I am Sad and Sick

[littleprissboutique]

Bless those that parished today on the Delta/Comair flight.

This is so sad, I am now scared. We fly out in 3 weeks from Knoxville TN on a Comair/Delta flight direct to MCO.

Help calm my fears... I am never afraid to fly, but now I am terrified for my child, family, and myself.

 

[Tinkim]

I just posted this on the community board. It is indeed very sad. We did fly on two of these Delta flights in February and they were fine. I know my son was watching the news with me this morning and he said he didn't want to fly Delta again this Feb if it meant flying on those planes. I told him I felt that they were pretty safe and that they don't know for sure the reason why this happened today. There is some speculation that the wrong runway was used so there could be something that caused this crash that would be very unlikely to happen again. Take a deep breath. It will be okay. Once we know the reason why this happened, I think that may help allay some fears.

 

[hsmamato2]

Just breathe... unfortunately this is always a possibilty,and it runs through my mind every time i take my kids on a plane. But I look at it this way, life is full of possibilities,some good, some bad, and there's no way to predict which it will be for any of us. I could choose to drive,and something awful could happen to my family on a highway...just breathe...

 

[K9pal]

We live very close to Lexington. It is very sad and I think the president of Comair spoke very well during the first news conference.
In the scheme of things though, this is the first major passenger plane crash in the US since November 2001. Considering the number of flights every day, it's basically safer to fly than to drive. I have no qualms about flying in less than 3 weeks.
Also, this was a small commuter plane that carried 50 people max. They don't know the cause though, and I'm not saying it's not safe to fly smaller planes.
Our prayers are with the families of the passengers and crew of this flight.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

This was a huge tragedy...however, don't let it keep you from flying. Air travel is still much safer than car travel overall. I feel certain all airlines will be even more diligent with maintenance records and repairs now that this has happened. It is the first crash involving a U.S. aircraft since 11/2001...that's pretty darn good considering the number of passengers that have flown during that time frame.

 

[Vivianne]

We are traveling on Saturday. It is tragic when these events occur and I was sad when I heard the news. However, any form of travel has risk. Hopefully they can determine what caused this accident to see if the same thing can be prevented in the future. Just think in comparison to the volume of planes that fly daily, their safety record is good. Don't fret too much.

 

[Blueberry]

It is so sad...my thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost loved ones today on that flight.

I have flown Comair (Delta Connection) many times, on the same type plane and they were nice smooth flights. Unfortunately some strange occurence probably accorded causing this tragedy...I hope all the passengers and crew are at peace in a much better place...

 

[DebbieB]

I flew on a Northwest CRJ twice this past week. The ride is pretty much the same as a full size jet.

They just said on the news that Comair flys 900 flights a day. This was their first accident since 1997 (not the same type of plane). So the odds are very, very low that something would happen.

 

[bavaria]

Think of it this way - how many fatalities in car accidents do you see in your local paper/news on a daily basis? Many aren't actually even reported in larger centres are sadly they are somewhat commonplace.

Now think back to how many plane crashes in the US you saw in your local paper/news.

The safety rate is much higher on airplanes, but because a crash is so out of the norm they get much more attention and coverage.....

 

[rdsx28]

It is a truly sad thing.Sometimes you wonder what is going on in this world? Being a cancer survivor I learned that you must take each day as it comes and enjoy it as if it was your last. You never know what lies ahead of you and you shouldn't waste your time worrying about it. Think about spending time and enjoying yourself with your family. We just have to trust that when it's our time it is and it could happen God forbid in our back yard just as well as on a plane. I hope you have a wonderful trip and have some unforgettable memories. I hope this doesn't sound too cliche but I truly believe this.

 

[helenm29]

It's a terrible thing that this sometimes happens and I feel awful for the families of those that were on the plane! We don't worry about getting in our cars every day to do what we have to do right? there are many more fatalities in vehical accidents then planes. I have always had a bit of a fear of flying and seem to be getting worse as I get older but I try to be realistic about it and always go in trying to be positive! my kids LOVE flying...WHY? HAHA! Luckilly, their enthusiasm helps ME make it through a flight! HANG IN THERE!

 

[NancyIL]

The plane took off on the wrong runway - which is most likely pilot error.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Even though it was on the wrong runway, why did they crash? Was there another plane approaching? Wonder if the pilot actually had a medical emergency or his senses impaired in some way.

Sorry if these might be silly questions but I haven't seen any of the newscasts, just what I've read here on the DIS.

Edited: Just answered my own questions after reading some headlines. It appeared the runway was too short for the type of aircraft they were flying. What a horrible mistake!

 

[Lewisc]

Even though it was on the wrong runway, why did they crash? Was there another plane approaching? Wonder if the pilot actually had a medical emergency or his senses impaired in some way.

Sorry if these might be silly questions but I haven't seen any of the newscasts, just what I've read here on the DIS.

Some of the news reports say the plane never really took off but crashed through the barrier at the end of the runway. I think it wound up about a mile past the runway. The runway it used was 3500 feet, the correct runway was 7000 feet.

 

[kycat]

There is no barrier at the end of that runway... The plane actually stopped about .25 of a mile past the runway...And it looks as though the wings clipped a couple of trees...and the wings are where the fuel is stored.

 

[HayGan]

It was such a sad and tragic accident. I feel so bad for the poor souls who lost their lives as well as their loved ones who are left behind to grieve.

I know it is tough to have to fly after a tragedy (especially when it occured at you airport.) I had to fly a few days after a US Airways flight crashed outside of Pittsburgh (about 10 years ago) I was not worried as I know that air travel is so safe and the likelihood that something else could occur so soon after is so against the odds that I almost felt safer travelling then.

 

[DebbieB]

Our first trip to WDW was about a month after USAir 427 and my second cousin died on that flight. I just take the attitude what will be will be. It's much safer in the air than on the highway.

It's been bothering me a little today because I was on 2 CRJ's last week, to and from MSP (Northwest). Going up I was in the exit row and coming back one row behind. But I don't think they had a chance to get out.

 

[madge]

Even though it was on the wrong runway, why did they crash? Was there another plane approaching? Wonder if the pilot actually had a medical emergency or his senses impaired in some way.

Sorry if these might be silly questions but I haven't seen any of the newscasts, just what I've read here on the DIS.

Edited: Just answered my own questions after reading some headlines. It appeared the runway was too short for the type of aircraft they were flying. What a horrible mistake!

the plane was carrying a full load of people, their baggage, and fuel... it needed a much longer runway to build up speed in order to get off the ground. there's a far more technical explanation than that, but the long and short of it is that the plane didn't have enough room to build up speed to get off the ground

 

[tinkerrn]

This is so sad. I am sorry kycat for your loss. I read in another thread you attended the wedding last night of the couple whom perished in the crash. What a tragedy.

 

[K9pal]

The NTSB just ended a live news conference. She confirmed the plane took off from the shorter of the 2 runways, but was cleared to take off from the longer one. The 2 runways cross each other. At 6AM it would have still been dark outside. She would not answer a question about whether the lights on the runway were off. Also confirmed the plane hit the fence around the airport perimeter. Unfortunately, many survived the initial impact but there was an intense fire due to the amount of fuel.
Survivor was the co-pilot; she did not answer as to who was at the controls.