January 30, 2025 • 43 mins
Wednesday evening, an American Airlines passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter sending both aircraft into the Potomac River below. There were 64 people on board the plane and three soldiers in the Army helicopter, according to DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Officials say no survivors are expected. Six people associated with the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood were among the deceased passengers. Does a tragedy such as this make you rethink about traveling via aircraft?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Night Side with Dan Raybs Constance video.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well, this time last night, a tragedy had struck Washington, DC,
and I watched the news today and watched television today,
and it is the story. It is the story of
the day. There was a news conference and a statement
from President Trump this morning which has generated a little
(00:27):
bit of controversy. The President linked what happened last night,
didn't link it directly, but talked about a DEI, which
I think was an honestly unnecessary and an unenforced political error.
So I would like to focus on the tragedy of
(00:47):
last night, the loss of life sixty four people on
the plane from Wichita to Reagan National Airport, as well
as the three military personnel. Now, I have no idea
what happened. I suspect no one in the audience knows
what happened. These are the sorts of accidents that are
investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, and that they
(01:13):
may have an interim report that comes out a couple
of months from now, or it may be a year
before the final report comes out. But there was enough
reporter today that has troubled me, and it troubles me
as just as a human being, but it also troubles
(01:36):
me as someone who spends a little bit of time,
not a lot of time in airports and on airplanes
during the course of the year. Two things that trouble
me the most are as. I understand that. And I
watched a lot of the reporting today from the cable
network's news channels as well as the nightly newscast ABC
(02:01):
Evening News. I watched that's my newscast of choice at
six point thirty, and I understand it, and some of
you probably know more about this than I do, so
I want to open this up as kind of a discussion.
We call this show North America's back Porch. I don't
use that nomenclature as often as I should, but I
(02:22):
view this program as a program similar to the all
houses that maybe some of you grew up in many
years ago when life was a little simpler, and they
would be a front porch or a back porch where
people would gather on a good you know, spring, late spring,
early summer, midsummer night, and people would come up on
the porch and talk. And that's the metaphor that I
use for our program. So I guess the first thing
(02:47):
that troubles me that I heard about was that the
helicopter was flying in an altitude of three hundred and
fifty feet, because that is where they crash occurred. So
three hundred and fifty feet in the air, that's longer
than a football or higher than a football field. If
(03:07):
you would turn a football field perpendicularly, I guess if
you took the end zones, that you'll let stadium the
one hundred yards of the field, and then there's ten
yards on each end, so we're talking about one hundred
and twenty yards. That's about three hundred and sixty feet. Okay,
So that's where the crash occurred. Didn't take long for
those for the plane and the helicopter to fall out
(03:29):
of the sky into the Potomac River. They're still trying
to find bodies tonight, and hopefully they will find everyone,
and that part of the story will bring some closure,
I guess to some extent. I don't know that we'll
ever have these families will ever have closure. We'll get
(03:49):
to the families in a moment. The other story that
has broken tonight, according to the New York Times, staffing
was not normal at the Reagan Airport tower. According to
an FAA report. Now this gets interesting. This is an
article that was written by two women, Sidney Ember and
(04:13):
Emily Steele, who was updated this afternoon about three point
forty two. Staffing at the air traffic control tower at
Ronald Reagan National Airport was not normal quote not normal
for the time of day in volume of traffic. According
to an internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration safety report about
the collision that was reviewed by The New York Times,
(04:34):
the controller who was handling helicopters in the airport's vicinity
on Wednesday night was also instructing planes that were landing
and departing from its runways. Those jobs are typically typically
assigned to two controllers rather than one. The increase this
increases the workload for the air traffic controller and can
(04:54):
complicate the job. One reason is that controllers can use
different radio frequent to communicate with pilots flying planes and
pilots flying helicopters. While the controller is communicating with pilots
of the helicopter and the jet, the two sets of
pilots may not be able to hear each other. Like
most of the country's air traffic control facilities, the tower
(05:17):
at Reagan Import has been understaffed for years. The tower
there was nearly a third below target staff levels, with
nineteen fully certified controllers as of September twenty twenty three.
According to the most recent Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan
(05:37):
and ANERWER report to Congress that contains target and actual
staffing levels. The targets set by the FAA and the
Controllers Union call for thirty. So both the FAA, which
represents the government, and the Controllers Union call for thirty
fully certified controllers, but in September twenty twenty three, there
were only nineteen fully certified controllers. The shortage, caused by
(06:01):
years of employee turnover and tight budgets, among other factors,
has forced many controllers to work up to six days
a week and ten hours a day. The FAA did
not immediately respond to a quest to a request for comment.
Now we have heard most of us, I think have
(06:22):
heard some of the traffic, the audio traffic, and this.
