NTSB faults pilot 'mismanagement' in Asiana flight
SAN FRANCISCO (KABC) -- The National Transportation Safety Board says "mismanagement" by the pilots of Asiana Flight 214 caused the crash during the landing in San Francisco last year.
Federal investigators said Tuesday confusion over whether one of the airliner's controls was maintaining airspeed was to blame. Materials provided by the aircraft makers also failed to clarify when controls don't automatically maintain speed.
Acting chairman of the safety board Christopher Hart said automation has made aviation safer and more efficient, but cautioned against the overreliance on such technology.
"The more complex automation becomes, the more challenging it is to ensure that the pilots adequately understand it," Hart said.
South Korea-based Asiana Airlines was also faulted for its pilot training.
"That's what we thought was the most key problem - in the few seconds where the go-around was delayed," said William Bramble, a senior human performance investigator.
On July 6, 2013, three teenagers were killed and more than 180 people injured when the plane's tail hit a seawall while landing at San Francisco International Airport.
More than 300 people were on board a Boeing 777, a plane with one of the industry's best safety records, during the accident. The weather conditions were sunny and clear.
In documents made public by the NTSB this year, Asiana acknowledged that its pilots were partly at fault for the crash. The airline also blamed the maker of the jet for design flaws.
Boeing countered that the pilots were to blame because they stuck with a troubled landing.
Pilot Lee Kang Kuk was an experienced pilot, but was still training in the 777. Because an airport navigational aid that helps planes land wasn't working that day, Kuk was flying using a visual approach. A training captain was monitoring the landing.
Lee told NTSB officials he didn't abort the landing because he deferred to the instructor pilot's authority.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
