Pilots' Union Criticizes NTSB for Releasing Preliminary Info About Asiana Airlines Crash

A pilots' union issued a statement Tuesday criticizing the National Transportation Safety Board for the way the agency is releasing information about the crash at San Francisco International Airport Saturday.

Air Line Pilots Association International, which represents more than 50,000 pilots from 33 airlines in the U.S. and Canada, called the release of information about Asiana Flight 214 "ill-advised."

The statement said the NTSB reports about the investigation, crash and other details are "incomplete" and "out-of-context." The union stated that the details released to the media and public have "fueled rampant speculation about the cause of the accident" and that the pilots on the flight have had little opportunity to provide details about what happened.

The union has called on the NTSB to examine the full chain of events leading to the accident and to gather a full body of knowledge before releasing information.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said at a news briefing this afternoon in South San Francisco that the information the agency is providing is consistent with other investigations after accidents in other modes of transportation.

She said the NTSB works for the traveling public and "one of our hallmarks is our transparency." But she said the probable cause will not be determined while workers are still on the scene and that a full analysis is far off.

She advised the media to be cautious speculating on the cause of the crash.