Don't Shoot Down Civilian Planes
Don't Shoot Down Civilian Planes
On May 11 over Washington, the Air Force nearly shot down a Cessna carrying a 69-year-old truck driver from Pennsylvania and his friend, a vacuum cleaner salesman. They were on their way to an air show and had no idea where they were. An intercept helicopter had to resort to holding up a sign showing the correct radio frequency to use, and even then the pilots stubbornly asserted their God-given right to fly wherever they chose. With Donald Rumsfeld standing by to give the order to kill the Cessna's occupants and perhaps dozens on the ground, a warning shot by late-arriving F-16s finally turned the plane back.
If the rules of engagement are not changed, a tragedy is just a matter of time. On many occasions since 9/11, civilian planes including commercial flights have come within minutes of being shot down; none of those turned out to be a threat. When the Soviet Union downed KAL flight 007 over sensitive military airspace, the Reagan administration reacted with outrage. As The New York Times editorialized in 1983, "no circumstance whatever justifies attacking an innocent plane . . . to proclaim a 'right' to shoot down suspicious planes does not make it right to do so." Now we claim that right for ourselves.
After all, what could a Cessna flying at 2500 feet do to the White House, moon it? Surely our vaunted military can at least wait until such a craft, whose top speed is 160 miles per hour, actually starts a suicide dive before firing on it. Since the possible target buildings had already been evacuated, the government luminaries standing around outside were more vulnerable to falling debris than an attack on an empty building. Any possible biological or radiological contamination aboard could be spread by shooting the plane down, or indeed by a flight that did not get that close to its intended target. And President Bush, hard at work as always, was riding his bicycle in a suburban wildlife refuge at the time, perhaps on the lookout for likely drilling sites.
Some no-fly zones are prudent. Incompetent pilots who violate them should be held responsible, but not consigned to a fiery death along with innocent passengers and bystanders. As a D.C.-area resident and a frequent though reluctant air traveler, I don't need any more reasons to be afraid of flying. Please, let's save our fire for people who want to kill us, not those who can't read a map.
John Brodkin is an ADA member and former Executive Director of the Greater Washington chapter. Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of ADA.
On May 11 over Washington, the Air Force nearly shot down a Cessna carrying a 69-year-old truck driver from Pennsylvania and his friend, a vacuum cleaner salesman. They were on their way to an air show and had no idea where they were. An intercept helicopter had to resort to holding up a sign showing the correct radio frequency to use, and even then the pilots stubbornly asserted their God-given right to fly wherever they chose. With Donald Rumsfeld standing by to give the order to kill the Cessna's occupants and perhaps dozens on the ground, a warning shot by late-arriving F-16s finally turned the plane back.
If the rules of engagement are not changed, a tragedy is just a matter of time. On many occasions since 9/11, civilian planes including commercial flights have come within minutes of being shot down; none of those turned out to be a threat. When the Soviet Union downed KAL flight 007 over sensitive military airspace, the Reagan administration reacted with outrage. As The New York Times editorialized in 1983, "no circumstance whatever justifies attacking an innocent plane . . . to proclaim a 'right' to shoot down suspicious planes does not make it right to do so." Now we claim that right for ourselves.
After all, what could a Cessna flying at 2500 feet do to the White House, moon it? Surely our vaunted military can at least wait until such a craft, whose top speed is 160 miles per hour, actually starts a suicide dive before firing on it. Since the possible target buildings had already been evacuated, the government luminaries standing around outside were more vulnerable to falling debris than an attack on an empty building. Any possible biological or radiological contamination aboard could be spread by shooting the plane down, or indeed by a flight that did not get that close to its intended target. And President Bush, hard at work as always, was riding his bicycle in a suburban wildlife refuge at the time, perhaps on the lookout for likely drilling sites.
Some no-fly zones are prudent. Incompetent pilots who violate them should be held responsible, but not consigned to a fiery death along with innocent passengers and bystanders. As a D.C.-area resident and a frequent though reluctant air traveler, I don't need any more reasons to be afraid of flying. Please, let's save our fire for people who want to kill us, not those who can't read a map.
John Brodkin is an ADA member and former Executive Director of the Greater Washington chapter. Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of ADA.
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