What was the big boom?

[Anonymous]

Is there any evidence why the plane turned around in New York?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there any evidence why the plane turned around in New York?

That was the approach to the airport. When there was no one to actually land the plane, it just kept on going on the same heading

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there any evidence why the plane turned around in New York?

I believe that’s the safety feature of auto pilot when controls are not taken over to land a plane as previously planned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any evidence why the plane turned around in New York?

That was the approach to the airport. When there was no one to actually land the plane, it just kept on going on the same heading

Sorry, to clarify: if the plane didn’t land at the originally planned location. (New York?), the autopilot would automatically send the plan back to where it originated?
Not a pilot here, trying to understand!

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read reporting last night that ATC lost contact with the pilots somewhere over New Jersey on the plane's flight to Long Island. So that's likely when the depressurization occurred.

So they were likely flying for 3+ hours while unconscious. The plane's autopilot seems to have turned the plane around at the Long Island airport when the pilot did not manually engage the landing procedures.

We are very lucky that this plane had enough fuel to crash in a rural area. It's just dumb luck that it didn't crash into a city or a busy area.

This is alarming and I would love to know more from aviation nerds why jets weren't assembled to investigate the first time they lost contact. I have seen the clip of the pilot landing at LAX and ATC yelling at him for not radioing back faster to confirm the runway was clear - like most people I assumed that when ATC radios you, you answer. So I am wondering how they not only lost contact but the plane didn't land, and it made it to DC before the Air Force assembled. God forbid it had run out of fuel over Manhattan, what a tragedy.

Small planes do crash, sometimes in inhabited areas. Remember the plane that crashed into the house by Gaithersburg?

But what do you think the ATC can do about an unresponsive plane at 30,000 feet? Shoot it down? Why would that be preferable?

I am not asking that it be shot down after not responding to the radio once. I am asking why it was allowed to not respond to contact, not land as scheduled, and then fly almost 300 miles before the Air Force assembled.

I’m not sure you understand this, but planes destroyed by fighter jets do not simply vanish into thin air. They fall in pieces from the sky in fire and fragments that are extraordinarily dangerous to people on the ground. And I’m not sure what you mean by “assembled.” The Air Force is always “assembled.” They respond when ordered to do so. That small plane was under constant observation. Planes are not like wild mustangs — no one can just ride up and rope them to take control.

Omg. Dying laughing.

[Anonymous]

Anyone else not hear the boom? In Herndon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else not hear the boom? In Herndon

I was in Arlington outside and heard it. DH was driving in our neighborhood and did not.

[Anonymous]

WaPo reporting that the woman that was killed was adopted by this family 9 years ago at age 40. That’s unusual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WaPo reporting that the woman that was killed was adopted by this family 9 years ago at age 40. That’s unusual.

That is weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WaPo reporting that the woman that was killed was adopted by this family 9 years ago at age 40. That’s unusual.

That is weird.

She reminded him of the daughter he lost at age 19. Just sad overall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WaPo reporting that the woman that was killed was adopted by this family 9 years ago at age 40. That’s unusual.

That is weird.

She reminded him of the daughter he lost at age 19. Just sad overall.

I suppose that makes a little more sense, and just makes me more sad for him, now that he has lost two dds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WaPo reporting that the woman that was killed was adopted by this family 9 years ago at age 40. That’s unusual.

Again….wtf….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whomever said small planes fall out of the sky everyday is an idiot and a liar.

If you don’t think there is an incident with a commercial airliner somewhere in the world nearly every day, I have. Bridge in AZ to sell you.

I said it, and I'm aware there is an incident with a commercial airliner somewhere in the world nearly every day. There is a significant difference between an "incident" and a full-on crash. General aviation accounts for 78% of aviation-related fatalities. Commercial air travel accounts for about 3%. This is all information that would be available to you by going to the FAA and NTSB websites instead of starting fights with people online, who were simply quoting a former colleague's husband.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Shawn is my old neighbor. Not surprised to see him being a stand-up guy tweeting about the humanity of this instead of acting like that little twerp from the Daily Beast who made a big stink about how the dead woman's mother "wasn't very polite" when he called.