<p>I can’t really say much, jym. The only thing I’ve read is that they were unintelligible, but that’s not unusual. I don’t know if there’s anything else released about it. The reality is, it would be unlikely that they could hear cockpit alarms going off, and chances are, the last standard call would be miles away from the runway anyways. It probably would be something like, “Cleared to land, runway 28 Left”. If something happens near the runway, there is no time to make a radio call, and that is the last thing you should worry about doing anyways. Number one priority is always to fly the airplane.</p>
<p>Can you make sense of either of these? [SFO</a> Control Tower Audio Recording for Asiana flight 214 - YouTube](<a href=“SFO Control Tower Audio Recording for Asiana flight 214 - YouTube”>SFO Control Tower Audio Recording for Asiana flight 214 - YouTube)</p>
<p>[Asiana</a> Airlines Flight 214 Crash at SFO - Audio Recording of Pilot & Control Tower - YouTube](<a href=“Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Crash at SFO - Audio Recording of Pilot & Control Tower - YouTube”>Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Crash at SFO - Audio Recording of Pilot & Control Tower - YouTube)</p>
<p>I’m having a hard time understanding it. Sounds like plenty of traffic, sounds like the Asiana flight called a go-around, which would be an automatic call if they decided to start a go-around. Sounded like they were communicating on the ground for crash rescue equipment, but I just can’t tell. If there was a way to slow if down to make it more understandable, it would be easier to hear, but I just can’t tell.</p>
<p>Thanks for trying. A relative was flying internationally into sfo today. Was diverted to lax but just got home. So am off to bed.</p>
<p>I’m glad your relative made it home, finally. Sounds like they have opened up at least one of the runways. Very tragic situation. Sorry I can’t decipher much, but I’m half deaf, I just can’t hear things anymore unless they are pretty clear. Scary thought, I guess, but that’s what aging and years of jet engine noise will do for you</p>
<p>Yikes. Hope that doesn’t effect you when you are communicating with the tower ! :eek:</p>
<p>the comment WAS an attempt at humor. the incident wasn’t so much appalling to me as it was confirming - i expect such mishaps and calamities to beleaguer my indebted city with its malfunctioning municipalities, striking workers, apathetic administrative guidance, and the host of problems of other problems that beset it making the once rare oversights of dramatic consequence an ordinary, almost anticipated feature of life in the bay area. just kidding :D</p>
<p>Busdriver,
my post above didn’t come out right, but I hope you know what I meant!</p>
<p>With regard to the ATC recording, a poster on the civil aviation forum at airliners dott net has posted a transcript of the final seconds (toward the end of part 2 of the discussion there). I recommend it as source of higher quality speculation than the tv news.</p>
<p>[2</a> Chinese killed in San Francisco plane crash identified](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/07/chinese-deaths-asiana-airlines-flight-214-crash/2496269/]2”>Asiana crash deaths ID'd as 2 Chinese teens)</p>
<p>Two sixteen year old students from China are the passengers who died in the crash. Such a sad story, and troubling for us moms who have children who fly often.</p>
<p>Say, busdriver (or anyone who knows), the second YouTube recording from jym626’s post (i.e., this one: [Asiana</a> Airlines Flight 214 Crash at SFO - Audio Recording of Pilot & Control Tower - YouTube](<a href=“Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Crash at SFO - Audio Recording of Pilot & Control Tower - YouTube”>Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Crash at SFO - Audio Recording of Pilot & Control Tower - YouTube)) makes it sound as if SFO had traffic landing 28L and departing 1R. Now, I realize that would route both landing and departing traffic over the bay, which would help with noise abatement, but is it customary for busy airports to have the same runway active in both directions?</p>
