From Take Off To Tragedy ✈️ 💔

I have two children—one boy and one girl—that I hug and kiss and tell I love them at every moment of separation, whether I’m leaving for work or to run errands or whether they are headed to school or to the playground. I am aware that they and I must be transported, typically and usually by car, but sometimes it could be a train or a plane if we are headed on vacation, maybe even a boat for a nice dinner. All of those modes of transportation can be deadly vehicular instruments, and January 29th gave me a general reminder of that.

On January 29th, 2025, American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air over the Potomac River in DC. There were 64 people on the American Airlines plane and 3 people on the helicopter; none of the 67 people survived this tragedy.

The American Airlines plane was leaving from Kansas, and it was literally in its last 5 minutes of being in the air, as it was already cleared for landing. The helicopter was doing a yearly evaluation to test the pilot's knowledge and skills in the air at nighttime. Safe to say, that training was needed. Indeed, the helicopter was warned not once but twice about the plane that was in the air and approaching. It was warned almost 120 seconds before the crash. The helicopter responded to the air controller, saying they would go above or around the plane, and the air controller approved them for the maneuver. The helicopter and plane collided, leaving everyone involved dead. First responders arrived within ten minutes of the crash to plane debris in the river, and the search quickly turned from a rescue mission to a recovery mission. So far, 55 bodies have been recovered out of the 67, leading the government to believe the other bodies were severely burned and ripped apart. There were so many lives on those planes, but there was a heavy presence of US figure skaters who were leaving a skating event on the airplane, leaving the US skating community in heartbreak. This should be a reminder to everyone: hug and kiss your loved ones before they get in any mode of transportation, wish them safe travels before they leave, and as the traveler, let your loved ones know that you made it to your destination because humans can be transitioned during transit.

-Samuel

@samuelshouseofart