I want to play this for you because I think
it's pretty critical. It always seems to me, now not
an air traffic controller, but it seems to me that
air traffic controllers have to speak and make decisions very quickly,
(06:47):
and they are life and death decisions. Even surgeons in
operating rooms or doctors in emergency rooms have more time
to make some of these decisions. Rob, if you can
locate cut sixty three, this is air traffic control audio
from the plane helicopter crash near DC. You'll hear a
(07:11):
comment at the end that says, I saw a fireball,
then it was just gone. I think that's another pilot.
There was a plane above and behind the American Airlines
flight from which you tak So Rob, if you've located
sixty three, let's play it and listen to it.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Fire Command. The accident happened in the river.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river
is east of the.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
Approach end of runway three three.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Real close. Yes, the airfield is closed. The airfield is closed.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
World, Yes, all runways are closed.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Nobody's landing, no one's moving at all.
Speaker 6 (07:51):
It was probably out in the middle of the river.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
So any since they hits a river, but it was a.
Speaker 5 (08:02):
CRJ and a helicopter that hit.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I would say maybe a half mile off the approach
in the.
Speaker 7 (08:07):
Three three.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Obviously that's air traffic control audio, and that is after
the accident has occurred. Now, the American Airlines CEO, guy
named Robert Isisim, released a video, just a video expressing sorrow,
which is perfectly understandable and it is not in any way,
(08:32):
shape or form and acknowledgment that his crew messed up.
At this point, we don't know who messed up, but
we know that someone messed up because these two planes,
these two aircraft, should not have been anywhere near one
another at this time. This is cut number sixty four.
Rob this is the American Airlines CEO.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Hello everyone, I'm Robert Eisen, the CEO of American Airlines.
I want to brief you on a serious accident that
occurred involving an American Eagle aircraft. The aircraft was operated
by PSA Airlines, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of
American Airlines. First, and most importantly, I'd like to express
our deep sorrow about these events. This is a difficult
(09:17):
day for all of us at American Airlines, and our
efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers,
crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and
loved ones.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well, the families and loved ones are the one who
need most of the support. Now we've learned throughout the
day that there were six people on that flight. Two
teenage US national figure skaters, a young man from Barrington,
Rhode Island, Spencer Lane, sixteen years old, a young girl
(09:55):
thirteen year old, Gina Hahn. I watched she's from Mansfield.
I watched video of both of them tonight. They were
out at a development camp for American figure skaters in
the Wichita area. They obviously had been identified by their
(10:15):
coaches as people with incredible potential and probably at some
point in our lives we will watch them completely competing
in the Winter Olympics for our country. Their moms, Christine
Lane and Jin Hahn, they were with their teenagers and
(10:36):
they died in the crash along with them, as well
as their coaches. Eugenia Shishkoba and Vadim Knockmov, two Russian
nationals who relocated here at some point several years ago,
were living in Norwood. They were nineteen ninety four national champion,
(11:01):
and I'm trying to remember back if ninety four was
an Olympic year, but either way, they which they were
world class figure skaters who now were world class coaches
thirty years later, and they were on the plane as well,
So six people that we know of. There apparently were
some other members from the figure skating community who lived
(11:21):
in other parts of the country who had taken the
flight from Wichita to Washington because there are no direct
flights from Wichita to Boston. So I just like tonight,
as we often do sparticularly in times of tragedy, is
open up the phone lines and give you an opportunity
to say whatever you like about this. There's no controversy here.
(11:47):
This is just a national tragedy, similar to the aircrash
that wiped out the US figure skating team in nineteen
sixty one when they're playing crashed in Belgium. I believe
it's It was difficult last night to continue to do
our show last night realizing that a lot of people
(12:08):
probably had had their attention rightfully, so turned to the
disaster in Washington. So tonight, let's focus on that and
say what you'd like. If you know any of these folks,
if you're from the figure skating community, you know the
Boston Skating Club used to be on Soldiers Field Road,
very close to WBCTV, and recently, well in the last
(12:30):
few years, they built a magnificent building in Norwood. I
believe I've not been out there, but I believe it's
on Route one, and it just was perfect. There's going
to be some national competition here in Boston late in March.
This is some monumental tragedy. So I just have one
(12:54):
other thing to say, two things to say, six one, seven,
thirty three thirty later on tonight, I would like to
talk about this for a couple of hours because I
think it's important to express your feelings, and for not
only for you to express your feelings, but for people
(13:15):
to realize that none of us are alone, and this
all of us. This is what all of us are
thinking about tonight, and so to do anything else, even
something as important as confirmation hearings, Cabinet confirmation hearings, it
doesn't work. We will spend an hour at eleven o'clock,
from eleven o'clock to twelve and talking about Internet and
(13:36):
social network and social network addiction. We have a guest
who we had on a couple of weeks ago and
I thought he was really good. We're going to bring
him back tonight and give you a chance to talk
to him and ask you a question. So that's that's
the agenda for the evening, pretty straightforward. Feel free to
join the conversation. The only line that remains open right
now is six one, seven, nine, three, one ten thirty.
