Only one fatality took place in a San Andres, Columbia crash that took place on Monday. The plane hit the ground just before landing. The cause of the wreck is not for certain yet, but is thought to be due to a lightning strike. The plane split into pieces, but did not hit any buildings, and only one fatality occurred, though not during the crash itself. The pilot has been credited as being central to the relative lack of a loss of life in the event, and also the minimal damage to anything other than the plane itself.
Boeing 737 fragmented on the runway
The flight to San Andres from Bogota was a red eye flight. The plane approached the airport in bad weather and began to violently shake as AIRES Flight 8250 approached the runway. The plane started to split apart when the pilot began an emergency landing just short of the runway. According to CNN, some authorities attribute the crash to a downdraft, while others claim the aircraft was struck by lightning. The pilot also contends that lightning struck the plane. The plane initially broke into two pieces at Gustavo Rojas Pinillo airport. No damage was caused to the airport.
Only one did not survive
A single fatality occurred, when a 65-year-old passenger had a heart attack following the crash, as outlined by Bloomberg. There were six people who were untouched within the crash. The rest of passengers and crew had injuries, but not a soul is not expected to make a full recovery. The plane was carrying at least 127 passengers and crew members.
Pilot deserves commendation
Airline pilots are some of the best trained and skilled workers in any field. They take a very complex machine and get it from point A to point B in a very exact manner, but also know exactly what to do in case of emergencies. The job affords little wiggle room and there is tremendous pressure involved in the job. The air travel trade has lots of stress and responsibility involved, and many have viewed the Steven Slater saga unfold. AIRES Flight 8250 had a great pilot, and he deserves commendation.
Further reading
CNN
cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/16/colombia.plane.fatality/?hpt=T1#fbid=QdDzKvaTDgY and wom=false
Bloomberg
bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-16/colombia-plane-splits-in-three-killing-1-and-injuring-114-el-tiempo-says.html
