THEY COME IN "THREES"

The warning that airline crashes come in threes started decades ago, when it was not uncommon for planes to be falling out of the sky. Now that technology has eliminated many of the causes of plane crashes, specifically the "human error" type, flying is safer than ever and the "threes" concept doesn't apply in this day and age, since crashes are few and far between. However, people still refer to it when reporting on a particular crash, as was the case this morning when I heard a reporter mention it.

The fact that no one was killed or seriously injured in yesterday's crash at Toronto is a miracle, and it shows that airlines are doing something right when it comes to safety, at least at Air France. I don't fly much, but when I do I always try to get the seat next to the emergency door; there's lots of legroom and you're in the best position to escape in the event of an emergency.

After a crash like the one at Toronto, many passengers panic and this can lead to disaster. Here's a video taken by a passenger involved in the same type of crash and it shows what goes on in the cabin when passengers are trying to get out. Just click download and it will send you to the media player.

Other videos: Plane attempting to land in storm. Air France Airbus doing flyover. And because the MSM doesn't want you to see this too often, WTC on 9-11.
Transcripts of cockpit conversations and tower communications with the crew.

The picture at the top of this post is of a PSA flight, Sept 1978, and is one of the worst examples of "human error" in commercial flight. Everyone involved in this approach was at fault; the controller and the flight crew. There were 4 crewmembers in the PSA cockpit, pilot, co-pilot, Flight Eng., and a Captain deadheading to another airport. Read the transcript here.