT by A_Former_Democrat
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To: cripplecreek

Did you see the analysis of radar data I posted?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3040559/posts

The problem started about 10 NM out. They never stabilized the aircraft on approach after that.


28 posted on 07/10/2013 7:22:07 PM PDT by justlurking (tagline removed, as demanded by Admin Moderator)
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To: Darteaus94025

Did he happen to notice Elvis and Grandpa in that light?


29 posted on 07/10/2013 7:22:37 PM PDT by DanielRedfoot (Creepy Ass Cracker)
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To: knak

No way would I have stayed inside that plane. I would be making my way to the nearest exit.

The pilot didn’t kill everyone with the crash, so he tried to keep them onboard to be incinerated. Get rid of all the witnesses.


30 posted on 07/10/2013 7:22:58 PM PDT by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: knak

His claim is BS. He’s making excuses for not executing a go-around from an unstable approach.

His approach was unstable before he claims he was blinded.

Besides, if he thought he couldn’t see he should have immediately transferred control to the instructor pilot.


http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAR214/history/20130706/0730Z/RKSI/KSFO/tracklog


31 posted on 07/10/2013 7:23:23 PM PDT by zipper ("The Second Amendment IS my carry permit!" -- Ted Nugent)
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To: knak
so that's what made him come in so low and slow??? feh...
32 posted on 07/10/2013 7:24:06 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: A_Former_Democrat

Yep. Another runner in the night.


33 posted on 07/10/2013 7:24:17 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: knak

Those pilots hit the auto-pilot soon as the go gear up and never touch the controls until just before final approach and log 18 hours. That’s how I bet that captain got his 8,000+ hours. At most 43 hours hands on.


34 posted on 07/10/2013 7:24:24 PM PDT by SkyDancer (Live your life in such a way that the Westboro church will want to picket your funeral.)
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To: A_Former_Democrat

It was an airplane that crashed to the ground not a calliope.


35 posted on 07/10/2013 7:24:32 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement ("World Peace 1.20.09.")
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To: tsowellfan

NSA actually revealed alien spacecraft have been experimenting on what NSA is calling, “Deer in the headlights” zombie ray...

NSA suspects they have tested their zombie ray on Sacramento and Washington D.C., for several years now.


36 posted on 07/10/2013 7:24:37 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: carriage_hill

Could have been the sun ricocheting off all the bling over in Oakland.


37 posted on 07/10/2013 7:26:10 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (If America is a nation of immigrants, where's my free stuff?)
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To: tsowellfan

“Laser beam? Unlikely.”

You sound like your far more knowledgeable about this sort of thing than I am so I’ll take your word for it.

Assuming the pilot is telling the truth, maybe some cockpit electronics malfunctioned, causing a flash of light temporarily blindeing him. I don’t know.


38 posted on 07/10/2013 7:27:05 PM PDT by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
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To: knak
he was "blinded" temporarily by a flash of light at 500 feet, or 34 seconds before impact --

I would sumit to all that at 34 sec before impact he was already f***ed

39 posted on 07/10/2013 7:27:23 PM PDT by Robe (Rome did not create a great empire by talking, they did it by killing all those who opposed them)
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To: cripplecreek

“Just his career imploding.”

What a pantload! “The Light” surely didn’t blind both crew members, and it still doesn’t obviate the fact that they were low and slow! Say good bye to Asiana, when the PI lawyers start filing their lawsuits. One thing is certain, I’d never fly on an Asian airline in the future.


40 posted on 07/10/2013 7:27:46 PM PDT by vette6387
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