Pilot, Co-Pilot Blame Each Other in S. Korea Crash
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SEOUL — The pilot and co-pilot blamed each other Thursday for a crash that destroyed a Korean Air jetliner. Both were jailed on suspicion that they caused the accident by quarreling during landing.
An officer investigating Wednesday’s crash said the Canadian pilot and the South Korean co-pilot disagreed over what to do when the plane touched the runway after the flight from Seoul.
“The co-pilot basically wanted to take off again in view of the short length left in the runway, while the pilot believed he had enough distance to bring the plane to a halt in time,” the police officer said.
In the struggle to control the plane, the Airbus A-300 skidded and rammed a safety barricade.
But instead of disaster, the crash on the resort island of Cheju turned into a miracle story. All 152 passengers and eight crew members survived by sliding down an escape chute moments before the plane exploded in flames.
Police say the landing should have been aborted because there was not enough runway after the winds of an approaching typhoon gave the plane an extra push.
In custody were the pilot, Barry Edward Woods, 52, of Vancouver, Canada, and co-pilot Chung Chan Kyu, 36, of South Korea.
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