Asiana Airlines Flight 214 plane crash in San Francisco

On Saturday, July 6, 2013, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash landed at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), killing two and injuring many others. While the crash investigation is ongoing, Motley Rice aviation attorney and former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General, Mary Schiavo discussed with Reuters the growing concern that pilots are relying too heavily on technology. Glide Path, a navigation system that assists pilots with making safe landings, was turned off at the airport at the time of the crash. However, it is not uncommon for such systems to be turned off during clear weather and these systems are not essential for safe descents.

In the article, Schiavo says “. . . pilots ha[ve] become increasingly dependent on instruments for flying.” She added though “that modern
planes had plenty of systems for landing safely, down to a pilot watching the lights on the runway.”

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