New reports on the Asiana plane that crashed into San Francisco airport suggest that the pilot may have been momentarily blinded by a light shining across the nose of the aircraft.
Lee Kang Kuk was embarking on his very first landing and had a mere 43 hours' of experience behind the wheel of a Boeing 777 when the carrier suddenly struck the ground at SFO, causing the plane to somersault, the wing and tail flying off, leaving two people dead and more injured.
According to the New York Post, Kuk has revealed that he saw a blindingly bright flash of light as he got closer to the runway.
USA Today claimed that the light could have come from a laser pointing device aimed at the cockpit.
About 35 seconds prior to the crash, when the aircraft was around 500 feet off the ground, the plane started slowing down its speed significantly, dropping lower to the ground, eventually slamming into it.
Investigators are still unsure as to whether or not this blinding flash could have caused the crash.
Since Saturday's accident, federal officials have been enwrapped in an investigation of the plane and the flight path to try and parse out the reason behind the dire accident.
Initial reports suggested that the plane had malfunctioned, and a small fire in the belly of the carrier was to blame. But soon after, news of the fact that Kuk had never actually flown a Boeing 777 before and that his instructor was conducting his very first training flight surfaced.
Four pilots were on board, but the National Transportation Safety Board has taken a particular interest in looking at the way Lee Gang-kuk and his trainer Lee Joeng-Min worked together.
It was the first time the two men had flown as an ensemble, and while they both had solid experience operating aircrafts, Flight 214 required a different set of duties.
Investigators are still looking into the incident, and have not yet identified the exact explanation for the blast.
