First update thread
From CNN:
I have some comments on the following:Asiana says pilot error partly to blame for San Francisco plane crash
By Stella Kim and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN
updated 7:30 AM EDT, Tue April 1, 2014
Asiana Airlines says pilot error was partly to blame in last year's crash
The airline also cites auto throttle problems and inadequate warning systems
Three people died after the plane hit the seawall at San Francisco International Airport
The airline says the flight crew failed to execute a "timely go-around" when needed
(CNN) -- South Korea's Asiana Airlines admitted Tuesday that pilot error was partly to blame for the crash of Asiana Flight 214 in San Francisco last July, in which three people were killed.
Lee Hyomin, a spokeswoman for Asiana Airlines, said the pilot was not solely responsible for the crash but "could have failed to respond quickly" to factors including problems with the aircraft's auto throttle system.
The auto throttle problem was compounded by inadequate warning systems to alert the flight crew when the plane's airspeed fell too low, she said.
The spokeswoman also cited the "flight crew's failure to execute a timely go-around when the conditions required it by the company's procedures."
Another contributing factor was "air traffic control instructions and procedures that led to an excessive pilot workload during a high-energy final approach," she said.
As well as the three who died, scores of passengers were injured when the Boeing 777 struck the seawall at San Francisco International Airport and tumbled down the runway.
In January, Asiana filed a lawsuit against Boeing alleging that some equipment on the plane was improperly installed or defective, resulting in inadequate warnings for the pilots about low airspeed.
U.S. investigators have also looked at what part an airport navigation system that was out of service while runway improvements were made may have played in the crash.
Flight 214's pilot, Capt. Lee Kang Kuk, told the National Transportation Safety Board last year that he found it "very stressful, very difficult" to land without the glideslope indicator that helps pilots determine whether the plane is too high or too low during approach.
In February, the U.S. Department of Transportation fined Asiana Airlines $500,000 for failing properly to assist families affected by the crash.
Could have? Could have? He DID fail to "respond quickly". Paying attention to your airspeed on final is basic, basic flying. The pilots are supposed to be in charge here and they failed to respond.the pilot was not solely responsible for the crash but "could have failed to respond quickly" to factors including problems with the aircraft's auto throttle system.
Bwuh? Is this person claiming the Airbus doesn't have a stall warning system? No sink rate indicators? No stick shakers? You know, none of the basic required equipment for a fucking airliner?The auto throttle problem was compounded by inadequate warning systems to alert the flight crew when the plane's airspeed fell too low, she said.
The spokeswoman also cited the "flight crew's failure to execute a timely go-around when the conditions required it by the company's procedures."

What. The. Fuck? The pilot is the final authority in flying an airplane. The pilot has the authority, nay, the obligation to fly the fucking airplane. That INCLUDES disregarding ATC instructions if following those instructions would result in an unsafe situation. That INCLUDES altering procedures as needed to ensure a safe landing.Another contributing factor was "air traffic control instructions and procedures that led to an excessive pilot workload during a high-energy final approach," she said.
Here is the goddamned regulation, chapter and verse:
14 CFR 91.3a: The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.
14 CFR 91.3b: In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency.
If your landing is starting to go pear-shaped, if you're about to crash, YOU DO WHATEVER YOU FUCKING HAVE TO DO to prevent that, INCLUDING ignoring ATC and standard procedures if that is what is required! DO NOT blame ATC in this you fucking assholes!
God damn this pisses me off.
The ONLY reason Aisana isn't totally dumping on the pilots is because doing so would force them to admit there is something seriously fucked up with their pilot training. There is something rotten in that airline, seriously.
There wasn't a goddamned thing wrong with the weather that day.
There wasn't a goddamned thing wrong with the airplane.
ATC didn't do a goddamned thing wrong here.
This airplane crashed and people died due to pilot INCOMPETENCE
Holy fuck, there is no excuse here - if a pilot can not land his airplane in perfect weather in a sound airplane he is not competent to fly that airplane. Landing aids out? Yes, that does make it less easy but a pilot should still be able to do a competent landing using just old fashioned eyeballs under those conditions.
Holy shit, there's one airline I am NEVER going to set foot on.