Was Making First 777 Landing Attempt At San Francisco Airport, Had Only 43 Hours In Type

The pilot flying the Asiana Boeing 777 which went down on landing at San Francisco International Airport Saturday had only 43 hours in type and was attempting his first landing at the airport in a 777, according to the airline, though Reuters reports he had landed at KSFO in other types of aircraft.

In a briefing posted on YouTube, NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman (pictured) said that some initial information had been gleaned from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) recovered from the aircraft.

Hersman said that the flight was cleared for a visual approach to Runway 28L at KSFO. She said that the approach proceeded normally, and that there was no discussion among the crew of any aircraft anomaly or concerns with the approach. "A call by one of the crew members to increase speed was made approximately seven seconds to impact," Hersman said during the briefing. "The sound of the stick shaker occurs approximately four seconds prior to impact. A call to initiate a go-around occurred 1.5 seconds before impact."

The Flight Data Recorder (FDR), which captured the entire flight, indicates that the throttles were pulled to idle, and the airspeed dropped below the target 137 knot target landing airspeed, Hersman said. She indicated that the throttles were advanced a few seconds prior to impact, and the engines appeared to respond normally.

NBC News reports that, according to Asiana Airline, pilot Lee Gang-guk had accumulated nearly 10,000 hours of flying time, but had only 43 hours in a 777 prior to the accident. Reuters reports that he was the second most junior pilot aboard the flight. While he had flown into KSFO 29 times prior to the accident, it was his first landing at the airport in a triple 7. Lee Kang-kuk was the captain of the flight.

The president and CEO of Asiana Airlines said that the training is "common in the global aviation industry. All responsibilities lie with the instructor captain."

Hersman cautioned that the information is still preliminary, and that it is "too early to rule anything out. Everything is on the table," she said.

"Asiana Airlines deeply regrets this accident and is dedicating great efforts to support and ensure a swift and thorough investigation," the airline said in a statement posted on its website."

FMI: www.ntsb.gov