- Crash has parallels to that of British Airways 777 crash in 2008
- 777 plane came down short of the runway at London Heathrow similar to San Francisco
- In both crashes, the wings and fuselage remained intact with the aircraft crashing well before the runway 'touchdown zone'
By James Daniel
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Today's crash of an Asiana Airline Boeing 777 at San Francisco Airport has striking similarities with the crash of a British Airways 777 five-and-a-half years ago.
In both instances, the aircraft came down before the threshold of the runway after coming to the end of a long haul flight.
The hull of both planes also remained largely intact with the majority of the passengers walking away unhurt, shaken with just a few cuts and bruises.
Crash no.1: The crash of a British Airways Boeing 777 on landing in London Heathrow was caused by ice crystals forming in the fuel and cutting power to the engines
Crash no.2: The plane slammed into the tarmac before the runway touchdown zone. The engines and the tail fin broke away from the main wreckage
This is the third hull loss for a Boeing 777, introduced in 1994.
British Airways Flight 038 from Beijing lost power as it approached the London Heathrow airport on January 17 2008.
Eighteen of those on board needed treatment for minor injuries. Many were hurt as they came out of the plane on its emergency slides.
There were no fatalities but 47 people sustained injuries; one serious.
Intact: An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 is seen on the runway at San Francisco International Airport after crash landing
No casualties: In 2008 the BA plane on a flight from China crash-landed short of the runway at London's Heathrow Airport. All the passengers escaped with just a few injuries
Everyone survived in London: Fire engines smothered the Boeing 777 in foam after it landed with its wings extensively damaged and its undercarriage wrecked
The 150-tonne aircraft was the first Boeing 777-200ER to be written off in the model's history.
The Boeing 777's engines did not produce the necessary thrust to reach the front of the runway as it came into land.
The plane struck the ground and came to a halt a few hundred yards later.
After a year-long investigation into the causes of the crash, it was found that both engines were still running when the Boeing 777 came down perilously short of the runway but on far less power than had been demanded by the pilot.
Ice crystals in the fuel were found to the cause of the accident.
Although the fuel itself did not freeze, small quantities of water in the fuel did freeze.
Ice adhered to the inside of the fuel lines where they run through the struts attaching the engines to the wings.
This accumulation of ice had no effect on the flight until the final stages of the approach into Heathrow, when increased fuel flow and higher temperatures suddenly released it back into the fuel.
This formed a slush of soft ice which flowed forward where it froze once again, causing a restriction in the flow of fuel to the engines.
The plane's captain Peter Burkill and co-pilot John Coward were hailed as heroes for averting a major disaster.
Britain's Air Accident Investigation Branch said ice blocking the fuel lines that power the engines was the cause of the BA plane losing power.
No obvious cause: It's not immediately clear what made Flight 214 from Seoul crash on landing at San Francisco airport in perfect flying conditions, but there is no shortage of theories
Resting place: The plane came to a halt on the grass off the main runway. Incredibly, the fuselage of the aircraft remained intact throughout impact
Third time unlucky: This is the third hull loss of a Boeing 777 aircraft since the plane was brought into service in 1995
In this afternoon's crash at San Francisco Airport it appears the aircraft also did not have the thrust required to meet the threshold of the runway with the tail of the plane striking the tarmac before the wheels touched down.
The impact saw the tail ripped clean off the aircraft's fuselage.
However, the fact that debris exists at the runway's edge, at the perimeter of the tarmac and also in San Francisco Bay ahead of the runways' 'touchdown zone' also suggests the crew were for some reason unable to summon the power they required to make the landing safely.
In any event, whatever the cause, given the proximity of the airport to San Francisco Bay, the crash could have been far worse had the plane crash landed any sooner.
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