.... let's fly, let's fly away....
"Calif. plane crash kills at least 2, injures scores; Breaks up and burns after landing in San Francisco; 181 are taken to hospitals, 49 with serious injuries" by Norimitsu Onishi and Ravi Somaiya | New York Times, July 07, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO — An Asiana Airlines passenger jet traveling from Seoul, South Korea, crashed while landing Saturday at San Francisco International Airport, smashed into pieces, and caught fire, killing at least two people and injuring more than 180 others.
I'm surprised it wasn't more.
Smoke billowed out of holes in the fuselage of the Boeing 777 on Saturday afternoon as firefighters rushed to douse the wreckage and passengers scrambled to safety down inflated escape chutes. The plane’s tail, landing gear, and one of its engines were ripped off.
“It hit with its tail, spun down the runway, and bounced,” said one witness, Stefanie Turner, 32. Despite incredible damage to the plane, left dismembered and scarred, with large chunks of its body burned away, many of the 307 aboard were able to walk away on their own.
Forty-nine passengers were initially taken to area hospitals, said Dale Carnes, assistant deputy chief of the San Francisco Fire Department. An additional 132 were later taken to hospitals, he said, and 123 were uninjured. The whereabouts of one person was unknown....
The crash comes after a remarkable period of safety for airlines in the United States....
It was not immediately clear what caused this plane to lose control on a clear summer morning....
--more--"
I must say this looks like an accident, nothing more. Breaking news worthy though.
UPDATE: Officials probe if rescuers ran over crash victim
NEXT DAY UPDATE: Pilots in Calif. crash tried to abort in final seconds
After impact, smoke, fire, and a scramble to safety
10 killed in Alaska air taxi crash
More killed, way less coverage.
They should have taken a safer transport:
"Despite the relatively short distance, the last leg was to be a long flight. The slow-flying aircraft was traveling between two of the world’s busiest airports and was required to take off very early in the morning and land very late at night, when air traffic is at a minimum."
Related: Sunday Globe Special: Enjoy Your Flight
Also see: Solar Sailboat
NEXT DAY UPDATE: Solar plane completes trip across the US
Yup, "poking along at a top speed of 45 miles per hour."
Time to ground this post.
