Asiana Boeing 777 Plane Crash At San Francisco

Published reports say an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 has been involved in a plane crash at San Francisco International Airport. Statements quoted in these reports indicate the aircraft crashed and caught fire after touchdown. Apparently the plane was on a flight from Seoul, South Korea.

A check of the FAA and NTSB databases and statements yielded no results as we publish but this article will be updated with additional details as they become available.

Video from the scene shows an Asiana 777 off to the side of a runway with the top of the cabin burned through and fire fighting equipment adjacent dealing with remaining risks. No open flames are visible.

One witness quote claims the tail ripped off during the landing and indeed the tail is not visible adjacent or attached to the fuselage in the video reviewed for this story.

UPDATE 1

The FAA has issued a statement confirming the essential facts reported above. "At 11:36 AM Pacific, Asiana Airlines Flight 214, a Boeing 777 arriving from Seoul, South Korea, crashed while landing on runway 28L at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)." - FAA

UPDATE 2

An aerial photo of San Francisco International Airport seems to confirm several details. The accident did occur on runway 28L at SFO and the debris field (pattern of wreckage) appears to start at the seawall. All three major tailplane pieces: the vertical stabilizer and left and right horizontal stabilizers, are shown separated from the main fuselage section (which is further down the runway) in the area before the threshold of runway 28L. These facts add credibility to the claims that the Boeing 777 landed short, striking the seawall structure, before sliding down and finally off the runway to the left.

In what would typically be considered a premature conclusion in an aircraft accident investigation, the head of Asiana Airlines Yoon Young-doo, went on television in Seoul, South Korea, and said, "Currently we understand that there were no engine or mechanical problems."

There are now two confirmed fatalities among the passengers and crew. There were a total of 307 people on board and 49 were seriously injured.