The Korea Herald

피터빈트

NTSB to hold investigative hearing on Asiana crash

By 윤민식

Published : Dec. 10, 2013 - 09:39

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Five months into a probe into the cause of Asiana Airlines flight 214's crash landing in San Francisco, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Monday it will hold an investigative hearing this week expected to provide the public with comprehensive information on the incident.

The two-day event beginning Tuesday will be led by NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman at the NTSB's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

"We are in a fact-gathering phase," a senior NTSB official said in a roundtable meeting with Korean reporters here.

The NTSB aims to complete the investigation before July 6, the anniversary of the accident, added the official.

The hearing is designed to demonstrate the NTSB's commitment to transparency in the ongoing probe and gather additional factual information through sworn testimony of expert witnesses.

Hearing witnesses would include representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Asiana Airlines, the Korean Office of Civil Aviation, and the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations.

The NTSB official also stressed that it is endeavoring to achieve fairness in the investigation.

The Asiana plane, carrying 307 people, crashed upon landing at San Francisco International Airport, leaving three people dead, including two Chinese teens, and injuring dozens of others on board.

The NTSB official pointed out aviation is an "international endeavor."

"This is not a Korean accident but an international accident," the official said. (Yonhap News)