US Airways // Current

Hard Landing on US Airways Related to Billy Mays Death?

On Saturday Mays was on US Airways flight 1241 from Philadelphia to Tampa, which blew a tire on landing and reportedly shook passengers up quite a bit. Mays told a local TV station shortly after the flight landed that he had been hit on the head by falling luggage, but he felt fine.

Before going to sleep that night Mays told his wife that he didn’t feel well, then early Sunday morning she found him dead in his bed. Naturally this led to speculation that he may have suffered a undetected brain injury that slowly killed him, a fate similar to that of actress Natasha Richardson.

Richardson died in March 2009 several hours after suffering a minor blow to the head while skiing in Canada. She told medical staff that she felt normal immediately after the fall, but later the same day she lapsed into an irreversible coma brought on by intracranial bleeding.

Well, late breaking autopsy reports put paid to the theory that Mays may have died of head trauma by stating that heart disease was the primary cause of death. But it still raises questions about in-cabin security. How at risk of being injured are passengers during severe turbulence or a rough landing?

Though US Airways said in a public statement that no one reported being injured on flight 1241, many do get injured while on planes, by everything from falling luggage to wayward beverage carts to bathroom doors.

The Flight Safety Foundation surveyed airlines in the mid-1990s and found that 10,000 people worldwide were injured every year by falling luggage alone, and about 4,500 in the United States. Though the survey revealed that some of the injuries included head trauma, there is no indication that anyone died from a head injury related to a falling object.

Turbulence, on the other hand, causes far fewer injuries overall than falling objects, but can actually kill you. Between 2003-2007, there were 57 turbulence events on aircraft where at least one person on board was seriously injured, and since 1980 at least six people have died from turbulence, according to AirSafe.com.

The moral of the story? Planes can be dangerous; but you knew that already. There’s a reason why the cabin crew repeatedly reminds passengers to stay in their seats and keep their seat belts fastened, overhead bins shut, and personal items safely tucked under the seat.

It’s sad that Billy Mays died, but it’s somehow reassuring to other flyers that a plane did not cause his death. In fact, NTSB statistics show that over the last 10 years the number of injuries on planes has gone down, a trend we hope will continue.On Saturday Mays was on US Airways flight 1241 from Philadelphia to Tampa, which blew... more

ras_menelik
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Arrested: US Marine At Airport With Bomb-Making Materials

From the article..."A US Marine was arrested today at Logan International Airport... more

ninthstate
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7 months ago
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60 comments

Yale student's Xbox disappears from luggage so he sues US Airways for $1 million

A Yale University student from Ohio has filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million from US... more

Hyphy_D
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9 months ago
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Calm Sullenberger on FAA audio: 'We're gonna be in the Hudson'

Listening to the audio was.......wow....

DailyMenendez
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10 months ago
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Splash Landing Recordings Released

The cockpit recordngs from US Airways flight 1549's splash landing in the Hudson River... more

ebindelglass
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10 months ago
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Modern day Titantic

Makes it clear that first class is worth the extra money. I thought all emergency... more

Brian_Brooks
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10 months ago
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Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger, hero of US Airways Flight 1549, breaks silence about emergency landing

The pilot whose splash landing in the Hudson made him an American hero has broken his... more

KevinFederline
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10 months ago
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Video Shows Instant After Splash Landing

A newly released security camera tape shows the emergency ditching of US Airways... more

ebindelglass
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10 months ago
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Billboard Pays Tribute to Flight 1549

A Manhattan billboard for fashion designer Kenneth Cole has often been used to make a... more

ebindelglass
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10 months ago
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New York jet plunge data released

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Apparently it was a bird at 3,200ft

stewiegriffin
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10 months ago
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US Airways Totally Botches Flight #1549 Status After Crash!

A US Airways jet with 155 people on board ditched in the frigid Hudson River off... more

webgrafix
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10 months ago
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Airplane in Hudson River

A US Airways plane was down in the Hudson River on Thursday after attempting to take... more

toreyray
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10 months ago
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US Airways jet crashes in Hudson River

NEW YORK - A US Airways plane crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon... more

riffhard98
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US Airways Jet Crashes Into Hudson River

A US Airways plane that took off Thursday at 3:26 p.m. from La Guardia Airport landed in the Hudson River five minutes later, where it remains mostly submerged. Ferries and other boats converged to help with a rescue effort, as the plane drifted south. According WNBC television news, there was reports of injuries among the 151 people on board.

The plane, US Airways flight 1549, took off from LaGuardia Airport at 3:26 p.m. was bound for Charlotte, N.C. and had 146 passengers and 5 crew members. The plane may have hit a flock of birds, according to a F.A.A. report, and then descended. The pilot tried to return to the airport when the plane fell into the Hudson.

Television reports showed several commuter ferries around where the plane, an Airbus A320, was in the water. New York Police Department divers dove into the water to assist with the rescue as plane floated southbound on the river, possibly due to the tidal direction.

Shortly before 4 p.m., a New York Waterways ferry pulled into Pier 79 at 39th Street and 12th Avenue and, led by a man wrapped only in a blanket, about 15 passengers from the airplane were escorted into the ferry terminal. No one was carrying any belongings.

“They look amazingly calm, but I bet their hearts are racing,” said Bob Grindrod, of Syracuse, who was waiting to board a ferry for New Jersey.

The divers were dropped into the water from helicopters overhead, police officials said. Some passengers were able to free themselves from the plane. They could be seen on the exterior in televised reports.

Some passengers being plucked from the frigid water were being taken to the Circle Line piers nearby at West 42nd Street. It was less than 20 degrees Farenheit in New York City at the time. Fire and police rescue crews were rushing to the water.

One witness interviewed by WNBC said he saw the plane descending steadily without its landing gear down.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has set up a family center at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near LaGuardia Airport.

MSNBC has live video of the scene.

We would like to hear from witnesses who saw the plane go down. Call our Metro Desk editorial assistants at (212) 556-1533. Anyone with images of the crash and rescue is asked to e-mail them to cityroom.nyt@gmail.com.A US Airways plane that took off Thursday at 3:26 p.m. from La Guardia Airport landed... more