Emergency Response by the San Francisco Authorities and Airlines - Asiana Airline Flight 214 - Case Study Example

SIАNА АIRLINЕS FLIGHT 214 SАN FRАNСISСО JULY 6 2013 Name: Course: Date: АSIАNА АIRLINЕS FLIGHT 214 SАN FRАNСISСО JULY 6 2013 Introduction On July 6th, 2013, 11.27A.M, an Asiana Airline flight 214 crashed as it approached the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) travelling from Incheon International Airport. The plane had 307 passengers of whom 193 sustained injuries with 3 fatalities. It was the second crash after the British Airways Flight 38 since the airline began its operation. At about 11.35 A.M the airline and government authorities deployed rescue crews and put in measures to assist the victims as well as their enquiring families. Analysis of the crash as well as response from relevant authorities is crucial for further improvement of FAA guidelines and requirements. Emergency Response by the San Francisco Authorities and Airlines According to NTSB Report, the first emergency response was evacuation of the passengers. This was done through evacuation points positioned on the less damaged side of the airliner (NTSB Staff 2014, par. 14). The left side had incurred less damage and was fitted with evacuation slides. The report examined the communication efforts made by the Airline. The Airline through its Twitter account acknowledged the accident and the commencement of a thorough investigation (NTSB 2014, par. 14). A hotline was created nine hours after the crash allowing the concerned parties to inquire on the state of rescue operations as well as victims. Reuters News Agency transmitted live images of the scene as firefighters carried out rescue operations as well as first-aid treatment of the victims. The injured passengers were taken to hospital for further treatment by medical dispatch ambulances (Scott 2013, par. 5). Effectiveness of the Response Procedures Co-ordination of the rescue operations and the help-desk indicated some failures (Nicholas 2013, par. 2). The first noticeable error was the emergency exit slides placed to safely evacuate the passengers out of the crashed airplane as they wrongly inflated. As a result, the slides pinned one of the flight attendants to the wall of the aircraft enabling her to slide off the plane (Kirchner 2013, 1). In addition, the help desk proved inefficient by its reluctance and blunt refusal to accept external help for the government emergency centers in handling inquiries from concerned friends and relatives of the victims (Kirchner 2013, 2). This was indicative of the airline lacking a proper crisis management plan as delayed assistance intensified the anxiety and misinformation among the concerned parties. The airline put in place a toll free phone line accessible to families of the passengers (Derner 2013, par. 4). However, this hotline was set up nine hours after the crash marking a grave delay in setting up a help desk. This illustrated incompetence and laxity on the Airlines part as it should have been amongst the first steps immediately after the crash. Additionally, the delay triggered immense inquiry traffic ultimately leading to the phone lines crashing. However, it prompted creation of additional hotlines to handle the communication traffic. According to The Wall Street Journal, it took approximately three days before the Airline Authority dispatched their Staffers and Chief executive to the plane crash site (Derner 2013, par. 4). The media viewed the incident as inconsiderate to the families and public anxiously waiting for information on the cause of the accident as well as strategies put in place to assist the victims. Another error was the airline’s failure to meet its legal obligations. The investigation conducted by the US federal transportation officials, clearly stated the Airline failed to execute strategies outlined in its own ‘family assistance plan’ (Nicholas, 2013, par. 1). This plan mentioned that it would set up a public information desk within an hour any crisis. The airline did not adhere to its stated strategies and obligations to the public, illustrating lack of planning. Role Of The NTSB And The FAA And The Airlines Conformance With US Regulations Regarding The Aftermath Of Aircraft Accidents Role of the NTSB The aftermath of the Asiana Fight 124 prompted various changes and accountability policies from the relevant authorities. According to the Aviation Press Release Publications following the events of the crash, the NTSB took up the investigative role. The main aim was to investigate why the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777crashed on July 6th 2013. The investigative report illustrated procedures of securing and evacuating passengers from the crash (Kim, Melendez, Marzullo and Keller 2014, par. 2). It also expounded on the nature of damages inflicted on the craft as it landed on the runway. The major damage was on the horizontal and vertical tail, affecting the larger part of the landing gear. The report also contained images illustrating the dislodgement of the engine from where it was mounted as well as other missing parts (Kim et al 2014, par. 2). Information on the weather patterns on the fateful day were also included to further investigate whether they contributed to the emergency landing of the aircraft. The investigative teams tasked with examining different aspects such as analysis of the Air Traffic Control, Airplane Systems, Power plants and structures finished on due time. They conducted further examination on the routes of evacuation through interviewing passengers and flight crew. Lastly, they investigated the performance of the airplane in respect to the existent conditions. Following the crash incident, NTSB handed the reports to the FAA which is the regulatory body in respect to commercial aviation services. The FAA took up the role of implementing necessary changes stipulated in the guideline report. This included increased training standards for pilots. According to The Hill, the FAA administration announced a change in pilot requirements before being authorized to fly a commercial