Airline Crash in San Francisco

[Ron Thorne]

A Boeing 777 airliner has crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport. The FAA says the plane is operated by Asiana Airlines.

This story is developing. Check back frequently for updates.

SAN FRANCISCO — An Asiana Airlines flight crashed as it was landing at San Francisco airport on Saturday, a federal aviation official said. It wasn't immediately known if there were any injuries.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Lynn Lunsford said the Boeing 777 crashed at San Francisco International Airport while landing.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the crash.

A video clip posted to YouTube showed smoke coming from a silver-colored jet on the tarmac. Passengers could be seen jumping down the inflatable emergency slides.

The airline is based in Seoul, South Korea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul5D9LLmqDM

[Ron Thorne]

CBS/AP/ July 6, 2013, 3:50 PM
Plane crash at San Francisco airport

Last Updated 3:50 p.m. ET

SAN FRANCISCO A federal aviation official says an Asiana Airlines flight has crashed while landing at San Francisco airport. It was not immediately known whether there were any injuries.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Lynn Lunsford says the Boeing 777 crashed at San Francisco Airport while landing on Saturday.

Asiana Flight 214 was arriving from Seoul.

Photos and video of the aircraft show fire and smoke from the aircraft.

Early reports indicate the tail came apart from the plane and the resulting fire sent black smoke billowing into the air, visible for miles.

CBS Station KPIX reports witnesses heard a loud bang, and saw a huge cloud of smoke.

Rescue vehicles were on the scene immediately afterwards.

The airport has been closed -- no flights were being allowed in or out of SFO at this time.
.

Television footage showed debris strewn about the tarmac and pieces of the plane lying on the runway.

Fire trucks had sprayed a white fire retardant on the wreckage.

BELOW: Video of the scene posted on YouTube by straylor/360 Kid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dFtmSybpuw

Asiana is a South Korean airline, second in size to national carrier Korean Air. It has recently tried to expand its presence in the United States, and joined the oneWorld alliance, anchored by American Airlines and British Airways.

The 777-200 is a long-range plane from Boeing. The twin-engine aircraft is one of the world's most popular long-distance planes, often used for flights of 12 hours or more, from one continent to another. The airline's website says its 777s can carry between 246 to 300 passengers.

The last time a large U.S. airline lost a plane in a fatal crash was an American Airlines Airbus A300 taking off from JFK in 2001.

Smaller airlines have had crashes since then. The last fatal U.S. crash was a Continental Express flight operated by Colgan Air, which crashed into a house near Buffalo, N.Y. on Feb. 12, 2009. The crash killed all 49 people on board and one man in a house.

© 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[BeBop]

As usual, I'm flying today. Or would be if SFO wasn't closed down (understandably). Current reports: two perished and ten sent to SF General. Terrible, but obviously could be worse.

I fly 250000 miles a year. And, frankly, I never lose sight of how damn safe it is. So I'll get on my plane tomorrow and (all else being equal) sleep the whole way.

Incidentally, while it was Asiana "metal" it was also a United Airlines flight. (codeshare)