U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Deborah Hersman told reporters Wednesday that the pilot of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 told investigators he was blinded by a bright light at 500 feet off the ground. 
 
Hersman explained Tuesday this would have been 34 seconds before impact and the time at which the pilots say they realized they were low and not in line with the runway. They claim they began to make adjustments at this point.

The NTSB chief said the pilots weren't sure what caused the problem. Calling it a temporary issue, she did not rule out the possibility of a laser beam from the ground.
 
Investigators also said that evacuation efforts were delayed for 90 seconds after the crash. Hersman said a pilot told flight attendants not to begin the evacuation immediately when the plane came to rest, but people were told to exit once it was discovered the plane was on fire.  

The cabin crew of the Asiana flight has been lauded for their heroic efforts in the aftermath of the crash. Six out of twelve of the flight attendants aboard Flight 214 departed for South Korea on Tuesday.