NTSB Posts First Photo From Inside Plane

Some passengers said they exited through a gaping hole in the back of the plane

By Lori Preuitt and Staff • •

The National Transportation Safety Board posted the first photos inside the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 plane that crashed as it landed at San Francisco International Airport Saturday morning.

The photos show heavy damage to the interior of the plane that was not destroyed by fire. Some seats appeared to have collapsed.

One passenger who was sitting at the back of the plane told the Associated Press that after the crash he saw that the galley and back bathroom had been torn away leaving a gaping hole in the rear of the plane.  He said he exited to the tarmac through that opening.

When the airliner hit the ground, passengers said carry-on luggage in the over compartments rained down on passengers. 

The NTSB also released photos of investigators on the tarmac at SFO (see below).  They said they would be on scene in San Francisco for at least a week, with the investigation into the crash that killed two and injured 180 others lasting some 18 monhts. 

On Sunday,  NTSB Board Chairman Deborah Hersman said Asiana Airlines Flight 214's cockpit voice recorder showed the plane attempted to abort its landing just 1.5 seconds before it crashed.
The NTSB said at a Sunday news conference that the recorder indicated that there was a "stick shaker activation" four seconds before the crash, indicating the plane was about to stall, Hersman said.

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Seven seconds before the crash, there was a call by one of the crew members to increase speed. 
 
In spite of the new information, Hersman said that the NTSB's investigation had only completed its preliminary reports. The cause of the crash, Herman said is still unknown.
 
"Everything is on the table," she said. "It's too early to rule anything out." 

You can see the photos below or at this link. 

NBC Bay Area has learned that one of the victims may have been run over by a firetruck after the crash. 

182 people were transported to area hospitals, 49 with critical injuries, after Flight 214 crashed and burst into flames upon landing, SFO officials said.

Crash at a Glance Courtesy AP: Asiana Flight 214 makes its final approach after a 10-hour flight that started in Shanghai and stopped in Seoul.

A preliminary review of the crash by federal investigators turns up the following:

  • APPROACH PROCEEDS NORMALLY ... the plane receives clearance from air traffic control to land without its instrument landing system. Visibility is about 10 miles with winds out of the southwest at 7 knots. There are no distress calls or requests for support in the air traffic control tapes that captured the discussion between a controller and the Asiana crew.
  • SEVEN SECONDS OUT ... the crew asks to increase its air speed. National Traffic Safety Board chairwoman Deborah Hersman says the plane came in well below the approach speed of 137 knots that crew members had discussed.
  • FOUR SECONDS OUT ... the stick shaker, a yolk the pilots hold, begins shaking, indicating the plane could stall.
  • 1.5 SECONDS OUT ... the crew calls to abort the landing and come around for another try.
  •  CRASH ... the plane hits a seawall. The controller declares an emergency. The pilots talk to air traffic control and emergency vehicles are deployed.
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