Monday 8 July 2013

Did one of dead Asiana victims SURVIVE the crash only to be run over and killed by first responders?

Passengers fled the Asiana Airlines jetliner after it crash-landed. Authorities say one of the dead victims may have been hit after exiting the plane
One of the Chinese teenagers who was found dead in the Asiana Airlines wreckage may have actually survived the crash - only to be struck and killed by emergency responders scrambling to the crash site, it was revealed on Sunday.  Authorities say one of the two dead victims from the crash was found outside the plane and had apparently be hit by a fire truck or an ambulance. San Francisco's medical examiner is now conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of the girl's death, fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. 'One of the deceased did have injuries consistent with those of having been run over by a vehicle,' Talmadge said. 'Many agencies were on the field yesterday.'
In the chaos of the crash-landing of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, dozens of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene to help recuse the jetliner's 291 passengers and battle the blaze the broke out on board. Witnesses reported seeing dozens of people running on the tarmac, attempting to escape the burning wreckage of the plane.  Asiana Airlines said the two dead were Ye Mengyuan and Wang Linjia, both 16 years old from Jiangshan in eastern China. They were both headed for a summer camp in the U.S. - part of a group of 70 Chinese students and teachers aboard the Boeing 777 that crash-landed.
A total of 141 Chinese nationals were aboard the flight that was bound for San Francisco from Seoul, South Korea.  Miss Wang's parents were both on the fight, as well, and could be seen sobbing as they learned their daughter died in the crash.
The black box aboard the Boeing 777 jetliner set out three crucial moments - beginning 7 seconds before impact - that show the plane was approaching the runway too slowly and that the pilots were trying to correct the problem.
National Transportation Safety Board officials said today that the jetliner, which was carrying 291 passengers, was flying 'significantly' slower than the 137 knots that is ideal for jetliners preparing to land in San Francisco. NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman said an initial examination of the plane's in-flight data recorders show no indication that the plane was in trouble until 7 seconds before impact.
It was at that point that the pilots tried to increase the speed of the plane. 'We have to take another look at the raw data and corroborate it with radar and air traffic information to make sure we have a very precise speed,' Hersman said. 'But again, we are not talking about a few knots here or there. We're talking about a significant amount of speed below 137.'
By all accounts, the plane was set to land normally - its landing gear was down and its flaps were set to the standard 30 degrees. Just 4 seconds before the plane crash-landed, a 'stick shaker' warning activated, notifying the pilots that the plane was about to stall. The 'stick shaker' literally shakes the control stick that the pilot is holding. It is meant to tell the pilot that the engines will stall if the aircraft maintains the current speed. Then, finally, 1.5seconds before impact, the voice recorders revealed that the pilots were planning to abort the landing.  The pilots - who have not been identified - announced a 'go-around' - an aborted landing in which the plane approaches the runway but instead of  touching down, it lifts off again and circles around to approach the runway again. The Asiana Airlines flight from Seoul, South Korea, which carried 61 Americans, broke apart and caught fire as it tumbled in cart-wheels on the runway shortly before noon on  Saturday. The crash killed two teenage Chinese students, one of whom was reportedly ejected from the plane when the tail section broke off. At least two people have been paralyses by their injuries. Some 185 passengers were hospitalized.
Hersman cautioned that the findings from the black box aboard the plane are the result of only a preliminary investigation of that in-flight data. Investigators have also not yet spoken to the captain and first officer who were flying the plane. They hope to interview the pilots in the coming days. 
Hersman refused to speculate on whether the crash was a result of pilot error or a mechanical failure.  A study of the weather at the time reveals that there were no reports of wind shear or other adverse conditions at the time, according to the NTSB.

The pilots navigated the landing manually, but sight on the bright, sunny day, in part because the instrument landing system on the runway was inoperative.
The parents of Wang Linjia, center - one of the teenage students killed in Saturday's crash - mourn the los of their daughter at San Francisco International Airport
Numerous fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene of the crash as passengers fled. Firefighters say one of the Chinese students may have been hit and killed in the choas
A total of 307 people were on board the plane when it crash-landed. Most managed to walk away from the crash
Ms Hersman declined to say whether the crash was the result of pilot error or mechanical failure. She said the investigation remains ongoing

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