KTVU Channel 2, a local Bay Area station, apologized for using incorrect names for the pilots of the Asiana flight that crashed at San Francisco International Airport last weekend. The NTSB also later apologized, explaining how the station got the names.
During their broadcast on Friday, the station called the pilots “Capt. Sum Ting Wong” and “Wi Tu Lo” and used other incorrect names for the plane staff. A video of the broadcast went viral on the web and the station became the target of critics.
Anchor Frank Somerville read a statement Friday night apologizing for the incident, notes The Los Angeles Times.
“We made several mistakes when we received this information. First, we never read the names out loud, phonetically sounding them out,” the statement reads. “Then, during our phone call to the NTSB where the person confirmed the spellings of the names, we never asked that person to give us their position with the agency.”
The network admitted that they did not ask the person from the NTSB who they were.
The National Transportation Safety Board also issued a statement, blaming an intern who “acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft.”
The agency added that they do not “release or confirm the names of crewmembers or people involved in transportation accidents to the media. We work hard to ensure that only appropriate factual information regarding an investigation is released and deeply regret today's incident.
“Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated,” the statement concluded.
According to The New York Daily News, officials confirmed that a third victim died as a result of the crash, which happened last Saturday.