| I've just finished watching multiple TV channels about this incident. So as the plane touched down, something happened and the plane skidded off the end of the runway. Most logical speculation involves either simultaneous lightning strike or hydroplaning.
One passenger reported that there were lightning flashes as the plane landed. Another reported that they felt it touch down and they broke into applause (he said that they'd been circling for some time). But immediately after that there was a series of bangs or bumps. That suggests hydroplaning or multiple explosions. The investigation will show which; the rear of the plane broke off and caught fire and one wing apparently broke loose.
The media is complaining that the airport authority left a fairly deep ravine only 200 yards from the end of the runway. Well, the ravine was there before the runway was installed (or... more likely... lengthened). And a dang good thing it was there... it kept the plane from skidding onto or across the country's busiest highway at it's busiest spot! If you saw the coverage you saw the traffic going past the site.
Maybe airports should consider having "gravel traps" (if you've seen any car racing or driven through mountainous country and seen "runaway lanes" you know what I mean). Time will tell.
Everyone got off "in one piece"... that's a miracle. Apparently most of the injuries occurred by the emergency deplaning of passengers and consist of "soft tissue" damage.. sprains and wrenches and maybe a broken ankle or two.
Now... here comes the rant. You may wish to put your children in a different room for a moment.
The FREAKING NEWS MEDIA! As I watched I got more and more impatient with these highly paid clowns asking the same questions over and over of the various "authorities" who haven't even had time to phone their wives to say that they'll be "late for dinner"! Then, to top it all off, I switched to CNN to see what the foreign media had to say. There was the lovely Paula Zahn making the statement that witnesses reported that "THE WIND WAS SO STRONG THAT THE TREES WERE PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND!" Now, JUST HOW THE HE!! DO TREES GROW IN ATLANTA?... HORIZONTAL? Can't this "media star" even get her directions right? Is she so wound up with trying to "sell" her story (and herself as the star of the story) that she can't remember which way trees grow in Canada!?
Well, I'm not going to turn on FOX, they'll probably be speculating that it was due to Canada being a haven for terrorists!
Whew.... sorry about that but I needed to get it out of my system.
In the meantime, let's be VERY thankful that everyone walked away. |