<p>Snowdog,
Can you post it here, or a link to the post and explanation? Don’t think it’s against the tos</p>
<p>Oh, wait, sorry. Runway 28L is 10R, not 1R. And 1R is also 19L, not 28L. Yeah, I realize those strips of pavement are actually perpendicular to each other.</p>
<p>Note to self: coffee first, then posting on the Internets.</p>
<p>20:08 - AAR214 - (Unintelligible – sounds like he keyed the mike late) Good morning. Asiana 214 final 7 mile 28 Left</p>
<p>20:13 - Tower - Skywest 5427 hold in position taxi up to the power point, on departure fly heading 010 (no acknowledgement of AAR214)</p>
<p>21:13 - Tower - United [sic] 214 Heavy San Francisco Tower Runway 28 Left clear to land</p>
<p>21:15 - AAR214 - 28 Left clear to land Asiana 214 (this one is a little hard to understand)</p>
<p>21:40 - SKW5452 - San Francisco Tower, Skywest 5452 Quiet Bridge Visual, Runway 28 Right</p>
<p>21:45 - Tower - 5452 San Francisco Tower, Runway 28 Right clear to land</p>
<p>21:49 - SKW5452 - Clear Runway 28 Right Skywest 5452</p>
<p>22:00 - Unknown - You know what, accident</p>
<p>22:15 - Tower - Skywest 6389, Climb and maintain three thousand (I think SKW6389 called a goaround just before this)</p>
<p>22:28 - AAR214 - Unintelligible</p>
<p>22:30 - Tower - 214 Heavy, Emergency vehicles are responding.</p>
<p>[OZ</a> 777 Crash At SFO Part 2 Civil Aviation Forum | Airliners.net](<a href=“Airliners.net - Aviation Forums”>Airliners.net - Aviation Forums) </p>
<p>Post 254.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. Can you interpret that for those of use who don’t understand tower speak? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>I’m by far an expert, but what I understand is that flight 214’s approach was routine, it was cleared to land on runway 28L. Skywest flight 5452 was cleared to land on runway 28R (parallel to 28L). Skywest 6389 was denied landing and told to go around the airport.</p>
<p>thanks, vballmom. How does the runway numbering system work? I googled and found this:</p>
<p>"Runway numbers
Runways are numbered between 01 and 36. The number indicates the runway’s heading. On a compass North is 360°, East is 90° South is 180° and West is 270°. You cannot have a runway zero. The two digit number is essentially 1/10th of the magnetic heading of the runway ±5° i.e. one digit per ten degrees. A runway pointing to the north with a heading from 355° to 004° will be generally given the number 36 (1/10th of 360° ±5°), similarly runway 09 points east (85°~94°), runway 18 is south (175°~184°), and runway 27 points west (265°~274°).</p>
<p>Since a runway can be normally used in two directions (there are always exceptions), it will have a second number which will always differ by 18 (180° or half way across the compass). In India most airports have an east-west runway 09-27" </p>
<p>I still need it dumbed down :o I think I get it, but am not 100 sure, though it explains Siskorsky’s post above.</p>
<p>Since the flight originated in China and the previous crash of a 777 was traced to water in the fuel that was from China( although the two airplanes have different engines), Im wondering if that will be a factor.</p>
<p>The 777 is still one of the safest airplanes, what scares me are the puddle jump airports that D loves.</p>
<p>Also have to backtrack and correct that even with the tail falling off, that would not compromise the integrity of the interior cabin.
Don’t tell H.
:o</p>
<p>I cannot believe the people grabbing their carryons. I barely can remember mine with a perfect landing!</p>
<p>My S arrived last night at 11:30 pm. Very grateful, as his earliest contingency flight would have been Tuesday night! His plane was a Boeing 320, so smaller and capable of landing on the shorter, open runways. The flights with larger planes (777’s, etc.), needing the longer runways were cancelled/diverted. He saw the spotlights illuminating the crash site…scary…</p>
<p>jym - if you go to the forum I mentioned which is frequented by commercial airline pilots talking to each other and read the thread (you don’t need to register just lurk) many of your questions will be better explained.</p>