Probe begins into fatal San Francisco plane crash

The crew of the Asiana Airlines plane that crashed Saturday at San Francisco airport tried to increase its speed and abort its landing just seconds before it hit the seawall in front of the airport runway, according to flight recorders recovered by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The crash killed two teenage Chinese students and injured more than 180 people, officials said.

NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman, speaking at a news conference at the airport, said there were no indications of any problems with the plane or the landing until 7 seconds before impact, when the crew tried to increase the plane's speed.

Hersman said data recorders show the plane was traveling "significantly below" the planned speed.

The crew tried to initiate a "go-around," in which it would accelerate and abort the landing, just 1.5 seconds before impact. Controllers became aware of a problem only when they saw the plane hit the seawall.

The dead were identified as Ye Meng Yuan and Wang Lin Jia, both 16-year-old girls and described as Chinese nationals who are students, Asiana Airlines said.

They had been seated at the rear of the aircraft, according to officials..