Have you heard news about U.S. airlines’ mishaps? Near misses that could have cost many lives? Probably not.
In December, a United Airlines flight taking off from Maui lost altitude and was within 800 feet of nosediving into the Pacific Ocean before pulling up.
A month later, an American Airlines jet crossed the runway at New York’s John F. Kennedy’s Airport just as a Delta Airlines plane was accelerating for takeoff. A miracle. No collision.
In February, a FedEx cargo jet at the Austin, Texas, airport barely missed crashing into a Southwest airliner by 100 feet.
That same month, an American Airlines plane at the Los Angeles airport was being towed out of the gate and collided with a bus carrying passengers. Five people were injured.
Could the Department of Transportation and its Secretary Pete Buttigieg or the head of the Federal Aviation Administratrion or ground crews, pilots or air traffic controllers – or all combined – be putting American travelers at mortal risk?
America’s security, safety, prosperity and lifestyles are not our birthright. They are the result of centuries of hard work and freedoms; one of which is the freedom to work hard to accomplish and achieve. Tamper with any of that and the system begins to fall apart.
In sum, our government is playing with our lives as it prefers diversity, equity and inclusion, over ensuring the best qualified employees are hired on the basis of racially and gender-blind competitive tests and experience.
Ken Fusco Sr.
Durango
