Real Kato Blog: On Airline Tragedies

So what's with all the plane crashes lately?

The Cypriot plane that crashed in Greece is something of a mystery. It looks like they somehow lost cabin pressure, and then the backup oxygen didn't work or something, so everyone passed out. The plane flew on autopilot for hours until it ran out of fuel, and then it crashed. It seems very odd that the pilots didn't descend to 8,000 feet at the first sign of trouble, and that no one managed to do anything about the problem for all the hours that the plane was circling around.

And then there's the crash in Venezuela. That one is slightly strange too, in that both engines failed almost simultaneously. Investigators suspect maybe the fuel was contaminated.

A lot of folks are terrified of airline crashes, or of flying in general. I think it's because people fear what they can't control. Me, I'd actually prefer to die from something that wasn't the result of something stupid that I did. If I were to die because I was standing in a puddle of water while trying to rewire an electrical outlet, people would say, "Well, I guess the idiot kinda had it coming". I don't want that. I'd rather have people mourn over my tragic death. "He hadn't done anything fatally stupid yet; he deserved to live a few more years."

Plus, with an airline crash, you can be sure people will notice that you died.

I should stop and note that I do feel very sad for the victims and their families, and I don't mean to make light of that. I never like to see people suffering.

But here's a very dark secret: when I'm on an airplane, I have a twisted desire for something to go slightly wrong. (No doubt this admission will get me on the blacklist of the Transportation Security Administration.) Look, I don't want people to die, and I certainly wouldn't do anything to be the cause of any problems. I just want the opportunity to be a hero. I want to be the person who rushes to the cockpit to take control of the airplane after the pilots have been incapacitated. I want to be the guy who wrestles down the terrorist trying to take over the plane. I want to be the guy who emerges from a burning fuselage carrying two infants and a flight attendant in my arms. Doesn't every guy dream of an opportunity like that? Or is it just me?

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Posted by Ken in: commentary

Comments

Comment #1 from Nicholas (Guest)
2005 Aug 17 - 8:10 am : #

My thought is that we will continue to see more crashes. There are a lot of old planes from the US being sold to new carriers in less developed places. Maybe the planes are too old, maybe they cut corners. But I think they will have continual crashes.

I fly about 3 times a month. Flying used to bother me a little bit. But then I told myself that there was nothing I could do after I walk on the plane. Just give it up to fate. Also, if I have to die, let it be on a commercial airliner during a business trip. My family would be rolling in the insurance money.

I do like scenes of crashes in Final Destination and Lost. Lately I have been watching episodes of Lost while flying. I've always wondered if some of the scenes will disturb any of my neighbors.

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