14 DAY TRIAL // An investigation into the Asiana Airlines crash at San Francisco International Airport has revealed that the pilot tried to abort the landing before the accident.
The throttles were set to idle and the plane had decreased in speed and altitude as it approached the runway.
According to the San Francisco Gate, witnesses have described the pilot flying at a lower altitude than expected before smashing into the seawall bordering.
"The approach proceeds normally as they descend. There is no discussion of any aircraft anomalies or concerns with the approach, When the throttles were advanced seconds before impact, the engines appear to respond normally," National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said in a press conference.
She describes that an inquiry into what the flight crew did before crashing is underway.
"Everything is on the table right now," she said.
She mentioned that the plane was traveling at a speed far lower than the targeted 137 knots (158 mph).
"We're not talking about a few knots here or there," she explains.
Ex-TWA pilot Barry Schiff, suggested that the crew shouldn't have left the throttles idling at a low altitude, as pulling them out in time upon approaching Runway 28L would have been impossible.
"If you do that prior to impact, you're not going to have enough time to advance the throttles. [...] You should always make an approach with power, and they didn't do that. [...] These pilots have a lot of explaining to do," Schiff says.
"It sounds like too low, too slow, too late. Airspeed is your lifeblood," former commercial pilot Jim Tilmon adds.
As previously mentioned, pilot Lee Kang-guk was still training on the Boeing 777. He was, however, flying since 1994 and he had piloted a Boeing 747.
"He was very experienced," Ariana spokeswoman Hyomin Lee describes.