Dying in a plane crash

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My husband and I were flying back from a vacation in late June and we were almost to our destination when we felt a vibration from the plane, like the wheels had dropped to get ready to land. We knew the the pilot was still too high in the air to drop the wheels so I asked the flight attendant what it was. Five minutes later, the pilot said that the plane's left engine was leaking oil. About 3 minutes passed and the engine went out, but they were able to get it started again. I always knew that I was going to die in a plane crash. I had flown 3 other times with no problems. My grandmother died a year ago and I was just wondering if I was going die that night and was my grandmother looking over me to make sure I didn't?

Johnna Garza, Wednesday, 17 September 2003 00:30 (twenty-two years ago)

According to the Bible, no, our deceased relatives do not see what we're doing, nor are they able to assist us in our travails.

J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 01:00 (twenty-two years ago)

A plane can fly w/ one engine. You didn't come that close to deth.

fletrejet, Wednesday, 17 September 2003 01:04 (twenty-two years ago)

However, according to many other religions, especially in southeast Asia and I think in Africa though I'm less informed on those, yes, our relatives have considerable influence over our daily lives. In the case of the Vietnamese religion Cao Dai, saints assist us. The Cao Dai saints differ considerably from the Catholic hagiography. Prominent Cao Dai saints include Joan of Arc, Rene Descartes, William Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, Louis Pasteur, and Lenin. From this it is clear that Cao Dai is the great religion ever in the history of the world.

J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 01:06 (twenty-two years ago)

how do u apply to be a cao dai saint ?

my worst plane story ends with the passengers CLAPPING after the plane landed safely, it was just so turbulent

Vic (Vic), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 01:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember when J0hn was one of the nice ilxors

cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Southerners in being surly christians shocker!!

Dan I., Wednesday, 17 September 2003 01:36 (twenty-two years ago)

kneejerk bigotry's so charming

cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 02:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember when J0hn was one of the nice ilxors

What'd I do?

J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

It's lucky the plane didn't lose both engines, or you would've been up there all night.

colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 02:36 (twenty-two years ago)

i was totally trolling out of boredom. sorry.

Dan I., Wednesday, 17 September 2003 04:20 (twenty-two years ago)

ain't no thing but a chicken wing

cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 04:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Silly flying advice: always wear sneakers & long cotton pants. I wouldn't want to try to evacuate a plane that might be on fire after a crash landing in flip flops & shorts like some people fly in. (Not that you should ever be flying in clothes like that, but that's another issue...)

On one of my trips in August we flew over a forest fire in the Cascade mountains, and the cabin started smelling like smoke. Most people didn't look out the window & see the HUGE fire (orange + massive columns of smoke- the plane wasn't that high yet) in the mountains below, they just started worrying out loud about the really strong smoke smell. Finally the flight attendants made an announcement that it was just a forest fire below us. Apparently the air taken into the plane is filtered, but not enough to remove all the smell from it.

lyra (lyra), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 04:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow. By the time they made the annoucement I'd probably have passed out.

s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 04:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Ten years ago I was flying from Kansas City to LA via Dallas, and after circling in Oklahoma for about an hour the plane was cleared to continue to Dallas airport (a storm had just cleared the area). As it approached the airport we had really bad turbulence, including a few plunges. The pilot made three passes at the runway before abandoning the attempt and flying back to Oklahoma City airport and landing there. I was afraid that being in Texas the guy was going to try to cowboy it in (sorry to all the Texans here), and a downdraft would happen just as we were about to land and the plane would smack into the runway.

The worst part was it was a business trip for a company that had already announced they were shutting down the division the next month and I'd be laid off.

The weird part was that about an hour or so after landing in OK, an announcement came on the terminal intercom saying to get back on the plane to go to Dallas, and almost everybody just laughed/groaned and went right back on. I and a couple others spent the night in the terminal and went back to LA the next day.

nickn (nickn), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 05:02 (twenty-two years ago)

A friend of mine flies regularly. Once looking out the plane (in midflight) she saw some fire outside. Apparently one of the engines caught fire. Nothing was said, the fire *withdrew* (as she said) and the plane continued flying. I dunno, if it's a 747/big plane I wouldn't rrreally worry about an engine leaking (yeah RIGHT!). My boyfriend's father said it could fly with just one engine (instead of four?).

nathalie (nathalie), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 06:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Last time I flew, I was coming into L.A. from the east, and there was a massive windstorm buffeting the plane as it flew over the desert on its descent. Turbulence at 5,000 ft is a lot more terrifying than turbulence at 27,000 ft, I tell you whut.

I never fly unless I absolutely have to.

ham on rye (ham on rye), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 06:42 (twenty-two years ago)

fun fact: certain kinds of jet fuel are designed to only combust at a certain high temperature. My Aerodynamics/Rocketry professor would talk about how you could toss a lit cigarrette into a bucket of JP-5(i think) and it'd just go out.

he sometimes shows up on NPR whenever they need to talk to an expert about plane crashs. Guy's name was Kaufmann, i think.

