Except insurance companies. They learn the most from these things.
In Hong Kong, there will be a thorough investigation, a report, assigning of blame. Funerals for the dead, psychiatric counselling for the survivors.
But nothing will change. Pilots will still attempt to land their magnificent flying machines in stormy weather, corporations will still put emphasis on the bottom line, passengers will still put their trust in God, amazing technology that enables them to be god-like for a few hours in the air, and fate.
Flying is safe, very safe, according to industry statistics. But don't ask the survivors of Flight 642 about statistics. It will take most of them years to recover and it won't be easy.
After every accident, there is hand-wringing, assigning of blame, officials who humbly take responsibility and resign. Newspapers dutifully print obituaries, TV news segments will show us the grieving families, over and over again.
It doesn't matter if it's TWA Flight 800 over Long Island or the Lockerbie explosion over Scotland or even the KAL 007 shootdown over the Sea of Japan. Last year it was Taoyuan, last week it was Hong Kong, two days ago Argentina.
Planes fly, planes explode, planes crash. Every flight is a race against time, against lift and stall, against the elements. Is flying safe? Sure.
While today marks the second anniversary of the crash of that Swissair jet flying from New York to Geneva, one wonders if anything has been learned. Flying is still a lottery in which most of us come out as winners. But for some modern travelers, the flying is over; they lost the lottery and died unspeakable deaths.
Dan Bloom is an editor at the Taipei Times.
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