RE: Air China crash in Korea

From: BBC Online News

No problems with crash plane – pilot

The plane came down in thick fog and heavy rain

The pilot of the Air China plane which crashed killing at least 120 people in South Korea, has said there were no problems with the aircraft.
South Korean investigators have spoken to the Chinese pilot who survived after the Boeing 767-200 crashed into a fog-shrouded mountainside as it approached Kimhae airport near the southern city of Busan on Monday.

“He testified he felt nothing unusual with the aircraft,” investigators said after speaking to 32-year-old Wu Xinlu, who is in intensive care in hospital.

The captain also told investigators he had landed at the airport four to five times this year, including last week.

Investigators are also waiting to examine the plane’s flight recorder.

Hampered by heavy rain, 2,000 workers are combing wreckage of the plane which is strewn across rugged terrain.

Six passengers are still unaccounted for.

Thirty-eight passengers are being treated in hospital for injuries, including the pilot who has serious head injuries.

South Korean Government officials say pilot error appears to be the most likely cause of the accident.

The plane had been asked to change direction before landing because of strong winds.

Pilot ‘unaware’

South Korean and Chinese government and air safety officials have been sent to investigate the cause of the crash, believed to be the first in Air China’s history.

They are expected to be joined on Wednesday by air safety investigators from the United States – including officials from the National Transport Safety Board and Federal Aviation Authority.

South Korean Vice Construction and Transportation Minister Choo Byuung-Jik said the plane – which was on a flight from the Chinese capital, Beijing – crashed in strong head winds.

Excerpts released by aviation authorities of the final conversation between the pilot and the air traffic control tower indicate the pilot was unaware of the impending disaster.

Reports said most of the survivors were seated in the front of the aircraft which landed tail first.

Air China said the passengers comprised 136 South Koreans plus other nationalities, mostly Chinese.

The crash comes just weeks before South Korea co-hosts the World Cup football finals with Japan.

President Kim Dae-jung told the cabinet on Tuesday he was concerned the accident “could have an impact” on the World Cup, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The number of regional flights into the country has been increased to accommodate the tens of thousands of extra visitors who will be attending football matches, including large numbers from China.

(see pic below)
1. Flight CA-129 ordered to take minor detour due to poor weather
2. Plane turns and hits fog-shrouded Shineo Mountain tail first
3. Some survivors make their way down mountainside seeking help
Flight CA-129: The final moments

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