Bob McCarty Writes

Married to a flight attendant for a major airline, I view news coverage of incidents involving commercial airliners — such as yesterday’s “Miracle on the Hudson” river landing of US Airways Flight 1549 — differently than most.

Upon hearing the first snippet, I became absorbed in news coverage about the crash and began listening for specific details:  Where did it take place?  Which airline’s plane was involved?  Did anyone survive?

Since my wife had spent the night in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and wasn’t set to begin her workday there until around 3 p.m. Eastern Time — about the same time the crash took place in New York — I was 99.9 percent certain my wife’s plane wasn’t involved.  Still, I didn’t know for sure.  I needed information.

As details finally began to flood the airwaves, I learned that the crash-landing had occurred in New York, that the aircraft involved was a US Airways jet and that the accident would not leave me a widower — and my children motherless — on Jan. 15, 2009.

Sigh of relief.

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See also:

Pilots Do Deserve More Credit for Safety Record

Miracle on the Hudson: 150 Survive US Air Crash!