2 dead in airliner crash at San Francisco International

[NQ6U]

Asiana Airlines flight 214 crashed on landing at SFO this afternoon. Given the condition of the aircraft, it's amazing that only two people were killed.

Full story here.

[n2ize]

Well, I guess John/NH predicted it. ;) It says there are still quite a few passengers unaccounted for, I guess they got out. Some victims in critical condition so it is possible the death toll may rise and who know what the condition of those who survive will be. Still, from the condition of the craft one would expect a much higher initial death toll.Seems the main body of the craft remains mostly intact. Probably why the death toll was low.

[K7SGJ]

Damn, what a pisser. I guess when you consider there were 400+ on board, it's a miracle there weren't more fatalities, although there are still quite a few in a bad way.

[W4GPL]

307 on board, all accounted for.. death toll remains at 2.

181 transported to hospitals, 123 not injured.

When they say locate your exit rows, they friggin' mean it!

[NA4BH]

Those are huge planes. It's a wonder there weren't more fatalities.

[PA5COR]

I'm glad not more people perished in the fire.
Wondering though why a considered safe plane could get so wrong in the landing though...

[N8YX]

Discussion on some aviation-related forums has the AOA too high on approach; tail depressed just enough that it caught the breakwater as the plane crossed the threshold.

Cause of the plane being flown in this envelope is still a matter of speculation. Pilots using the wrong glide slope, engine spool-down and several other things being kicked about. NTSB will have their work cut out for them.

[NQ6U]

My guess as a former pilot of sorts who has landed a small aircraft at SFO (once, with an instructor, a practice night landing. It was...intimidating): The approach to runway 28 is a bit weird. You come in over San Francisco Bay where there's a series of lights on piers extending at least a quarter mile out over the water, then a good distance of apron area before the runway itself starts, all of which might be confusing to someone who's landing there for the first time—it's difficult to judge your altitude above water. The pilot was probably paying more attention to visual clues than his instruments, got below the ILS glideslope and didn't notice until he realized he was going to be short of the runway. He applied full power and pulled the nose up in an attempt to keep the plane off the ground but he was too low and too slow to pull it off. Because he was nose-up, the tail of the 777 hit first.

[K7SGJ]

I read that the glide slope portion of the ILS has been down since last month. However, pilots were supposed to have been notified, and they also have a light system to indicate a too high/too low approach. Sort of like the ones on aircraft carriers, "Call the Ball".

I used to watch the flying Nun, but a flying Pope? FKN scary. Besides, with that hat, one would think you would always be in a flat spin.

[NQ6U]

I read that the glide slope portion of the ILS has been down since last month. However, pilots were supposed to have been notified, and they also have a light system to indicate a too high/too low approach. Sort of like the ones on aircraft carriers, "Call the Ball".

I used to watch the flying Nun, but a flying Pope? FKN scary. Besides, with that hat, one would think you would always be in a flat spin.

Let me tell ya, playing around with the heavies when you're in a Cessna 152 is something else. This was 30 years ago, when the traffic at SFO was maybe half what it is now and even then they'd only allow it after 10 pm. I doubt that they'd even let you do it any more.

The weirdest thing was that the runways were so big compared to what I was used to, seemingly large enough that I could have landed my tiny plane crossways and had plenty of room. It was kind of disorienting.