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NTSB finding no signs of mechanical problem on Asiana plane

 
Published July 12, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO — Investigators have found no evidence of mechanical problems with Asiana Flight 214, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday, putting the focus of the safety investigation into the crash landing at the San Francisco airport squarely on the pilots.

In her final briefing before the agency concludes its on-site detective work, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said the airplane showed no signs of a breakdown, and on voice recorders, the pilots of the Boeing 777 fail to notice their approach is dangerously low and slow until it's too late.

During the first five days of the NTSB investigation, Hersman has said repeatedly that pilots Lee Gang-kuk, who was landing the big jet for his first time, and Lee Jeong-Min, who was training him, were ultimately responsible for a safe landing.

Investigators have stressed that nothing has been definitively ruled out and no firm conclusions reached. The agency's final evaluation is expected to take more than a year.