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rmFURTHER UPDATE: multiple news outlets are confirming it was a small, fixed-wing aircraft (so think a small Cesna or something similar). Nothing of that sort has any business being in the area around there _at all_ based on my understanding of the airspace and post-9/11 rules and regs. My knowledge on this is spotty, but probably better than the newscasters of the moment. Someone _seriously_ fucked up. Also, they were flying VFR. There had to be mechanical problems for this to make the slightest bit of sense, but they shouldn't have been anywhere near there. One supposes the radio could have gone with the rest of it.
I spoke to my mother who had spoken to my father and they and the apartment are fine at the moment. They do not seem to be evacuating the surrounding buildings, but my mother is not sure they will let her through to get home, either, as there is falling debris (albeit, not the way she needs to pass).
For those of you playing along at home, I can clarify some of what the news is telling you:
- There is not a helicopter pad on the top of that building
- There is a heliport about 12 blocks away.
- The building is very close to the river, so neither mechanical failure nor pilot error makes a scenario like this terribly surprising, IF it's a helicopter. If it's nother form of small aircraft this makes almost no sense at all.
- Whatever it was did not significanly penetrate the building, but partially crashed to the street.
- It is really doubtful this was terrorism, although people in major cities should get ready for the roar of fighter jets in the sky according to CNN
- This is directly adjacent to a hospital, which is good for the wounded, but bad in terms of people who just generally need to get to that hospital.
- Because of the wealth of the area people are home during the day and the current casualty number (2) will probably go up.
I spoke to my mother who had spoken to my father and they and the apartment are fine at the moment. They do not seem to be evacuating the surrounding buildings, but my mother is not sure they will let her through to get home, either, as there is falling debris (albeit, not the way she needs to pass).
For those of you playing along at home, I can clarify some of what the news is telling you:
- There is not a helicopter pad on the top of that building
- There is a heliport about 12 blocks away.
- The building is very close to the river, so neither mechanical failure nor pilot error makes a scenario like this terribly surprising, IF it's a helicopter. If it's nother form of small aircraft this makes almost no sense at all.
- Whatever it was did not significanly penetrate the building, but partially crashed to the street.
- It is really doubtful this was terrorism, although people in major cities should get ready for the roar of fighter jets in the sky according to CNN
- This is directly adjacent to a hospital, which is good for the wounded, but bad in terms of people who just generally need to get to that hospital.
- Because of the wealth of the area people are home during the day and the current casualty number (2) will probably go up.
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 08:41 pm (UTC)Part of the reason why people fly VFR (at least from my sketchy memory of representing the FAA) is that although it's harder (in the sense of not getting support from your instruments) to fly VFR, you also get a lot more flexibility on where and how you get to fly VFR. So these people could've been flying VFR on purpose to avoid the IFR requirements of having to file a flight plan with the FAA.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 08:43 pm (UTC)I have no idea.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 08:49 pm (UTC)Anyway, geez, I can't believe I still remember some of this FAA law stuff. Just ask me about military operations area flight activities! No, don't.