plane. The proposed change required each pilot to have accumulated 1,500 hours of flight during training (Lang 2013, par. 2). This was an increment of 250 hours from the previous requirement. This change was to ensure pilots had adequate experience before the actual flight curbing the issue of pilot incompetence leading to accidents. The FAA also took up a supportive role. According to Federal Officials, the crash ruined the Airline’s reputation. They further encouraged both the fight crew and pilot involved in the accident to overlook the crash landing and continue with their careers (The Onion Staff 2013, par 3). Role of Social Media And How It Was Used, Its Effectiveness And Disadvantages Regardless of lack of validation of the information provided, it is imperative to critically analyze the role played by the social media and its effectiveness and disadvantages. It is important to crucially confer the communication efforts made by the Asiana Airlines concerning the victims, their families and the employees of the airline. The first form of information dissemination regarding the crash was on Twitter. A tweet picture was posted by Krista Seiden that explained the airline crashing (Derner 2013, 2). This tweet created frenzy in the social media with many journalists utilizing the live feeds from her to get wind on the happenings. Renowned media houses such as Bloomberg News tried to secure an interview with Kristin in order to provide a real and substantial report on the crash. Within 24 hours of the accident, the tweet had made rounds on the social media spreading news about accident and getting more people and relevant authorities involved with the accident. The social media enabled Kristin to spread awareness of the incident. The public was more concerned about the intricate details on investigative reports. The social media ensured this need was met. The US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) utilized the social media via YouTube and Twitter to air their press conferences and offer the investigative reports (Derner 2013, 2). It presented detail on the locality of the press conference keeping the public updated on its action to manage the crisis and emergency of the accident. An animated video was also released on you tube showing how the accident occurred and the flow of events. This was quite informative and showed transparency of the whole incident. Another role played by the social media is that it allowed the passengers to reach out to their family and friends regarding their well being as well as report on the crash. Incidentally, David Eun was amongst the victims with access to social media. On his first social appearance, he expressed was how surreal the experience seemed and his condition at that particular time. Most of his relatives were able to reach him via twitter and get more information. When an accident transpires, it becomes difficult for family and relatives to contact their loved ones. The availability of social media and internet access has made it seamlessly possible. Social Media provided a platform for credible and relevant authorities to respond to the public concerning the mishap. Similarly, their primary response was made on twitter. They acknowledged the reality of the crash and ensured the informed public of efforts being made to collect more information on the same (Derner 2013, 2). They aired their opinion on the crash and encouraged the families of the passengers and their continued prayers for those involved in the crash. Other sites that enabled disbursement of this information were Facebook, the Company Website and Google Plus where press releases were made notifying the public on the efforts being made to manage the crisis. Use of hash tags was also a positive effort allowing people to get updated on the events of the crash and air their views. Wall Street Journal pointed out the popularity tweets from passengers like David had gained from well wishers as well as enquiries on accident and casualties. The Implications For The Airlines BCP, Staffing And Resources The aftermath of the crash led to critical analysis of the Asiana Airlines which focused on its staffing, Business Continuity Plans (BCP) as well as resources. The South Korea Airline faced a lot of criticism which was detrimental to its global reputation. There were quite a number of implications deduced after the thorough evaluation of the Airlines crisis management and communications. They were specific on the aforementioned sectors and scrutinized the effectiveness of each department. These implications expounded on crisis management errors made based on the investigative reports done by both NTSB and FAA. In terms of the staffing, investigations carried out clearly outlined the fact that the crew’s procedures contributed to the fatal landing. Another contributing factor was that the flight staff had inadequate training in the complexities of the flight controls (Emergency Management & Safety Solutions 2014, par. 2). They also lacked proper understanding of the controls manual thus worsening the situation. According to NTSB, the landing was premature and lacked coordination depicting incompetence on the staff’s part (National Transportation Safety Board Staff 2014, par. 7). These key deductions led to the implication that mismanagement of the plane led to the crash landing. On the report, it explained that one of the pilots deactivated the airspeed controls accidentally which was what prompted the crash. The competence of the pilot was also implicated as he had no experience controlling an auto-throttle system (Emergency Management & Safety Solutions 2014, par. 2). Despite the fact having 800 hours in flying, only 43 hours were spent in the Boeing 777 thus further validating further, insufficient training of the said pilot. When focusing on a Business Continuity Plan of Asiana Airlines, it is legitimate to affirm that companies usually seek methods to retain their reputation and also influence their clientele. BCP can be analyzed by how the said company handles its involvement in a crisis on an online setting (Manchester