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The New York Times’ Joe Sharkey, who was on board the Embraer jet that collided with the ill-fated Gol Airlines Boeing 737 over Brazil, has a firsthand account of the incident today. It’s a worthwhile read, in which he describes the moment of impact, the sight of the sheared-off winglet, the passengers’ serious but unpanicked demeanor, and the pilots’ focused (and ultimately successful) efforts to wrestle their damaged plane to a runway they didn’t realize existed. Go read the whole thing.

Since Sharkey wrote the piece, the cockpit voice recorders of the doomed 737 have been found, so we’ll hopefully learn soon what happened exactly, and how the larger plane could be taken out by the smaller one.

On his own blog, Sharkey has come under vituperative attack, largely by Brazilians, it seems, for expressing concern about the Embraer’s pilots who were held for questioning, and not expressing sufficient grief at the loss of the 155 passengers in the Boeing.

Give the guy a break. He’s clearly shaken up after a brush with death, and he’s grateful to the pilots who safely landed a plane that was starting to come apart. It’s only natural to think of things through the lens of your own experience.

Previously:
- How could this tragedy have happened?

(image: AP via NYT)

This weekend, 155 people died when Brazil’s Gol Airlines tragically lost a Boeing 737-800 on a flight from Manaus to Brasilia. Our thoughts are certainly with the families of those who lost loved ones.

But the story of the flight’s demise is truly bizarre, and details are bound to unfold in coming days and weeks.

Most disturbingly, the plane apparently collided with another plane, an Embraer Legacy jet, inflight. The extent of the contact between the two planes is unclear, but the smaller Embraer “won” and landed safely.

First off, and most importantly, how could any mid-air contact between two jets equipped with collision avoidance systems happen? These weren’t older generations of planes. They were state of the art. The 737 had only logged 234 hours of flying time, total. What happened?

Second, how could the smaller jet take down the larger plane? (The 737 is nearly double the length and height, with 70% greater wingspan.) I have a hard time picturing the physics of this.

Finally, in the bizarre coincidences department: The New York Times’ Joe Sharkey, who writes the “On the Road” column Tuesdays, was on board the Embraer. I’m glad Joe and the others on the Embraer made it, and I certainly hope that Uncle Joe has a firsthand account to provide this coming Tuesday.

Snide quote edition:

“Sir, your upgrade didn’t clear, but your cello is riding in first!” Yes, your cello can earn frequent flyer miles, too.

“You sure smell nice. Have you been to an airport lately?” Airport advertising sprays passers-by with perfume. (via Coudal)

“How do you mispronounce ‘Mayday‘? What is it in Italian?” Alitalia flight declares emergency, but no one understands the pilots. Safety first!

“I bet you $20 you can’t get from Honolulu to Hilo for $20 each way!” Fare war in the islands, courtesy of Go!

“THESE people could really have used a $20 interisland Hawaii ticket…” Just click. A Piper can travel from Santa Barbara to Hawaii?!?!

“Welcome to the Sheraton Chicago. I’ll need an ID, credit card, and your Blackberry.” Check your e-mail at the door. Nice gimmick.

“There must be two Manchesters.” Indeed, there are. One is in New England, one is in Old England. Be sure you know the difference before you fly.

tags: travel | air travel