South Korea's transport ministry is conducting a special audit of Asiana Airlines after one of its aircraft crash landed at San Francisco International airport, killing three passengers.
The three-week probe, which started on 14 July, will review Asiana's safety management system and look at whether the airline violated any rules in its training, maintenance and operations, Man-Heui Chang, director of flight standards at the civil aviation bureau tells Flightglobal Pro.
"We need to review the airline safety system to find out whether there's something that needs to be improved and enhanced," Chang says. "We will look at its operations, maintenance, safety management, cabin training and so on."
Chang adds that should investigations reveal a need for changes to the country's aviation rules and regulations, it will be done "as soon as possible".
The transport ministry has also sent out a "precautionary message" to other airlines in the country, urging them to strengthen their safety measures, Chang says.
The Asiana Boeing 777-200ER crashed after its main landing gear struck the sea well at the San Francisco airport on 6 July as pilots of Flight 214 came in too low and slow on the approach to Runway 28 Left.
The experience and working dynamics between the pilot flying, Lee Gang-guk, and the pilot monitoring, Lee Jeong-min, has also become a major focus for investigators. Lee Gang-guk had recently transitioned to the 777 and had only logged 43h on the type while Lee Jeong-min was flying as an instructor in the 777 for the first time.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