Business Continuity Forum 2013, 5). Evidently, its selected methodology should greatly influence the response from its esteemed customers and the reputation of the brand. As indicated on the report, the BCP of Asiana Airlines was unhurried and ineffectual. The first implication of this was the delayed establishment of a hotline which was done nine hours later after the crash. Secondly, Asiana Airlines deployed their chief executive and his team two days after the accident. Regardless of the press conference held where they chief executive would offer an apology to the public and a media briefing, this was supposed to have been done immediately the plane crashed as a means to offer surety to the public. This delayed action contributed to the ruining of the Airlines reputation (Manchester Business Continuity Forum 2013, 5). The Airline was viewed as unprepared and casual about the crash thus culminating to the investigation and analysis of this structural framework. According to the Manchester Business Continuity Forum, it is imperative for a company to assess its social media strategy. This simply means there should be a strategic way in which a company responds to customers when a crisis occurs. This is because they play the informative role of keeping their clientele updated. In efforts to have a successful BCP, a company should also use the platform provided by social media to interact with people (Manchester Business Continuity Forum 2013, 5). Contrary to that, Asiana Airlines made several errors leading to further implications. Firstly after posting the brief tweet, it failed to respond to the queries of the public further increasing tension and suspense that surrounded the accident. The airline remained silent despite the twitter followers increasing from 52,500 to 58,000 within hours. The second issue was in attempt to protect the business, the information provided was insufficient and failed to inform the public on the events which ensued. There was not contact points mentioned indicating where inquiries would be directed. Regarding the resources of the Asiana Airline, several law suits have been implicated. The lawsuits have been filed by the passengers of the Asiana Airlines Flight 214. They seek information of the design of the aircraft as well as it safety and maintenance (Joseph 2013, Par. 2). The grievances by the passengers are fueled by the fact that during the evacuation, the emergency slide ramps injured some of them when it inflated inside. An additional issue forwarded in the law suit is that the seat and seatbelts of the aircraft were somewhat stuck during evacuation (Joseph 2013, Par. 4). This trapped the passengers on their seats prompting the rescue crews to cut them. According to the passengers, it is their right to know whether the parts of the plane were installed properly to affirm the safety of the airliners. Investigation on the cause of the crash also pointed out to malfunctioning on the controls. This implication was established based on the positioning of the auto-throttles (Hollister 2013, par. 1). They had been left at an armed position showing over-reliance of the crew on automation to regulate the speed of the aircraft. The deactivation of the automated speed controllers made the plane lose control thus leading to a crash. This discovery showed the lack of seriousness of the crew as speed is one of the crucial parameters which should have been observed on landing. Efforts to analyze the events of the crash have contributed greatly to the changes present today in regulatory bodies such as FAA. This progress will continuously develop and improve the experience of the Asiana Airline clientele. Safety should be highly regarded as preservation of human life and overall wellbeing should be the key goal. Bibliography Alan Levin, Kyunghee Park & Rose Kim, “Asiana Evacuation Delayed as Fire Erupted Outside Crash.” Bloomberg News 23, no. 4.(2013): 342 Derner, Phil, “The NTSB Utilizes Social Media During Asiana 214 Investigation". Nycaviation 11, no. 2 (2013): 654. Emergency Management & Safety Solutions, NTSB has found Pilots to Blame for Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Crash in San Francisco Last Year (2013), https://ems-solutionsinc.com/blog/ntsb-found-pilots-blame-asiana-airlines-flight-214-crash-san-francisco-last-year/ Hollister, Sean. “ Auto-throttle’ Implicated in Asiana 214 Crash.” TheVerge 14, no. 6 (2013): 201-234 Joseph, Geha, “Passengers to Sue Boeing, Asiana Airlines Over Flight 214 Plane Crash.” SF Weekly News 14, no 6 (2013): 112. Kim Lilian, Melendez Lyanne, Marzullo Katie and Keller Matt, NTSB Release Final Report on Asiana Airlines Crash, October 6, 2013. http://abc7news.com/news/ntsb-releases-final-report-on-asiana-airlines-crash/136272/ Kirchner, Elyce, “Federal Records Show History of Problems with Escape Slides,” NBC Bay Area, September 2013. Lang, Keith. October 7th 2013. “FAA Requires 1,500 Flight Hours for Pilots,” The Hill, October 2013, 45. Manchester Business Continuity Forum. Business Continuity Whatever the Disruption, January 5, 2014, http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEwQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.manchester.gov.uk%2Fdownload%2Fdownloads%2Fid%2F21422%2Fmbcf_social_media_and_business_continuity&ei=w1sfVNuaJIjbaJ_igrAC&usg=AFQjCNGN6WbG9SOYuknXuT_69fHWcBsEiQ&sig2=0FWWRPY7I8IyCTXUVGTc4Q&bvm=bv.75775273,d.d2s National Transportation Safety Board Staff. Crash of Asian Flight 214 Accident Report Summary, June 24, 2014, http://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/2014/asiana214/abstract.html Nicholas, Isobel. Crisis Management Planning 101: Learning from Asiana’s Mistakes, Steelhenge Crisis Thinking, October 9, 2013, http://crisisthinking.co.uk/2013/10/09/crisis-management-planning-101-learning-from-asianas-mistakes/ Scott, Alwyn. “Timeline: Final moments of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 before crash". Reuters. (Canary Warf, Ldn ), July. 9, 2013. The Onion Staff, “FAA Advises Asiana Airlines Pilot to Get Back Out There After Crash,” TheOnion.(Chicago, IL), July. 8, 2013. Read More