While details about the cause of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 continue to unfold, Lee Kang Kuk, the pilot of the 777 Boeing that killed two and injured dozens, told federal crash investigators that he was "temporarily blinded by a bright light when 500 feet above the ground."

The alleged flash reportedly happened around 35 seconds before it hit the runway, around 500 feet off the ground. This is when the aircraft slowed down and dropped to the runway before crashing.

The Chronicle reports:

The pilot, who was making his first approach into the airport in a Boeing 777, told South Korean and American investigators that as the jetliner descended to 500 feet in altitude, something flashed in his eyes, said Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

"We really don't know at this point what it could have been," Hersman said after a reporter at the news conference asked whether it could have been a laser. "We need to look into it. We need to understand what he's talking about. We may need to follow up with him."

However, as USA Today goes on to point out, the flash shouldn't have affected his ability to land the plane "because the pilot was still able to see the flight control instruments after the flash."