plane crash

In the News: Plane Crash in New York Felt Nationwide

Friday, February 13th, 2009

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Is it just me? Or does it seem like there have been way too many plane crashes lately? First, we had the plane go down into the Hudson River about a month ago. And now, we have a plane (that departed from Newark) crash into a Buffalo, New York neighborhood. Strangely, both of these flights originated in the New York metropolitan area. Should we be concerned about traveling in and out of the Big Apple?  The official report is that a Continental Airlines commuter plane (flight 3407 leaving Newark, NJ bound for Buffalo, NY) carrying 49 passengers crashed into a suburban Buffalo house late Thursday. The crash killed everyone on board and one person inside the home. However, the mother and daughter who lived in the house made it out safely and were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board has collected the data recorders and cockpit voice equipment to search for clues as to the reason for the crash.

The details about the crash victims are just starting to come in. There was a senior adviser for the Human Rights Watch— Africa Division, Alison Des Forges; a widow of a 9/11 victim, Beverly Eckhert; and a cantor, Susan Wehle, were killed in this crash. These passengers along with the others on this flight will not be forgotten.

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“It’s hard to make sense of it today, but God hasn’t left us,” New York Gov. David Paterson said at a news conference, expressing hope that people could find comfort in the few stories of survival — or luck — in the crash.

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The Week in Gossip: Operation Winehouse

Friday, January 16th, 2009

They tried to make me go to a health spa, and I just crawled, crawled, crawled…Amy Winehouse, who is supposed to be detoxing at the Le Sport Spa in the Caribbean, is keeping a low profile—so to speak. Winehouse is so hard-up for a drink that she’s getting on all fours, crawling up to tables, and stealing drinks from other guests—which leads me to our quote of the week: A source at the resort told The Sun that they keep catching Winehouse “crawling past bars, or hiding behind chairs. She grabs guests’ drinks and runs off, like a squirrel with a nut.”

Question: Who packs an empty (but very real) grenade into his carry-on luggage? Answer: Johnny Jackass. LAX security officers noticed a suspicious-looking explosive in Johnny Knoxville’s bag yesterday and pulled him aside for investigation. No explosives were in tow, but a legit grenade was definitely on board. Ha. Ha. Ha. Knoxville was given a citation and promptly released to go make his flight. Special treatment much? [UPDATE: Knoxville says a wardrobe assistant had put the prop in his suitcase.]

Wanna see Ryan Seacrest get the cold shoulder from Brangelina at the Golden Globes? Pop some popcorn. This is good! (And in less important news: Kate Winslet was a big winner, taking home two globes. Slumdog Millionaire went all Michael Phelps on us too, with four globes. “30 Rock” kicked ass, as usual. And then there was Mickey Rourke.) For more serious coverage of the Globes, click here.

Who’s itching for a little more attention before the cool kid comes to town? I’ll give you one guess.

Spears and Poehler and Duff, Oh My! Sarah Jessica Parker reportedly wants Brit-Brit to partake in the Sex and the City movie sequel. Perhaps we should remind SJP that Brit’s last trip to the box office was for a little whoop-dee-doo called “Crossroads,” which proved to be a total flop. In small screen news, Amy Poehler will star in a new “Office”-inspired sitcom on NBC. The sitcom will follow the ins-and-outs of small-town government bureaucrats. Hmm. Finding humor in the incompetence of our government officials and administrators? Sounds more like the “Twilight Zone” to me! And here’s the real kicker: Hillary Duff will star in a new legal sitcom on NBC. Yes, that’s right—a legal sitcom. Duff will play a young lawyer in a Doogie Howser-ish sort of role. The name of the series? “Barely Legal.” And no, it’s not a porno.

TOP GUN OF THE WEEK: Chelsey B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, the “Hero of the Hudson.” Can I get a “W00t! W00t!” for the pilot who kept calm and kicked ass when his plane lost both of its go-go-gadget engines yesterday? Sully’s four decades of experience saved 155 lives, including that of an infant’s, when he managed to execute an impromptu landing in the Hudson River.  Bad. Ass.

And finally — Beyoncé, is that YOU? . . .

