Day: August 27, 2006

A tragedy occurred today near Lexington, Kentucky. A jet carrying 50 people crashed after attempting to take off from a runway that was too short. The costly mistake killed 49 of the 50 onboard.

The plane, Comair Flight 5191, a CRJ-200 regional jet with 47 passengers and three crew members, crashed at 6:07 a.m. Sunday after taking off for Atlanta, said Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane was largely intact afterward, but there was a fire following the impact, police said.

A little after 6 a.m., flight controllers gave the pilots clearance to take off from runway 22 and the pilots acknowledged the controllers with a “roger,” Orr reports. However, it appears the pilots took off from runway 26, which is only half the size of the 7,000 foot runway 22.

Sources tell Orr the radar tape and debris from the crash site suggest the plane never got airborne, that instead it went off the end of the runway and through a retaining area before settling into the crash site where it seems a significant post-crash fire erupted.

Orr adds that two flights took off from the correct runway (22) just prior to the Comair flight’s departure.

MORE: Audio from CBS News | News conference Video

Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig are free today.

Militants freed two Fox News journalists on Sunday, ending a nearly two week hostage drama. One of the former captives said they were sometimes held face down in a dark garage, tied up in painful positions and forced at gunpoint to make videos and say they had converted to Islam.

Correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, of Washington, D.C., and cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand, were dropped off at Gaza City’s Beach Hotel by Palestinian security officials. A tearful Centanni briefly embraced a Palestinian journalist in the lobby, then rushed upstairs with Wiig behind him.

The pair, who appeared to be in good health, then met with Palestinian officials, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The three men sat in a circle of chairs at the hotel, before the journalists held a news conference, then left for Israel.

The journalists said they hoped their ordeal would not prevent others from covering the Palestinians.

“I want to thank everybody. I am happy to be here. I hope that this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover the story because the Palestinian people are very beautiful and kind-hearted,” Centanni told reporters. “The world needs to know more about them. Don’t be discouraged.”

Wiig also said he was worried that the kidnapping would scare off reporters.
“My biggest concern really is that as a result of what happened to us foreign journalists will be discouraged from coming to tell the story and that would be a great tragedy for the people of Palestine,” Wiig said. “You guys need us on the streets, and you need people to be aware of the story.”

I’m happy that these guys are free today, but after everyone gets back to their own lives I hope we don’t lose sight of who the enemy is. Hamas is still a terrorist organization, even though they helped secure the release of Centanni and Wiig. The reporters statements today in front of the cameras can be used as propaganda against Israel, and could “soften” the image of Hamas in the U.S. All I’m saying is, in the joy of the moment, lets not forget who we’re dealing with here.

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