Kingfish (Kingfish), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I never fly unless I absolutely have to.
See, but you're millions times more likely to be killed in a car accident than a plane crash.

lyra (lyra), Thursday, 18 September 2003 00:43 (twenty-two years ago)

See, but you're millions times more likely to be killed in a car accident than a plane crash.>>>>

True, true. I was almost killed twice in the span of 6 months, yet I still would rather drive than fly. Weird. =/

ham on rye (ham on rye), Thursday, 18 September 2003 02:39 (twenty-two years ago)

you're much more likely to survive a car crash than a plane crash

cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 18 September 2003 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

exactly

stevem (blueski), Thursday, 18 September 2003 10:52 (twenty-two years ago)

WHAT ABOUT A CAR THAT COLLIDES WITH A PLANE? HUH?

Mark C (Mark C), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:04 (twenty-two years ago)

you're much more likely to survive a car crash than a plane crash
yeah that thought has weighed heavy on my mind on long plane journeys. i guess its just the thought that if anything does go seriously wrong with the plane (which is much less likely than with a car, granted) then chances are you will die. and the worst thing is, for example if the engines all blow out or something, you'll have a few minutes to stew over your immenent mortality before the plane finally crashes into the ground. which must be about the worst thing i can imagine.

Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:14 (twenty-two years ago)

The British Airways anecdote (and I really don't know if this is true or not...): A plane lost power in all it's engines. The pilot turns on the intercom and says: "We've lost all power, but we're doing our damndest to land this thing!" And they did. I think planes can glide for a while with no power, no? (Although obviously a lot more helpful if pointed in the direction of the runway already).

Bill (bill), Friday, 19 September 2003 18:26 (twenty-two years ago)

i flew today, and me and my girlfriend were absolutely terrified (we don't fly often). when the plane takes off, i expect it just to plummet straight back to earth. i don't want to fly again for a while.

weasel diesel (K1l14n), Friday, 19 September 2003 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I fly a lot. Did it very happily as a kid, then lost all faith in technology in my 20s and was terrified, then in my 30s re-learned equanimity (mainly because it was fly or die without seeing Japan). Now I'm totally comfortable with it.

My worst flight was between Atlanta and Dallas in 1999. I'd been very against this flight from the start, telling the tour manager, Matt, that we should have driven through the night instead. It was midnight, and we'd just finished a show in Georgia and had to get to Texas to play the next one the following night. So we got on the plane.

Everything was fine until suddenly we flew into a heavy storm with lashing rain and turbulence. The pilot approached the Dallas runway once, sheared back up at the last moment, twice, aborted again, third time managed to land. But we all thought we were a goner. On the ground, we were all badly shaken. There was stunned silence for half an hour or so. Then I snapped at the tour manager 'Matt, don't you think this itinerary is a little arduous?'

Momus (Momus), Friday, 19 September 2003 21:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Occasionally, airline attendants make an effort to make the "in-flight safety lecture" and their other announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real (I'm skeptical...) examples that have been heard or reported:

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane..."

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Washington National, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced: "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

From a Southwest Airlines employee.... "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight XXX to YYY. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt, and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised.

In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, margarine cups will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child...pick your favorite.

Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."

"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation, and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

Once on a Southwest flight, the pilot said, "We've reached our cruising altitude now, and I'm turning off the seat belt sign. I'm switching to autopilot, too, so I can come back there and visit with all of you for the rest of the flight."

"Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the bag over your own mouth and nose before assisting children or other adults acting like children."

"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."

"Last one off the plane must clean it."

And from the pilot during his welcome message: "We are pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry... Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight...!"

Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City: The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendants fault...it was the asphalt!"

Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day. During the final approach the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant came on the PA and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seatbelts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying XYZ airline." He said that in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for this little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sonny, mind if I ask you a question?" "Why no Ma'am," said the pilot, "what is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land or were we shot down?"

luna (luna.c), Friday, 19 September 2003 21:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Southwest used to sing little songs and stuff, it was kind of fun and different. (I like planes a lot anyway.) I wonder if they stopped that after 9/11.

teeny (teeny), Friday, 19 September 2003 22:59 (twenty-two years ago)

And they did. I think planes can glide for a while with no power, no? (Although obviously a lot more helpful if pointed in the direction of the runway already).

This has happened quite a few times.

Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Saturday, 20 September 2003 00:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait, J0hn, where in the Bible does it say that?

Chris P (Chris P), Saturday, 20 September 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

The wing of the airplane has just caught on fire,
I say without reservation we ain't getting no higher.

gershy, Sunday, 18 November 2007 04:03 (seventeen years ago)

It was innaresting to learn that Laurie Anderson really was in a plane crash like she describes in "From the Air."

Rock Hardy, Sunday, 18 November 2007 04:30 (seventeen years ago)


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