Airport landing system off when plane crashed in San Francisco

Reuters ^ | July 07, 2013 | Peter Henderson and Dan Levine

[george76]

A navigation system that helps pilots make safe descents was turned off at San Francisco airport on Saturday when a South Korean airliner crashed and burned after undershooting the runway ...

The system, called Glide Path, is meant to help planes land in bad weather. It was clear and sunny, with light winds, when Asiana

...

San Francisco International has turned off the system for nearly the entire summer on the runway where the Asiana flight crashed, according to a notice from the airport on the Federal Aviation Administration's Web site

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Next we will hear it was because of the nasty Republican’s Sequestration.....remember that?

[Jimmydee]

PAPI not working at 28L for the summer:

Q) KZOA/QLPAS/IV/BO/A/000/999/3737N12223W005
B) FROM: 13/07/06 22:19C) TO: 13/07/08 22:19 EST
E) RWY 28L PAPI U/S

Q) KZOA/QIGAS/I/NBO/A/000/999/3737N12223W005
B) FROM: 13/06/01 14:00C) TO: 13/08/22 23:59
E) ILS RWY 28L GP U/S

[SkyDancer]

Generic

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Very interesting.....so the runway length was the reason for the ILS being off.

Big Airplanes need a long runway.

[B4Ranch]

That’s a great rant that you gave but it is still the pilot who has the final say on where and when his aircraft is landing or at least that’s the way it goes when I am the PIC.

[B4Ranch]

>>Besides, if the ILS was off then they wouldn’t be able to make evening and night landings after dark at that airport.<<

Golly gee, I’ll have to remember that when I file for a nighttime VFR flight.

[justlurking]

If you read closely, the PAPI was NOTAM'ed out of service after the crash (a few hours). The glideslope portion of the ILS has been out of service since the end of June.

As I posted in an earlier response, the PAPI was reported both in service and out of service by professional pilots recently flying into SFO. The most recent one was only a few hours before the crash, and he reported the PAPI was working.

[russianbear99]

what is the difference between GP and GS?

[Marine_Uncle]

KSFO L28 is 10594.0 feet. The second longest runway at that airport.
KFSO R28 is 11861.0 feet. The longest. To the best of my knowledge,
heavies routinely take off and land on L28 year round.
As the article indicates and your ping shows, the ILS system
was not operating due to a summer shutdown. I also notice in my
Flight Simulator Airport Designer software, that L28 does not have
incoming markers (signal will beep in cockpit if feature is turned on.
So the pilot would not have had any form of the typical glide path and distance readings ( ILS ), to help guide them in.
Seems pretty straight forward. Pilot error is the culprit.

[M Kehoe]

Pilot error is the culprit.

Good bet.

5.56mm

[Marine_Uncle]

Assuming both pilot and co-pilot where in a healthy state, what other options do
we have, based on the reporting coming forth.
Sadly they undershot the normal landing zone.

[webstersII]

Late to the party, eh?

[B4Ranch]

I guess so. I see where you’ve already been ripped. Let my comments slide off too.

[wastedyears]

Is a ramp strike when a plane comes in too fast, and slams onto the deck?

[wastedyears]

I generally know enough to get by as someone that likes planes, but I don’t know that kind of terminology. I know things like IFR and VFR, angle of attack, attitude, stuff like that.

[AvianoTeamB1]

You are right on the money... OTS PAPI, VASI, ILS/GS or whatever 28L did not have functioning for the approach is no excuses of what took place the final moments of Asiana 214 flight. Basic spot landing Pilot skills should have automatically kicked. This Skipper got distracted and allows his air speed to deteriorate beyond the point of quick recovery close to the ground.
I do think the charge of manslaughter or negligence homicide against the Captain should apply in this accident.

[AvianoTeamB1]

I hope the NTSB does address too much automation as a mitigation factor in this accident. Today’s line pilots relay on so much automation, some pilots can’t even safely fly a basic visual approach to a Rwy on a clear day with unlimited visibility.

[NormsRevenge]

NTSB briefing just over..

Confirmed the Glide Path was off due to construction extending runway.. shutoff was scheduled for June 1 to late August.

Other systems were available to line the plane up with runway..

Dude lost his loft.. and now, his wings..

[GladesGuru]

I knew, having owned two Republic RC-3’s. But, it seemed a likely response from the pilot of that plane, considering the landing.

I should have typed it in quotation marks. Sorry for any confusion, and I’ll remember the ;-) after it, next time.

As my instructors said, “A good landing you can walk away from. A great landing you can reuse the plane.”

[Flick Lives]

Is a ramp strike when a plane comes in too fast, and slams onto the deck?

Not so much too fast as too low an approach to where instead of clearing the end of the deck, the aircraft hits the side of the deck.