7.08.2013

Two dead in Asiana Airlines crash



By now, you've heard about the fiery crash of Asiana Airlines flight 214 on the runway at San Francisco International Airport, which killed two people and injured more than 180 others -- several in critical condition. The flight was arriving from Seoul when the Boeing 777 made a hard landing, lost its tail and caught on fire on Saturday morning: Asiana Airlines Plane Crashes At San Francisco International Airport.

One man caught the crash on camera:




The two fatalities were teenage schoolgirls from eastern China, who were part of a large student group traveling to a two-week summer camp trip in the United States. Ye Mengyuan and Wang Linjia, both 16 years old, were students at Jianghan Middle School in Zhejiang. Their bodies were found outside the plane wreckage: Asiana crash deaths ID'd as 2 Chinese teens.

Meanwhile, early review seems to suggest pilot error as a cause in the crash (though it's too soon to tell). The Asiana Airlines pilot, Lee Kang-kook, had thousands of hours of flying experience, but only 43 hours with the Boeing 777. This was reportedly his first attempt at landing the jet at San Francisco International Airport, under the guidance of a more experienced co-pilot: Asiana says pilot of crashed plane was in training.

More details will emerge as the investigation of Flight 214 continues. On Sunday, Yoon Young-doo, president of Asiana Airlines, apologized for the crash: Asiana Airlines president apologizes for S.F. airplane crash.

For now, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

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