South Florida Airports Train For San Fran Style Crash

MIAMI (CBS4) – At San Francisco International Airport pieces of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 lay scattered along a runway near the plane's burned shell.

While federal investigators look for answers as to what caused the deadly crash, South Florida aviation attorney Steven Marks is also paying close attention to what they find.

"It doesn't seem like there was any weather, or air traffic control (issues), and there was no report of any maintenance anomalies or mechanical failures although we'll find out once we get the flight data recorders," said Marks. "Based on very limited information, it certainly seems like it was pilot error."

Marks has represented passengers and families in almost every commercial airline crash in the past 25 years. He said he's surprised to hear about what happened in San Francisco.

"The triple-7 has never had a fatality before it's a very safe aircraft," said Marks. "International air travel is enormously safe and traveling domestically in the U.S., we have the safest airways the longest runways the best landing equipment and navigational equipment, so it's very unusual."

Unusual or not, South Florida airports take no chances. They hold disaster drills to train for situations just like this on a regular basis.

One such drill was held in February 2011. At the time, Captain Eric Baum of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue explained,

"This is a drill to check A through Z, all the things that are needed...certain things, like how to get fire truck on to the airport without running into an airplane..phone banks to call victims' families."

While those on board the Boeing 777 and their families start to deal with the affects of the crash, Marks predicts there will be lawsuits filed.

"The lawsuits won't be filed for some time. I think the most important thing is for the families to deal with the tragedy get better and move on with their lives."