Air travel is a big deal, and it’s something we take for granted. Most of the conversations we have about flying are about the annoyances, like the long lines, or being packed in like sardines. We’ve lost sight of what a miracle of science and engineering it is, that we can hurtle through the sky at tremendous speeds and arrive on the other side of the content in just a few hours.
We only seem to be reminded of the absurdity of it all when there’s a major air disaster or a plane crash. Amazingly, and fortunately, in 2017, there were no commercial air crashes in the world. But hey, it’s 2018 now and we’re getting off to a not-so-airborne start.
On Saturday night, a Pegasus Airways flight was touching down at the airport in Trabzon, Turkey. But then the pilot misjudged the runway. That happens, and it shakes up the passengers and can cause some damage to the plane if it runs off into the adjoining field or something. But the airpot in Trabzon is right next to the Black Sea. And separating that runway from the beach is a steep embankment. In other words, it’s a cliff. After the pilot didn’t do the runway correctly, the jet kept going, and it came to rest on the side of the cliff…almost hitting the water.
https://twitter.com/AnalystTK/status/952450620627222528
What a metaphor for the way we live now: “The plane, which had 162 passengers on board, was left dangling precariously off a coastal cliff when its wheels dug into the freezing mud.” https://t.co/lJxYMTIcsQ pic.twitter.com/yuwghWXU8k
— Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) January 14, 2018
The plane reportedly and assuredly sustained some damage, but all 162 passengers were safely evacuated from the plane-by-the-sea. As for injuries, some reports say three minor injuries, others say none. Talk about a close call.
https://twitter.com/AnalystTK/status/952287808797925376