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Four things to think about regarding the stolen SeaTac airplane

The news this weekend that an Alaska Airlines plane was stolen and taken for something of a joy ride brought up a number of interesting, tragic storylines, almost none of which got coverage in the traditional media.

To be sure, the story was a relatively linear story with some social downside to overplaying it.  So, making this a two- or three-day story had limited value in the media business.

That said, I think there are some significant elements that are worth keeping our eye on as the policy community decides what, if anything, to do with this event.

1.  Listen to the tapes. This was a tragedy.  

There are not many times in one’s life that one is faced with certain death.  In fact, it only happens once, if it happens at all.

So, to hear someone talk, to be emotional, to be human in the face of a certain death is a powerful thing.  The fellow who stole the Alaska Air plane knew he couldn’t land the plane.  He knew he was going to crash and die.  And yet, we have a recording of him coming to terms with that decision between the time when he knew he was going to die and when he actually did pass.

If you think about your entire life, you might only experience this moment with someone – the time between the recognition of imminent death and actual death – perhaps once or twice in your whole life.

Yet, with the tapes, here we all were able to experience this time with the pilot.

 

 

You can listen to the entire 25 minutes here.  Or read an abridged transcript here.

Listening to these reminds you that we are all closer to the edge than we think, and that it wouldn’t hurt to give a little more love to the world than we might otherwise.

 

2.  This could have been worse.

Can you imagine what could have happened if the pilot had some malicious intentions?  He crashed his plane on a deserted island.

Instead, he could have hit the Legislative Building.  He could have headed north and hit the Columbia Tower.

He could have hit a Pearl Jam Home Show at SafeCo Field with 47,000 screaming fans.

This could have been much worse, and it doesn’t take much imagination to see how that could have happened.

 

3.  The air traffic controller was a Steady Eddie – exactly what you’d hope for in this situation.

Listening to the audio of the pilot and air traffic control (ATC), one is given the sense that the air traffic controller was well trained and well in control of the situation.  He added no drama, no energy to the situation.

Instead he offered empathy, steadiness, and control.  He helped to clear the airspace of other traffic, offered solutions to keep the aircraft from population centers, and when it was clear that the pilot was not going to return to a safe landing, he helped the pilot find a safe place to divert.

As mentioned above, this could have been worse.  It’s reasonable to think that the professionalism of the air traffic controller helped make this happen

 

4.  This could have been a different story if he weren’t a white man.

Twitter was quick to point out what this story could have looked like if our pilot were not a white man.  If he were Muslim, this might be termed a “hijacking.”

The Twitter conversation about this point went something like this:  If the pilot were black or brown, he might be termed a “thug” trying to support some nefarious activity.

But, the pilot was white.  He was married.  He seemed like a pretty good guy.  So, we’re talking about this as a mental health issue…

It’s probably a reasonable set of observations about our media and politics today, whether we like to admit it or not.

 

Bottom line: This is a tragic event that could have been even more tragic.  Moreover, the narrow coverage of this story doesn’t do much to elevate this issue in our policy discussions.  But, it’s important to remember, particularly since it happened here in Washington State, that the story around mental health, and to a separate degree around culture and ethnicity, should be prominently considered in our policy discussions.


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