Asiana Airlines 777 Crash @ SFO

No, it's the captain's call, but 20/20 hindsight makes this very difficult:

If he had issued the call immediately, they probably would have opened the doors on both sides, and casualties might have been much higher if evacuating passengers had been caught in the fires on right side, and it would have been easier for the flames to enter the passenger cabin.

On the other hand, if fires had started on both sides, everyone might have been screwed.

As it was, I believe rescue personnel were working desperately to get people out before the fires reached them.

I'll leave it to the pros (NTSB) to second guess this one. I'm sure that's one of the points they'll be addressing.

One thing (moot in this case since both engines had separated) the pilots must do before ordering a general evacuation is ensure that the engines are shut down, so nobody is sucked into the turbines or hit with the exhaust.

There was an engine fire on an AA jet not too longer ago where the captain deliberately turned down crew members requests to evacuate because he felt it would be more dangerous if passenger got in the way of firefighters.

 

A couple more pics from @NTSB:​

​

​

​

​

 

Sailor suck in A6 intake.

 

Looks like there was still a large piece of him left.

A few years ago (2007, I think) a CO mechanic got too close to a 737 engine while it was being run up for testing. I doubt much was left for the family.

 

When I first starting working on DC-9's we were doing a high power run. I was standing under the engine with others. I started moving toward the intake. Crew leader latched on to my collar and damn near yanked me off my feet. Guess I could have been engine food that day.

 

Final NTSB press briefing on Asiana 214:

​

 

Breitbart: Police: Teen in Asiana Crash Hit by Fire Truck (July 12 2013)

One of the two Chinese teenagers killed in the Asiana Airlines disaster was hit by a fire truck while covered with firefighting foam, authorities said Friday, revealing a startling detail that suggested she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath.

However, it wasn't clear whether Ye Meng Yuan, 16, was already dead when the collision occurred or whether the truck killed her moments after Saturday's crash.

"The first truck did go over the victim at least one time. Now the other question is what was the cause of death?" police spokesman Albie Esparza said. "That's what we are trying to determine right now."

 

CBS Local San Francisco: SF Police Chief Confirms SFO Plane Crash Victim Run Over By Fire Truck (July 12 2013)

​

San Francisco’s police chief confirmed in an interview Friday that one of the two teenage girls killed in the crash of a passenger jet at SFO was run over by an fire truck while she was hidden by foam sprayed by firefighters to extinguish the flaming wreckage. Chief Greg Suhr told reporter Phil Matier during a live interview on KPIX 5 Friday that police investigators determined that 16-year-old Ye Meng Yuan was run over at least once by an emergency vehicle at the scene of the Asiana Flight 214 crash.​

​

A police spokesman later clarified the vehicle was a fire truck. However, Suhr said it was unclear whether the collision killed her. “At the time, she was under foam, so nobody could have seen her, and the question is whether or not she was still was alive at the time,” he said.​

 

The PPRuNe post seems to have disappeared. I noticed some familiar verbiage at the "other place" and have copied it here. Was it really posted originally at PPRuNe or us it just an "urban legend" passing around the internet?

Since I'm pretty sure it's just an urban legend, I've removed it. If you really want to read it, you can down the zip below & open the *.htm file in your browser. However, please don't repost it here unless you can authenticate the contents.

 

From Google Cache here is the PPRuNe post, by PPRuNe member Mic Dundee, join date Dec. 2009, post count 107.

To view it you have download, unzip & open the *.htm file in a browser.

 

& Mic Dundee's post count at PPRuNE is now down to 106.

But question answered from the first line of the zipped Google-Cached post:

Just an urban legend, I must conclude.

 

Either a great fabrication, or someone hit a nerve. 50/50 makes one go hmmmmmm

 

From another place and I know there is nothing funny about a crash

.http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/ep...s-including-sum-ting-wong-and-wi-tu-lo_b97368

PUNKED: TV station reports Asiana pilots as 'Sum Ting Wong,' 'Wi Tu Lo,' 'Ho Lee Fuk,' 'Bang Ding Ow'...

 

Just going to post the video ...

​

​

And a screen snag in case the video disappears:​

​

​

​

The second name (obscured by the start button) is Wi Tu Lo.​

​

[Subbed a copy of the video that is still available. --Mike]​

 

San Francisco Chronicle: Third girl aboard Asiana jet dies from injuries (July 12 2013)

A little girl who was aboard the Asiana Airlines flight that crash-landed died Friday, the same day that authorities confirmed one of the two Chinese teenagers killed in the disaster was hit by a firetruck. The disclosure about the teen raised the tragic possibility that she could have survived the crash only to die in its chaotic aftermath.​

​

No one knows yet whether the two teens lived through the initial impact at the San Francisco airport. But police and fire officials confirmed Friday that Ye Meng Yuan, 16, was hit by a firetruck racing to extinguish the blazing Boeing 777. Her close friend Wang Linjia, also 16, was among a group of passengers who did not get immediate medical help. Rescuers did not spot her until 14 minutes after the crash.​

​

The other little girl died Friday morning. San Francisco General Hospital said she had been in critical condition since arriving Saturday after the accident. Officials did not identify the girl at the request of her parents. Her age was also withheld.​

 

Apparently KTVU did try to do their homework, and NTSB's "summer intern" confirmed the bogus crew names:

NTSB statement on erroneous confirmation of crew names ​

July 12​

The National Transportation Safety Board apologizes for inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed as those of the pilots of Asiana flight 214, which crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6.​

​

Earlier today, in response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft.​

​

The NTSB does not release or confirm the names of crewmembers or people involved in transportation accidents to the media. We work hard to ensure that only appropriate factual information regarding an investigation is released and deeply regret today's incident.​

​

Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated.​

​

Office of Public Affairs​

490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW ​

Washington, DC 20594​

(202) 314-6100 ​

Kelly Nantel​

kelly.nantel@ntsb.gov​

 

I have a hard time believing that a thinking person reading the supposed names would not pick up on the problem. A rush to be first with a story or what but with four such names I don't think it should have been missed.

 

Wonder how the poor girl might have gotten there. "Went over" at least once.


http://newsok.com/gallery/feedid/565540/50/pictures/2157468


http://tribktla.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/asiana2.jpg?w=900

 

A comment elsewhere:

Maybe she was hurled out as the plane spun around, and was dead already. Why the coroner, who is done with his work on the victim, says he has to watch video and can't find a cause for another two weeks, I don't know.

I do have about as much sympathy for the foam excuse as I do the blinding light. Foam was not likely where or when she was run over, but maybe it did cover her and their tracks later. Man up is right.

30 minutes of response in real time:

 

I saw an early aerial picture of the crash scene -- foam, foam, everywhere, foam like you wouldn't believe, foam like you've never seen before.

After death, when blood pressure drops to zero, breathing stops and fluids start to settle, wounds have different effects on the body than when you are alive. The medical examiners likely to have no trouble determining if she was already dead or if the firetruck killed her. We just have to be patient and wait for the autopsy results to become known.

The two pictures you've posted above were from the left side of the plane. The fire started on the other side and was concentrated on that side, burning into the cabin & up to roof. And there were a couple exit doors opened on that side as well.