Libya – How Does One Boy Survive an Otherwise Fatal Plane Crash?

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    In this image made Wednesday, May 12, 2010 from Libya TV, a 10 year-old Dutch boy, the only known survivor of the crash of an Afriqiyah Airways plane crash in Tripoli, is treated in a hospital. A Libyan plane carrying 104 people crashed Wednesday on approach to Tripoli's airport, leaving a field scattered with smoldering debris that included a large chunk of the tail painted with the airline's brightly colored logo. (AP Photo/Libya TV) Libya – Somehow there was one survivor of the fiery plane crash in Libya this morning. Just one: a 10-year-old Dutch boy. The other 103 people on the Airbus A330-200 died.

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    At least 103 people were killed during a crash landing at a Tripoli airport.

    Amazing? Yes. Unheard of? Not quite.

    This is actually the fifteenth time since 1970 that there has been a single survivor in an airliner crash.

    But what’s even more amazing is that of those 15 survivors, 12 have either been children or crew members.

    “Once again it’s a child or a crew member, and I have no idea why,” said Todd Curtis, director of the Airsafe.com Foundation, which tracks aviation disasters.

    Generally, he said, “there’s no rhyme or reason” as to why that one person survives.

    “You scratch your head and wonder why is that? Is it because children can best survive crash forces? Is it because you only have small survival spaces in an aircraft and the smaller you are, the more likely you are to survive?” Curtis said. “Those are plausible explanations … but no one has done any sort of analysis that I like to call vaguely scientific or mechanical.”

    Sometimes, it might just have to do with how close emergency personnel are to the crash site.

    In 2006, Delta Connection flight 5191, operated by Comair, crashed about four miles west of Lexington, Kentucky shortly after takeoff. All 47 passengers on board died, as did two of the three crew members. First officer James Polehinke suffered major injuries but was pulled out of the wreckage by a local police officer and two airport safety officers.

    Compare that to a Yemenia Airways flight that crashed last year in the Indian Ocean, 10 miles off the coast of Comoros. Out of the 142 passengers and 11 crew onboard, only a 12-year-old girl survived. Curtis said if that crash had occurred closer to rescuers, there likely would have been more survivors.

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    16 Comments
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    a pushita yid
    a pushita yid
    13 years ago

    Why what a silly question because hashem wanted

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    HKB”H Decides who shall live and who shall die. There is no human rationalizing this.

    Askupeh
    Askupeh
    13 years ago

    This reminds me of a little boy (then an infant) who now lives in Boro Park who was the only survivor of a plane crash in about 1950. He was well wrapped and as he fell from the sky a Ness Min Hashomayim happened and a piece of his enwrapment hit a tree twig and after some bungee jumping he remained hanging on the tree totally unharmed until they rescued him.

    Another story comes to mind that happened about 20 years ago where the mother of an infant saved her child by taking the entire heat and impact on herself. The child was hurt badly and burned a large percent of the body but still was the lone survivor. So maybe we can say that the reason children survive is because a parent protected them going down, but that would no explain why crew members survived, unless they know something about planes we don’t know.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Well it’s because of Global warming, or Bush.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I don’t think it matters why. H’ decided that it should be so. We should be happy that in the course of this tragedy there is some visible good. Since he was only 10, he was probably traveling with his parents, who must have died with the others. May H’ continue to have rachmonus on this poor child.

    The Truth
    The Truth
    13 years ago

    It all boils down to who Hashem wants to survive, but if you want to deal with it in a hashgocho klalis way (the natural way of the world), Its pretty simple to explain: Plane crew are more likely to survive as they have had hours of training how to deal with all sorts or issues and how to survive plane crashes. Kids survive as they obviously travel with parents/adults who will do anything to protect them if they can, plus they are much more resilient to all kinds of issues.

    Babishka
    Member
    Babishka
    13 years ago

    There was a plane crash in Detroit in 1987 where one 4-year-old girl was the survivor. “Baby Cecelia.”

    Mentch
    Mentch
    13 years ago

    There was a Northwest Airlines flight which left Detroit in August, 1987. Prior to the takeoff, instead of the flight crew being concerned with the check list procedure, which is mandatory, they were too busy joking with each other about everything, but their duties (this was picked up on the cockpit voice recorder). As a result, they forgot to set the flaps for takeoff; because of their grievous error, the plane went into a stall shortly after takeoff, and crashed and burned, killing several people on the ground, and everyone on board, with the exception of a young child, who miraculously survived. Prior to the firefighters and rescue workers arriving on the scene, there were reports of locals actually stealing valuables from the deceased passengers! The lone survivor recently graduated from college.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    kuddos #9

    V'hamaivin yovin
    V'hamaivin yovin
    13 years ago

    Because the child hasn’t transgressed any sins that he’s liable for, such as the three cardinal ones.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Crew’s survive because the cockpit often breaks away from the rest of the cabin. Children survive because they are smaller and more flexible. Hashem would approve of this comment.

    yad Hashem
    yad Hashem
    13 years ago

    The “how” is no different than the “why”.How could he have survived? It all goes back to the same thing. You could look for all possible rationalizations,and give “teritzim” for this or that…the crew knows how to survive, the child is resilient, the parents protected him, bla bla…well, I’m sure others have died under the same “lucky knowledge of, or age”, so it all boils down to this. Nothing is a coincidence and to look for reasons why one survives under unusual circumstances is not coughed up to chance. It is obvious that the yad Hashem was working there. To try to figure out how one child miraculously survives such an inferno is beyond me…..or anyone’s knowledge. I guess he has some uncompleted work to do in this world… maybe find the cure for cancer or make a great impact on the world, after all, you have to contribute greatly for getting a second change, who knows……or maybe in every tragedy Hashem wants to show us that miracles still happen, and that he controls everything!!!!! that’s the answer.No how’s or why’s….Under “all” circumstances, it goes against nature to survive….everyone else perished!!!!!!