Over the past two weeks, there have been two tragic plane accidents. American Eagle Flight 5342 flew from Kansas to Washington D.C. crashing and killing sixty-seven passengers. Many of the passengers were teens headed to a figure skating camp. CNN.com’s Ray Sanchez and Chelsea Bailey said, “On a clear night, the nearly full jet approached Runway 33 around 8:48 p.m. when it collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying a crew of three on a training flight. Videos captured a giant red-orange fireball, followed by an eerie trail of smoke and burning debris. The two aircraft plunged into the dark, frigid Potomac River. No one survived.” New York Times’s Niraj Chokshi said, “The team was expecting something to go wrong because of the malfunctions.” Chokski said, “But, based on the details that have emerged so far, the pilots in the American regional jet appear to have acted as expected, according to aviation safety experts and half a dozen airline pilots who have flown to and from Reagan Airport.” At this time no cause has been named.
On January 31, a second plane crash occurred in Philadelphia, PA. ABC News’s Jack Moore, Bill Hutchison, and Megan Forrester were quoted saying, “The black box from the medical transport jet that crashed in Philadelphia Friday evening is on its way to Washington, D.C. (to be analyzed) The jet was carrying a child, her mother, and four other people. It was in the air for less than a minute after taking off before coming down in a fiery “high-impact” crash. The six people on board, as well as one on the ground, were killed.” The writers continued, “The child, (on the plane) had just received care from Shriner’s Hospital in Philadelphia, and was returning home to Mexico with her mother.” NTSB investigators announced Sunday they had found the cockpit voice recorder from the crash. CNN’s Dalia Faheid, Pete Muntean, Mark Morales, Danny Freeman, Taylor Romine, and Aaron Cooper said, “The area of impact from the crash is roughly four to six blocks, and officials have discovered debris around the city”, Philadelphia’s managing director Adam Thiel said, “It’s a very widespread area and we’re still trying to determine the entire scope.” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker explained to residents to check their vehicles and their property for possible debris from the crash. This plane crash was big news to everyone, and people from around the world are supporting the families of these victims.
Both crashes happened within two weeks of each other. Many families are grieving over their lost loved ones. People around the world are supporting the families of these victims. As spring break travel is coming up, some passengers may now be nervous to fly, while others do not have any other concerns. Will more travelers decide to drive or still get on a plane? Because of the tragic events, many teens are now scared to even step foot on a plane.
