Pilot’s Reassuring Message to Travelers Goes Viral After DC Plane Crash
By Movieguide® Contributor
An American Airlines pilot went viral for giving a message of comfort to passengers aboard his flight.
Shortly after the tragic collision of a Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle flight 5342 last week which left no survivors, an American Airlines pilot flying from Jacksonville to Miami reassured passengers that their safety was at the forefront of his mind.
“[You] may be fearful about flying and that’s certainly understandable, but just please know that my first officer and my flight attendants and myself place your safety and responsibility of carrying you to Miami to your families, your vacations, your meetings, at the highest level,” he said over the intercom in a video captured by one passenger. “I have no higher calling than carefully and professionally transporting you today. So, with that relax and enjoy the beautiful evening that we get to fly in.”
Leighton Mixon, who recorded the video, was grateful for the reassurance.
“I just want to [say] how thankful I am for him and his words in such a time as this. After such a tragic event, [and] I am someone who doesn’t have an anxious bone in my body, but I found myself facing so much anxiety and so much worry going into my trip [which was the day following the crash],” he said.
Mixon added, “As an airline employee you train and train and train for every possible worst-case scenario, and hope and pray to God it never happens…You can be doing everything right, and it still be totally out of your control. That scares me but also brings me peace. We are not in control.”
Users on Instagram commented on the powerful video. “Pilots don’t get enough recognition for what they do they hardly get talked about,” one user said. Another person added, “This is a beautiful example of leadership and human empathy. ❤️💗🥺”
READ MORE: OLYMPIC SKATER RESPONDS TO D.C. PLANE CRASH: ‘MY HEART IS SHATTERED’
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