Acidente com 747 da Asiana

Acidente com avião de carga deixa mortos na Coreia do Sul

Piloto e membro da tripulação morreram quando aeronave da Asiana Airlines caiu no mar

Um piloto e um membro da tripulação morreram na queda de um avião de cargo da Asiana Airlines no mar, perto da Ilha de Jeju, na Coreia do Sul.

De acordo com a Guarda Costeira sul-coreana, citada pela agência de notícias Yonhap, o acidente ocorreu na manhã de quinta-feira (quarta-feira à noite no Brasil).

Funcionários da guarda costeira disseram também que seus barcos de patrulha encontraram restos do Boeing-744, operado pela segunda maior empresa aérea de carga do país, 107 km a oeste de Jeju.

O avião voava do Aeroporto Internacional de Incheon na Coreia do Sul para Pudong, na China. A tripulação da aeronave, no entanto, tentava pousar no aeroporto de Jeju depois de detectar falhas mecânicas na aeronave. O avião desapareceu do radar às 4h09 de quinta-feira.

A Asiana Airlines, com sede em Seul, faz principalmente voos de curta distância.

Fonte: AP e AFP

Asiana cargo plane crashes off South Korea

The Boeing 747 was bound for China from Seoul's Incheon airport when it crashed into the sea off Jeju island.

A cargo plane has crashed off the coast of South Korea's southern Jeju island.

According to unconfirmed local media reports, searchers found sea wreckage of an Asiana Airlines cargo plane that crashed on Thursday.

The plane is thought to have had two occupants, a pilot and co-pilot aboard.

Choi Kyu-mo, the Jeju island coast guard's spokesperson said four ships and a helicopter were searching the wreckage west of the southern resort island of Jej.

Yonhap News Agency earlier cited the coast guard as saying one of its patrol boats had found debris from the aircraft operated by Asiana, South Korea's second-largest flagship carrier, in waters about 107km west of Jeju city.

The plane had reportedly left from South Korea's Incheon International Airport and was bound for Pudong in China.

'Mechanical difficulties'

Asiana officials got a report early on Thursday from the pilot that the Boeing-747, which was southwest of Jeju, was having mechanical difficulties and would try to make its way to the island's airport, Jason

Kim, a spokesman for Asiana Airlines, said.

Officials then lost contact with the plane and asked the coast guard to investigate, Kim said.

The airline also sent its own emergency specialists to the area.

Kim said he had seen media reports about the crash but was waiting for a final investigative report from the coast guard and Asiana airline officials at the site before confirming anything.

South Korea has been lashed with extraordinarily heavy rain this week, with landslides and floods killing dozens and causing havoc.

Kim said it was unclear whether the weather had caused any problems for the plane.

Kyu-mo said there was no rain in the area but that there were stronger-than-normal winds at the time.

Source: Agencies

Asiana Airlines 747 cargo plane crashes off South Korea; pilots remain missing

Coast guard rescue teams recovering wreckage from Asiana.

Wreckage has been recovered from an Asiana Airlines cargo plane which crashed off the coast of South Korea on Thursday, soon after crew reported a fire onboard.

An Asiana Airlines 747 Freighter- similar to the jet which crashed on Thursday.

The Boeing 747-400F jet had taken-off from Seoul Incheon airport at 3:05am (local time) on Thursday, bound for Shanghai.

But about an hour into the flight the pilot reportedly alerted air traffic control of a fire and “mechanical difficulties” and requested an emergency landing at Jeju International airport.

The plane is believed to have crashed some nine minutes after the mayday call, plunging into the sea about 120kms (75 miles) west of Jeju airport.

The bodies of the pilot and co-pilot onboard have not yet been found.

Asiana Airlines said the pilot, Choi Sang-ki, and co-pilot, Lee Jung-woong, were Korea Air Force Academy graduates who had logged more than 14,000 and 5,200 hours of flight time respectively.

The airline said the flight was carrying cargo including lithium batteries, paint and other potentially dangerous materials, and added that the cargo was being carried in accordance with international aviation safety regulations.

While it is not yet known if the fire caused the crash, lithium batteries are considered potentially dangerous on aircraft as they carry the risk of causing an onboard fire.

Rescue teams are continuing to scour the wreckage area and will be looking for the plane’s black box, containing the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.

The accident is believed to be Asiana’s first fatal crash since 1993.

Source: http://www.terminalu.com

Asiana 747 cargo plane crashes after reporting fire

Members of the Jeju Coast Guard remove wreckage of an Asiana Airlines cargo plane that crashed yesterday in waters west of Jeju Island. [YONHAP]

An Asiana Airlines Boeing 747 cargo plane crashed yesterday morning after reporting a fire onboard. The two pilots are missing and likely dead, authorities said.

The airplane, bound for Pudong, China, from Incheon International Airport, turned back toward Jeju International Airport after reporting the fire about an hour into the flight, but it crashed before being able to make it to Jeju. 

The Jeju Coast Guard found debris and parts of the plane at sea about 122 kilometers (76 miles) southwest of Jeju, authorities said.

Asiana Flight OZ991 left Incheon at 3:05 a.m., but after detecting a fire in the cargo area, the pilots turned back. The plane disappeared from radar at 4:12 a.m. and the wreckage was found by the Coast Guard about two hours after the disappearance. 

“We only can say that an in-flight fire, which occurred in the plane’s freight cargo, could be the reason for the crash because the pilots told us about the fire right before they disappeared from the radar,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said. “But we can’t say how the fire occurred, though there were inflammable materials in the cargo. And also, we are not sure whether there was an explosion.”

The two pilots were Capt. Choi Sang-gi, 52, and Lee Jeong-woong, 44. Choi has 14,000 hours of flying experience and has worked for the airline since 1991. Lee, the co-pilot, has 5,211 flying hours and joined the company in 2007. 

The plane was carrying 58 tons of cargo, including semiconductors, electronic components and woven goods. However, a quarter ton of the cargo included inflammable material, like lithium batteries, paint, amino acid liquid and synthetic resins. 

The airline said that all of the goods were loaded in accordance with guidelines from the International Air Transport Association. 

“The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board will examine the cause of the accident,” a Land Ministry spokesman said. “We expect to find the exact cause as well as secure the plane’s black box and the CVR [cockpit voice recorder]. 

“This is the first time in Korean history that a domestic aircraft crashed due to fire,” the spokesman said, adding that because of the fire, “we expect to experience more difficulty in finding the reason for the crash.” 

Investigators will also consider other reasons for the crash, including pilot error, mechanical defects and weather conditions.

The Jeju Coast Guard is using five patrol ships and a helicopter in the search and has collected parts of the plane, including the cockpit seats and parts of the plane’s wings. But the search was proving difficult because of strong winds and high seas. 

Source: http://joongangdaily.joins.com