|
Close calls with fighter jets leave air travelers uneasy
February 9, 1997Web posted at: 10:45 EST
From Correspondent Cynthia Tornquist
NEW YORK (CNN) -- These are uneasy times for air passengers.
The apprehension stems largely from last year's fatal crashes of a ValuJet airliner in the Florida Everglades, the unsolved explosion of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island and last week's close encounters between military planes and commercial airliners.
On Wednesday, a Nations Air Boeing 727 flying east of Atlantic City, New Jersey bound for New York's Kennedy International Airport went into a dive to avoid an approaching National Guard F-16 fighter.
Another incident, days later, between an American Eagle commuter plane and a National Guard F-16 near Ocean City, Maryland, caused the Air Force to suspend reserve and National Guard flights along the East Coast while pilots review procedures.
In the New Jersey incident, a spokesman for the Air National Guard denied remarks by the Nations Air president that the fighters "were having fun." Still, some air travelers say it is hard to understand why the military jets closed in on a passenger jet.
"They're not flies. They are big things," said air passenger David Walinder.
There are conflicting explanations as to why the fighters got so close, yet the incidents suggest there may be dangerous flaws in communication between military and civilian aircraft.
"Our system is fundamentally safe, but you can't explain to someone who is the victim of a tragedy that statistically a thing is operating well," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.
The National Transportation Safety Board also has stepped in. The investigation is not likely to curtail training of the National Guard's pilots.
So as investigators look into last week's close calls between National Guard jets and civilian airliners, some travelers are a bit more uneasy as they step aboard airliners.
Related stories:
- 2nd close encounter occurs between fighter jets, commercial plane - February 7, 1997
- Military, agencies probe encounter between F-16s, 727 - February 7, 1997
- Fighters, commercial airliner get too close for comfort - February 6, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window- FAA Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System Web Site
- Traffic Alert and Collision System - Rannoch Corp.
- Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System - Airmans Information Manual
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
|
Tell us what you think! You said it... |
|
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.