A Boeing 777 is on fire at San Francisco International Airport. The emergency slides have deployed, though it is not immediately clear what caused the crash and conflagration, nor if there are any injuries.
The flight is Asiana Airlines flight 214, according to NYC Aviation.
We'll update you as we have more information.
UPDATE: Courtesy of Micki Maynard, planes around San Francisco are currently in holding patterns:
UPDATE #2: Twitter user Eunner says he was on the plane, and that so far "most everyone seems fine":
UPDATE #3: Many eyewitness are saying that it was clear the plane was in trouble when it was coming in for a landing, followed by an audible "boom" with what appeared to be dust and smoke emanating from the tail.
UPDATE #4: All SFO flights have been canceled, according to TV station KTVU.
UPDATE #5: The air traffic control recording shows that the tower responded quickly, calmly, and professionally.
UPDATE #6: The National Transportation Safety Board has announced that it has deployed a "Go Team" to investigate the incident. A Go Team is responsible for initiating an investigation as quickly as possible:
The team can number from three or four to more than a dozen specialists from the Board's headquarters staff in Washington, D.C., who are assigned on a rotational basis to respond as quickly as possible to the scene of the accident. Go Teams travel by commercial airliner or government aircraft depending on circumstances and availability. Such teams have been winging to catastrophic airline crash sites for more than 35 years. They also routinely handle investigations of certain rail, highway, marine and pipeline accidents.
During their time on the "duty" rotation, members must be reachable 24 hours a day by telephone at the office or at home, or by pager. Most Go Team members do not have a suitcase pre-packed because there's no way of knowing whether the accident scene will be in Florida or Alaska, but they do have tools of their trade handy — carefully selected wrenches, screwdrivers and devices peculiar to their specialty. All carry flashlights, tape recorders, cameras, and lots of extra tape and film.
UPDATE #7: The plane was not making an emergency landing before the crash, and prior to impact the the situation had been "entirely normal," according to the NY Times.
UPDATE #8: Two people are dead, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.
UPDATE #9: Runways at the airport will be re-opening shortly:
Update #10: Here is the latest information according to a press conference at San Francisco International Airport:
- The plane originated in Shanghai, China, with a stop in Seoul, South Korea, with San Francisco being the final destination.
- The plane's manifest included 291 passengers with 16 crew for a total of 307.
- Two people have died, and approximately 130 people are injured, but not everyone is immediately accounted for. The information on how many are injured is still unclear, though many of the injuries appear to be relatively minor.
- The FBI says there is "no indication of terrorism."
- Two of SFO's four runways are in operation.