NTSB
The pilot flying
Asiana Flight 214 as it crash landed at San Francisco International Airport this weekend told investigators he saw a blinding flash of light during the descent.
During an interview that lasted about four hours, the South Korean — who has extensive experience with a variety of planes but was in training to fly the Boeing 777 — told investigators that he saw the unidentified flash at around 400 or 500 feet.
The National Transportation Safety Board team and other investigators are looking into what it could have been, Chairman Debbie Hersman said in a press conference today. She offered no theories, and noted that it was a "temporary issue."
The reported flash occurred about 34 seconds before impact. An instructor pilot was also at the controls.
The four pilots on board the plane were not tested for drugs and alcohol.
