Asiana 777 Crash Lands In San Francisco An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200ER operating from Seoul, South Korea crash landed on Runway 28 at San Francisco International on July 6. The aircraft, carrying 290 passengers and 12 crew, sustained major damage on touchdown resulting in a fire which later destroyed the airframe. Surprisingly, given the extent of the damage, no major injuries have yet been reported. Eyewitnesses indicate the aircraft appeared to be at a higher-than-normal angle of attack as it flared for landing. The resulting impact caused the vertical and horizontal tailplanes along with the entire tail section aft of the pressure bulkhead to detach. The landing gear also collapsed on impact and the aircraft came to a stop on its belly to one side of the runway. Passengers were able to evacuate using the escape slides before the aircraft was consumed in flames. The aircraft, HL7742, was one of Asiana’s fleet of 12 777-200ERs. Images from the crash scene appear to indicate a debris trail starting at the edge of the runway which abuts San Francisco Bay. The airport was still closed at the time of writing.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 21:11:01 +0000