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Old 21st August 2008 | 11:23
  #340 (permalink)  
AmeliaJane
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 12
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From: Europe
Gully/ravine

Seeing the pictures takes me back to the 2006 Atlantic Airways accident (Only 16 people onboard, of which 4 were killed). I went to the crash site as part of my job before the aircraft was removed. I don't like to speculate about the causes of accidents, holding off any judgement until the NTSB etc. return with their findings. They are much more qualified to determine the cause than I am.

Normally I would therefore refrain from commenting on an accident that's under investigation, but I guess this one hit a little to close to home, bringing back images I had hoped would be more blurred by now. And I only saw the wreck, met some next of kin, and a few of the survivors once they were out of hospital. I do not envy the rescue workers at either accident site, the images must be nightmarish.

The pictures show the plane having ending up in something like a gully/ravine. The reason I'm reminded of the 2006 accident is because that aircraft went over the edge of the runway, and broke apart, then engine fire and explosion. Pictures are eerily similar, and I remember thinking then how fortunate it was the plane was almost empty.

I've seen it mentioned in the thread about a large area of grass/brush being on fire, which is of course highly likely (burst fuel tank, leak, fire). The brush caught fire in that 2006 accident, and some survivors got burned after leaving the aircraft. What happened to the four inside, I don't know, and would prefer not to think about.

Am amazed at the emergency efforts, including helicopters to douse the fire. They may have made the difference for those few who did escape (or got thrown out). I'm not sure the brush being on fire could cause emergency efforts to be slowed, but the gully/ravine is another issue. I'm not familiar with the airport in question, so don't know whether emergency vehicles would have been able to get close, or if they'd have to aid from up high/at a distance?
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