SEOUL (AFP) - An Asiana Boeing 777 was delayed in Los Angeles for 17 hours due to an engine oil leak, days after the same model crashed in San Francisco, Asiana said on Wednesday.

Some 200 passengers had to be moved to a nearby hotel as the plane was worked on.

"We had to make sure that any mechanical problems are fixed properly before a take-off," an Asiana Airlines spokeswoman told AFP.

The flight finally took off at 5:20 pm Los Angeles time (8:20 am Wednesday Singapore time), and was en route to Seoul.

The delay came days after three people died when another Asiana Boeing 777 clipped a sea wall and crashed at San Francisco airport. Some 180 others were injured in the July 6 crash.

US and South Korean investigators are checking for possible human error or mechanical malfunctions to determine the cause of the crash.

It was the first fatal passenger jet accident involving South Korea's second largest airline in 20 years.

A group of 83 passengers aboard the ill-fated jet has filed a class-action lawsuit in Chicago seeking millions of damages from the aircraft's manufacturer Boeing, their lawyers said on Tuesday, citing potential malfunction of the auto throttle.

Four pilots, including two who were at the controls at the time of the crash, returned home last week after being quizzed by US aviation authorities.

They will face investigation by Seoul officials beginning on Wednesday.