Asiana crash hearing to examine deadly turn by automation

[WASHINGTON] US investigators were set to focus on how the pilots acted and whether they were misled by an automated speed-control system in a two-day hearing which started yesterday on the July 6 crash of an Asiana Airlines Inc plane in San Francisco.

The Boeing Co 777-200ER wide-body aircraft struck a seawall short of the runway, had its tail torn off and skidded down the runway, killing three teenage girls. It was the first US airline accident to claim a passenger's life since 2009.

While information released so far by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has focused on why the pilots allowed the plane to get almost 64 kph slower than their target approach speed, the hearing also will explore the design of Boeing's auto-throttle, according to the agency's agenda.