It has taken me some time to process the tragedy that happened in my home town of Washington, D.C. this past week. A passenger plane, making a routine landing at Reagan National Airport, collided with a military helicopter.
How did this happen? Were there any survivors? Chills run through me thinking of the men, women and children on that plane, likely looking out the windows at the nation's monuments illuminated in the night. Those same monuments I so look forward to seeing when I fly in at night to that same airport. Passengers on the other side of the plane saw Arlington, Alexandria, and the suburbs of Virginia. Little lights sparkling everywhere, at the elevation where the crash occurred they would have seen details on the ground. I hope their final thoughts were of peace and wonder, not fear.
And what of the pilots in the helicopter doing a training mission? Did they realize what was happening? So many statements swirling around as to who was to blame for this tragedy.
Blame. The immediate aftermath of a horrific crash is not the time to cast blame on who or why the crash occurred. The only focus should be on how sorry and worried we all are for the families and the passengers of the flight and the helicopter. For the lost careers of the young skaters, for the coaches, the recently married and the grandparents aboard the flight. And for the local men who died in the helicopter, who also will not go home to their families now.
For me this tragedy is local. This week I will fly in to Reagan National and I will drive along the George Washington Memorial Parkway situated next to the Potomac River. Perhaps the wreckage will be removed by then. But the feelings of loss and tragedy will still remain for those people living in this area.
I sincerely hope that the military and the NTSB can determine what happened that night. Hopefully, they can make sure it doesn't happen again. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who lost family members that night. And my sincerest thanks to the first responders who came that night and continue to help in the revocrey mission.
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