Asiana pilot 'blinded by bizarre light' before crash
By Ko Dong-hwan
Pilots of the crashed Asiana airplane provided a testimony that a strong ray of light momentarily blinded their eyesight seconds before the crash.
The plane’s junior pilot Lee Gang-guk and senior pilot Lee Jung-min told a U.S. investigative agency that when the plane descended down to 500 feet, an unknown light shot up from the ground level and caused them to be in a state of blindness for about 34 seconds before the crash.
The testimony from the pilots was received and reported at the accident investigative briefing by Deborah Hersman from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
When asked whether the light was shot from a laser pointer, she answered it needs further investigation to confirm the allegation.
The 500-feet altitude is where the pilots were confirmed to have recognized that the plane was flying way too low and at slow speed.
The plane crashed on the runway 34 seconds after the alleged moment.