San Francisco may take $3.45m payout for Asiana crash

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering a $3.45m payout from Asiana Airlines to settle the city’s claim from an airport crash that killed three people and injured nearly 200. City Attorney Dennis Herrera on Wednesday called the proposed settlement “the final chapter in the sad tragedy” caused when Asiana Flight 214 clipped a seawall on an approach to San Francisco International Airport and burst into flames on the runway July 6, 2013. About $1.2m of the settlement will go toward the city’s legal costs and another $1.6m to the airport for damages stemming from the crash. The settlement also calls for Asiana to compensate San Francisco’s aviation insurer. Representatives for the South Korean airliner could not immediately be reached for comment. US safety investigators blamed the pilots, saying they bungled the landing approach. But the NTSB also faulted the complexity of the Boeing 777’s auto-throttle and auto-flight director, as well as use materials provided by Chicago-based Boeing. The proposed settlement is scheduled to be heard in committee before it goes to the full board for approval.<br/>