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US: UPDATED - Pilot of crashed 777 first says he was blinded by a light; then retracts any vision effects

The pilot of the Asiana Airlines flight that crashed July 6 2013 on approach to San Francisco International Airport, told U.S. investigators that he was temporarily blinded by a bright light when 500 feet above the ground (approximately 34 seconds before impact). The Boeing 777 aircraft crashed at 11:28 am local (PDT) time. Thus, it was daylight when the bright light flash occurred.

During a press conference on July 10, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board revealed the pilot’s statement. Deborah Hersman was asked specifically if it could have been a laser pointed from the ground. She replied “We really don’t know at this point what it could have been. We need to look into it. We need to understand what he’s talking about. We may need to follow up with him.”

Hersman described the flash as only “a temporary issue”, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

From USA Today (initial story; story about laser hazards), SFGate, and ABC News.

UPDATED July 11 2013: NTSB chair Deborah Hersman gave additional details indicating that the light was not a laser and did not interfere with the pilot’s vision.

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