In last 20 years, two Asiana crashes resulted in deaths

Story highlights

Twenty years ago, 68 people died in a crash

Two years ago, two people perished in a cargo plane crash

Last decade, a collision was averted in LA and a flight landed safely after losing an engine

CNN  — 

Asiana Airlines had coped with a pair of deadly crashes over the past 20 years before a Boeing 777 crash landed in San Francisco and burst into flames on Saturday.

A crash nearly 20 years ago near South Korea’s Mokpo Airport killed 68 out of 116 occupants. Flight 733 – a Boeing 737-500 – went down in poor weather on July 26, 1993, as the plane was attempting its third landing, the Aviation Safety Network said.

In July 2011, a cargo plane slammed into the East China Sea, killing the only two people on board, CNN reported.

Boeing 777

  • The Boeing 777-200LR has been in service since March 2006
  • The plane can carry 301 passengers and travel a maximum distance of 9,395 nautical miles
  • Asiana Airlines operates 71 aircraft and serves 14.7 million passengers annually
  • The airline was voted Airline of the Year by Global Traveler in 2011
  • In 1993, Asiana Airlines Boeing 737 crashed killing 68 people

    The plane was a Boeing 747-400F. The plane crashed en route from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport to Shanghai Pudong International Airport in China.

    At least two deaths and dozens of injuries were reported in Saturday’s incident.

    Expert: Shouldn’t have been close to hitting seawall

    Close call and a lost engine

    In August 2004, a collision between Asiana Airlines Boeing 747 and Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 at the Los Angeles International Airport was narrowly averted, CNN reported.

    A controller gave the Southwest flight clearance to take off from the runway. But with only seconds to spare, the Asiana pilot spotted the Southwest plane and aborted his landing, saving both planes. An air traffic control error caused the mishap, officials said.

    An Asiana Airlines flight landed safely in April 2009 after losing one of two engines following takeoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, CNN reported. An airport spokeswoman said no one was hurt during the emergency landing. The plane was scheduled to fly to South Korea.

    Why crash was survivable

    Minor accidents

    Two minor incidents occurred in the United States in November 1998, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

    An Asiana Airlines Boeing 747-400 taxiing at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, collided with a parked Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-62. There was one minor injury. An Asiana Boeing 747 struck a crane in Jamaica, New York. One person was injured, according to the NTSB.

    A Boeing 767 approaching Cheju airport in South Korea had a hard landing in January 1992. No one was injured. An Asiana Airlines Airbus was damaged when the tail struck the runway on landing at Osaka-Kansai International Airport in Japan. There were no injuries in the October 2009 incident.

    Asiana, based in Seoul, is one of South Korea’s two major airlines. In addition to domestic flights in South Korea, the 25-year-old airline operates in 23 other countries, according to Asiana’s website.

    Latest developments in the San Francisco crash landing