The summer intern at the National Transportation Safety Board who confirmed false and racially insensitive Asiana Airlines pilot names to an Oakland TV station has been fired from the government agency, a person with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Also read: NTSB Says Intern Confirmed Asiana Pilot Names That Were Horribly, Offensively Wrong
Fox affiliate KTVU broadcast the four names on Friday, reporting that they were "Captain Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk" and "Bang Ding Ow." The names appeared on a full-screen graphic as an anchor read them aloud.
The Asiana Airlines flight crashed on the San Francisco International Airport runway, killing three. The two pilots' real names had actually already been released.
KTVU would not say from who it originally got the offensive names, but said they were confirmed by an NTSB official. The NTSB then released a statement blaming an intern for the false confirmation.
Also read: KTVU-TV Refuses to Identify Source of Racial Asiana Pilot-Name 'Joke'
KTVU has not responded to numerous requests asking who was the source of the pilot names or how the station planned to handle the matter. Asiana Airlines has announced its intent to sue the station for defamation.