The Tragedy at Reagan National Airport

By W. F. Twyman, Jr.

As we all know, there was a terrible air collision yesterday evening between an American Airlines jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter. Sixty-seven lives were lost on both aircraft. Now is not the time for recriminations and speculations. In the moment, we as Americans are best served with sober processing of indescribable loss. Flight travel is about as safe an endeavor as one can imagine. I read somewhere that the odds of a plane crash are one in 18 million. I am more likely to be hit by a school bus crossing the street or dislocating my right shoulder on a San Diego sidewalk. It is because we are captive to the fates as plane passengers that the rare and uncommon tragedy jars us so. We feel for those taken from us without warning. We rehearse in our minds all of the plane travels of loved ones in places like Aspen, Oakland, Tucson, Nairobi, Paris, Buenos Aires and even downtown San Diego. And we feel gratitude for safe travels.

Tonight, let’s remember those denied a safe landing. It is only human. There will be time enough to return to the world of essays about the human condition tomorrow.

Life is not diminished by its brevity. Rather, it is made all the more precious.

Good evening!