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In the News: Plane, Interrupted

Friday, January 16th, 2009

Plane Makes Like the Titanic

The engines of a US Airways plane headed to Charlotte, N.C. went kaput yesterday—courtesy of a flock of geese?—forcing the pilot to make an impromptu landing on the Hudson River. All 155 passengers (and crew) aboard flight 1549 survived the crash. The disaster happened five minutes after the plane took off from LaGuardia Airport. Rescue crews were immediately on the scene to save people from the icy chill of the 30 degree water.

Check the NYT for more information on the averted disaster. And hit up MSNBC for an eye-opening slideshow of the rescue efforts. CNN also has video footage of the aftermath.

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Daily News Roundup: We Luv Corrupt Politicians

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Thanks for the wiretaps! Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on charges that he attempted to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama and illegally withheld assistance for the Tribune Co. until editorial board members from the Chicago Tribune critical of him were fired. The 76-page FBI affidavit is a thing of beauty. It includes Blagojevich and his wife dropping the F-bomb 18 times. For example, Blagojevich says the Senate seat “is a fucking valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.” The FBI began investigating Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, in 2003.

Riots continue in Greece … after Tuesday’s funeral for a teenager who was killed by police on Saturday. Protesters marched in Athens, railing against the government, which holds a one-seat majority in parliament. During the worst riots on Monday night, youths tossed concrete slabs and police officers and destroyed storefronts. Gasoline bombs have been the weapons of choice. Tensions are expected to ease on Wednesday, when a general strike is planned.

Rescuers search for fourth victim in plane crash … The pilot of an F/A-18 fighter jet evacuated safely, but at least three people on the ground were killed when the plane crashed into a densely populated neighborhood in San Diego Monday. The three known victims were a son, mother and grandmother from one family. Rescuers are looking for another infant son. The crash destroyed two houses and damaged three others.

Last place calls for desperation … or is it genius? Jay Leno is taking his show to the 10 p.m. time slot for NBC. This means the struggling network, which has been stuck in fourth place in the ratings, will have to produce five fewer hours of original programming each week. Conan O’Brien is taking over Tonight Show duties in June. But Nikki Finke highlights some of the potential problems with the move: 4.8 million viewers isn’t that great for a prime time audience, and will Leno cannibalize O’Brien’s show at 11:30 p.m.?

Don’t have anything nice to say about Bush? Then read this cheat-sheet. The Los Angeles Times reports the White House sent out a two-page memo to Cabinet and other high-ranking officials that highlighted the Bush administration’s accomplishments. It conveniently doesn’t mention the bungling of the Iraq War or the thousands stranded after Hurricane Katrina.

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Ask A Small Plane Pilot: What’s Up With the All the Crashes, Dude?

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

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You know those little tiny planes that people like to fly for fun and some people take as air taxis? I have a friend who flies one of those itty bitty planes and keeps offering to take me out on a ride one day. I constantly demur, because, well, tragedies like this happen. As you’ve probably heard, Travis Barker and DJ AM are in critical condition, and are expected to make a full recovery, but their friends, including Chris “Little Chris” Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif.; and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles, Calif. both passed away (along with the two pilots.)

While the risk of commercial airline crashes are still smaller than automobile crashes at 1 in 11 million, vs 1 in 5000 driving, private plane crashes seem to happen all the time. That’s because they are statistically more likely to happen. If you think about the most famous deaths related to airplane crashes, they are all in small planes: John F. Kennedy Jr., Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Denver, Randy Rhoads, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, “The Big Bopper,” all died in small plane crashes. Sometimes they were the pilots.

Small planes crashes are more frequent in part because of an inability to counter electromagnetic surges; they are more vulnerable to a faltering GPS system; weather can upset a smaller, lighter plane more easily, whereas a monstrous Boeing 747 can weather the weather. And there’s always pilot error to consider: small planes are more likely to be flown by hobbyists; you can’t just whisk off to a nearby state for a day in a 747.

I asked my pilot friend, Bryan Keith, who flies small planes as a hobby, about small plane crashes. Of the Barker/AM crash he says: He says, “Most pilots are always pissed about the bum rap that general aviation gets. Mainstream news stories about plane crashes are almost always sensational and factually inaccurate.” He explained that we have Small Plane Bias and tried to set the record straight.

(more…)

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