Asiana Airlines Flight 162

Asiana Airlines

Industry	Airline
Founded	December 17, 1988 (1988-12-17)
Headquarters	Seoul , South Korea
Products	Passenger air transport

Asiana Airlines Flight 162 was a planned short-distance international service operating between Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea, and Hiroshima Airport in Japan. On 14 April 2015, the Airbus A320-232 aircraft landed short of the runway threshold, collided with the localizer array, skidded along the runway on its tail section, and rotated approximately 120 degrees before halting on the grass opposite the terminal building. The airplane suffered extensive damage to its left wing and engine. Among the 82 occupants, 27 individuals (comprising 25 passengers and 2 crew members) were injured, with one sustaining serious injuries.

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320-200 bearing registration HL7762, delivered new to Asiana Airlines in 2007, making it seven years old at the time of the accident. The damage sustained led to the aircraft being written off.

The captain, aged 47, had accumulated 8,242 flight hours in total, including 1,318 hours on the A320 type. The first officer was 35 years old and had logged 1,588 flight hours, with 1,298 hours on the Airbus A320. Both pilots had previous experience landing at Hiroshima Airport; however, this incident marked their first flight operating together. The identities of the crew were not publicly released.

Accident

According to the Osaka Regional Civil Aviation Bureau, the flight crew attempted a nighttime landing under adverse weather conditions without access to an instrument landing system (ILS) on their chosen approach path. Normally, approaches are conducted from the west where ILS is available; however, due to prevailing wind directions, air traffic control (ATC) instructed an eastward approach lacking ILS guidance. Consequently, the pilots depended on runway center-line lighting intended for conditions with good visibility.

At 18:58 JST while cruising at FL33000, the first officer received updated weather information for Hiroshima. The captain initially intended to land on runway 10 using radar vectors but was informed via ATIS that runway 28 was active with an RNAV approach available. The crew then decided to proceed with landing on runway 28.

The first officer programmed the Flight Management System for the approach and initiated descent. The captain planned to configure landing systems prior to reaching the final approach fix and confirmed updates to the FMC. At 19:57, ATC cleared Flight 162 for an RNAV approach to runway 28; by 20:00 landing clearance was granted. Landing gear and flaps were extended and checklists completed. A go-around briefing was conducted outlining TO/GA thrust settings and flap retraction procedures.

At 20:03, cockpit voice recorder data captured crew concerns about runway visibility due to cloud cover. Following autopilot disengagement, flight data indicated a controlled descent below the glide slope approximately four kilometers from impact. At 20:04, the first officer reported deteriorating visibility.

Around 20:05, at an altitude near 1,484 feet, warnings from the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and radio altimeter indicated dangerously low altitude. Despite these alerts, the captain instructed continuation until visual contact with the runway was lost.

At 20:05:11, the captain initiated a go-around maneuver by applying full nose-up control input. Seconds later, in a nose-high attitude approximately 325 meters before the runway threshold, the aircraft struck the localizer antenna array and eventually came to rest facing its arrival direction after veering off onto grass beside the runway.

This incident underscores difficulties associated with non-ILS approaches during poor weather conditions and highlights critical aspects of approach planning and pilot decision-making essential for aviation safety.

Investigation

The Japanese Transportation Safety Board (JTSB) initiated a formal inquiry into the incident, with collaboration from Hiroshima Prefecture law enforcement and South Korean authorities commencing on 15 April.

On 16 April, the investigation team conducted interviews with both the captain and the first officer. One JTSB official proposed that a possible downdraft encountered during the final approach might have contributed to the aircraft’s reduced altitude near the runway threshold. Nevertheless, meteorological data indicated overcast skies with light winds and no evidence of wind shear. The captain stated that visual contact with the runway was maintained but opted to initiate a go-around based on instrument readings signaling deviation. Meanwhile, the first officer acknowledged losing sight of the runway but postponed initiating a go-around, focusing instead on radio altimeter data at the captain’s direction.

The JTSB’s conclusive report, released on 18 November 2016, determined that the principal cause was the captain’s delay in executing a go-around after losing visual references, aggravated by the first officer’s failure to question this decision—both actions contrary to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The report further highlighted deficiencies in crew resource management (CRM) and shortcomings in Asiana Airlines’ pilot training programs. Consequently, two safety recommendations were issued to Asiana Airlines: reinforce strict compliance with SOPs and enhance pilot training emphasizing visual reference recognition and correct utilization of flight instruments.

See also

• Accidents and incidents involving the Airbus A320 family
• Asiana Airlines Flight 214
• Air Canada Flight 624

External links

• Final Report by Japan Transport Safety Board - English translation and Original Japanese version - Japanese report prevails in case of conflict.
• MOLIT's response to safety recommendation - Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT)
• "Information on HL7762 from Seoul(Incheon) to Hiroshima" (Archive) - Asiana Airlines
• "Airbus A320 – Flight OZ 162 – Hiroshima Airport (Japan) – 14 April 2015" (Archive) - Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety