Dedicated to the 9 victims of January 26th’s tragic crash
It is difficult to process when lives end instantly, especially as a direct cause of an accident. This is all the harder when children are victims.
Though it has been over a week since the tragedy occurred, I still feel raw. That isn’t because of its high-profile nature: no, it is because of the questions and issues with guilt that I’m sure many of us are plagued with.
How many of us have done things with such frequency that they become second nature? And given that familiarity, have taken shortcuts that may have ended up with unintended consequences? Now, do NOT misunderstand…this is NOT an assignation of blame. As a bystander who feels the ripples of this like the rest of you, this is merely an observation. I’ll leave that distasteful business to the other outlets.
One of my best friends is an air traffic controller. He explained to our group the possibilities of what could have happened, and patiently answered all of our questions. One thing he mentioned was how he was concerned about the state of the controller(s) who last spoke to the pilot. I was curious about this too, as it showed the reality of a situation many of us either don’t think of, or, vaguely, if at all, ever consider: the voice on the other end of the line.
Commercial airplane flying is one of the safest ways to travel – a helicopter, even more so, due to its fluid maneuvering capabilities. It is because of that agility that we are left with wondering how and why this occurred. And what, if anything, can be changed to prevent it from happening again.
In the meantime, I will wait beside you for answers.
Rest in paradise John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, coach Christina Mauser, pilot Ara Zobayan, and Kobe and Gianna Bryant. My condolences to your families and friends in your collective grief and mourning.
Liz K
Classy With An E 