Asiana Airlines says the pilot of a plane that crashed Saturday at San Francisco airport was still in training flying a Boeing 777, and was trying to land that type of aircraft at the site for the first time.

TheSouth Korea-based airline said Monday the pilot had 43 hours of experience in the 777, and more than 9,000 hours of flight time overall. A pilot more experienced with the aircraft was acting as a trainer and co-pilot on the flight.

U.S. investigators say it is too early to say what caused the crash, but that the plane was flying "significantly below" its target speed as it approached the runway and that the pilot tried to abort the landing.

National Transportation Safety Board chair Deborah Hersman said Sunday the verbal "abort" request came just 1.5 seconds before impact -- too late to avoid the crash that killed two people and injured dozens more.

Seconds earlier, she said, "engine stall" warnings sounded in the cockpit.

The two passengers killed were identified as 16-year-old Chinese girls who were among a group of 30 students and their teachers headed to a summer camp from east China's Zhejiang province.

The flight originated in Shanghai and stopped in South Korea before heading to San Francisco .

Witnesses say the plane's tail appeared to hit first as it sought to clear a sea wall at the base of the runway. After the crash, much of the cabin burned through and debris was scattered along the runway.

Asiana Airlines officials say there is no indication of mechanical problems with the plane or its engines at the time of the crash. The weather was clear as the plane made its approach.

Asiana is South Korea's second largest airline after national carrier Korean Air.

http://www.voanews.com/content/asiana-pilot-in-deadly-crash-training-on-777-jets/1696988.html