Harrowing Scene as Jet Catches Fire Midair --

[defendandprotect]

Calm and prayers help steer stricken plane back to Singapore

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said the Airbus 330, bound for Jakarta with 136 passengers on board, landed back in Singapore "without incident" just before 2 a.m. It said the crew shut down the engine after receiving a "stall warning."

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific said it and engine maker Rolls Royce were investigating the incident.

Reuters photographer Beawiharta was aboard the plane with his wife, two sons and daughter. About 20 minutes after take-off, there were two sharp bangs, sending cabin staff scurrying to retrieve the meals they had only just begun serving.

The plane began shaking violently, he said, and the lights went out. He could smell something burning.

His son, Pradipta, 15, said he saw nothing as he peered out the window.




http://www.yahoo.com/?fr=fp-yie8

[Taverner]

1. No one died. Good.

That is my #1 concern

[Arugula Latte]

2. Yeah, I'm sure the prayers made a big difference.

If the deity they're praying too saw fit to cause/allow the plane to catch on fire in the first place, what kind of an a-hole god is it?

Anyway, good thing nobody was hurt.

[vanamonde]

3. Prayer, indeed

I guess nobody on board was praying on 9-11, or when the Air France jet went down in the Atlantic, or in any other disaster, otherwise they would have all lived. Imagine that, all those planes just happened to be filled with atheists that day. What are the chances?

[Arugula Latte]

6. Exactly.

Or, if there's a horrible tragedy and one person emerges from the wreckage they usually claim that "God heard my prayers and saved me." The implication: I'm special and those other shmucks who died weren't in God's special favor.

[thereismore]

4. Oh no, you don't understand. The Devil lit it, then God heard the prayers and saved them.

:sarcasm:

[CBGLuthier]

7. stupid people with their stupid beliefs huh

why does the reaction of someone, who you do not know, facing a possible death, bother you so much?

Every time an article happens to mention some poor slob with faith making prayers and the anti-theists come out of the woodwork to shit all over them. Do you hold it in, in anticipation of the glorious release?

I am secure enough in my own atheism to allow others to have their beliefs without any need for ridicule from me. That kind of thing is childish and counter-productive. It is the ugliest fucking thing about DU.

[Arugula Latte]

8. This was in the lead -- attributing the averting of disaster to supernatural intervention.

That is irresponsible journalism.

Religion has a stranglehold over public life in this country in part because people are too polite to point out the emperor has no clothes. Believers feel no qualms about inserting their belief in the supernatural into countless daily situations. Meanwhile, the rest of us say nothing for fear of being impolite. Few ever point out it is impolite for believers in nonsense to continue to assume that everyone shares their delusions.

Also, by your logic nobody should ever say Boo about the shit Republicans say.

[Fumesucker]

9. In the OP, it's not the reaction of the passengers that's objectionable

It's the way the article is written, "calm and prayers lead a stricken airliner to safety" or something like that, no mention of the competence of the crew, all that's needed is prayer and calm.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. If all you need is prayers to fly an airplane, why are there pilots?

Seems to me the pilots of that airplane deserve the credit, not the prayers of the passengers. Which isn't to say that they were wrong for praying - anything that makes you feel better is fine with me.

[saras]

5. Personally I would have thought a well-trained pilot was involved

But hey, if calm and prayer can deal with a situation like this, then who needs to be paying those pilots all that money?