Air crash investigators have said it could take years to determine the exact cause of the Asiana Airlines flight that crash-landed at San Francisco's airport on Saturday. Deborah Hersman, head of the USA's National Transportation Safety Board said it was too early to say whether or not the accident was the result of pilot error. Many analysts have already concluded that it was very unlikely mechanical error was involved, citing the excellent safety record of the Boeing 777 aircraft. Kevin Hiatt, CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, told reporters that any conclusions about what caused the crash are months, if not years, away. What is known is that the plane was flying too slowly as it approached the runway.

As firefighters extinguished the last of the flames from the burning wreckage, survivors described the horror of escaping from the aircraft. They said it was a miracle that 305 of the 307 people on board made it out alive. Two Chinese students died in the accident. Passengers were quick to praise the professionalism, quick thinking and selflessness of the flight attendants, one of whom hauled an injured passenger to safety. Frequent Asiana flyer Eugene Rah recounted the heroism of flight attendant Jiyeon Kim, saying: "She was a hero. This tiny, little girl was carrying people piggyback, running everywhere, with tears running down her face. She was crying, but she was still so calm and helping people."