keady Christiaan van Heijst  · Follow16h
 ·It’s with a heavy heart I’ve finally decided to write this post.A few days have passed since the horrific crash of the UPS MD11, and I’ve been following the news around this tragedy closely, ever since the first text messages appeared on my phone from fellow cargo pilots, minutes after it happened.Aviation, and the cargo pilot world in particular, is a very small world where social structures are closely bound.It echoes like a ripple through the community of fellow freight dogs... all of us individuals who share not only the same routes, hotels and occasional bar, but also know the same solitary lifestyle of being on the road for days or weeks on end, continents away from home and family.Flying through violent storms or the darkest nights, knowing you’re the only two or three conscious beings for thousands of miles around.A lifestyle that suits few, but is deeply rewarding in its own right for those who manage to appreciate it.I was glad to see my own friends flying for UPS are OK, but I feel deeply for the tragedy that befalls the relatives of the people on the ground and the crew who perished.Hearing the news, the shock, the uncertainty about their loved ones who might not be able to answer their phone inflight... an absolute nightmare for all of those involved.Without going into deep speculation, it seems obvious the aircraft experienced a catastrophic engine separation just after V1 speed. No possibility to stop the aircraft anymore: they had to continue.And engine number 2 failed just during rotation, quite possibly due to ingestion of debris from the fiercely burning wing, sealing their fate.I can’t help thinking what I would or could have done in such a scenario. My only conclusion is: nothing at all.A typical black swan event; an extremely rare, unpredictable occurrence with massive impact.This is a part of aviation all pilots know, but would rather not post about.Then again, besides sharing the beauty of flight, this is also a darker part of being a professional pilot.Out of respect for the crew and their families, I hesitated to post this, but I feel it's important to acknowledge the difficult realities of our profession too.
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