(13:57):
My name is Dan ray We'll be back right after
this on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Now back to Dan ray Lie from the Window World
Nightside Studios on w b Z, the news radio.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Let me go to the phones right away. Let me
go to John and Denim. John, appreciate you getting us
going tonight. You were first tonight on Nightside. Your thoughts
on this horrific event last night.
Speaker 7 (14:20):
Well, then after what you just said about the staff,
and I said, you know, and I meant to I
want to call it, you know, you know other times
about this, but I'm more angry than anything right now.
But how how is this? How will we but all
the millions billions we spend on crap? If I could
say the word, how do we not have stuff? I'm
(14:41):
looking at the disasters like New Orleans with that truck
that went down street, the fires in California that could
the damage could be minimized, and the Secret Service a
sleep at the wad of for twenty year old kid
and it just goes on and on. What happened? What
happened is the accountability. Like I said, I'm just angry
(15:01):
because this did not have to happen. Let me tell
you if.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
I couldn't agree with I couldn't agree with you more.
The word is accountability. You just wonder how look I'm
at it every time I go to the airport. I
don't know about you, but it's like I'm at a
bus station. But do you do you fly often or no?
Speaker 7 (15:24):
Not as much as they used to. But I know
what you mean.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
It's like a bus station.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
And I look at I think, how do they keep
how do they keep the plane safe up there? This
will stay with me for a long time. I know
that there hasn't been a big commercial disaster like this,
they said, since the crash in Buffalo in two thousand
and nine. But how can of all the places in
(15:53):
the world that you would want to have overstaffing, it
would be an FAA troll tower.
Speaker 7 (16:03):
Yeah, I'm sorry, Dan, but it's like if if ever
you need a redundancy or check some balances, listen that
I go up in Brighton I go up skating at
that skating Cup of Boston. As you know, I live
in Dead of Mouse. I'm not too far from a
new rank, beautiful rank. And it's like a thirteen year old,
sixteen year old kid for what because somebody didn't staff,
(16:26):
we couldn't get we couldn't get enough money to staff
enough controllers. I don't get it. I just don't get it.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
I don't either. It's it seems to me that that
there's a there's a new sheriff in town. Donald J. Trump,
and if he would focus on the problem that you
just identified. He spent some time today looking pretty presidential,
but then he kind of drifted off and wanted to
(16:55):
to talk about diversity Inclusion DEI. I am as frustrated
with some of the DEI programs that exist as anybody.
But I don't think he was smart to bring that
up today because there's no suggestion that this had anything
to do with people who were hired and were not confident.
(17:16):
It has everything to do with they weren't enough people
up there period.
Speaker 7 (17:21):
I mean, at this point, again, base of what you said,
I don't even I don't think I'm getting to blame. Obviously,
you need a full investigation. But it doesn't sound like
it's even the controler's fault. It's like, just you have
I'm wondering, like, did both the helicopter pilot and the
air air wine pilot listen to the same instructions today?
From what I understand, he was handling both.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
If I heard right, that's what That's what the New
York Times are saying this afternoon, right, or said.
Speaker 7 (17:45):
That's the case. It's like, uh, and Daniel, what you say?
They working like ten hours a day and they yeah,
do you want a doctor at the end of his
twenty hour ship to operate on you? It's like and
that Obviously we've heard about how many close causes have
been around the country, so it's obvious. I hope, I
(18:08):
hope Trump and you know, Trump does it. I think obviously,
like you said, new sheriff in town. But again, I
hope this investigation comes out and it's not it's unbiased,
totally objective. Put the boy where it was. If there
wasn't enough staffing, why I wasn't there staffing? Don't tell
me there's not enough money. You can find money. You
(18:28):
find billions, illegals, you can find minor staff and control.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Cow absolutely and and by the way, this is an
opportunity for Donald Trump. I know today that there was
a couple of the reporters he talked about signing an
executive order last week, and one of the reporters asked
him this dumb question, like, well, you signed the executive order,
how did this happen? I mean, it does take some
time for policy to be to be put in place.
(18:53):
So let's hope that that he does the right thing
for everyone. And one more thing, yeah, true, yeah, true.
Speaker 7 (19:01):
Because after what you just said, you just reminded me
of was it like a few days ago, I thought
I heard Elizabeth Warren criticizing Trump for inflation and and
and I don't know if you saw that, and it
it's like you didn't criticize buy for four years. This
guy just gets an office and you already criticized it
because I think the egg price and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, let me let me let me tell you. She's
on the she was on the war path yesterday. I
thought she made a fool of herself yesterday. The Wall
Street Journal actually gave her a good review, but I
thought she was totally both she she and Bernie Sanders
were totally out of control yesterday. But that's a story
for yesterday. Let's let's focus on the folks whose lives
(19:43):
have been taken from us. You know, mothers and uh
and coaches and skaters who had everything to live for.
And I was tough watching the news tonight at six
o'clock and seeing Nancy Carragan out there as well as
doctor Tentley. All right, you know two great New Englanders
who we know, all Bright as a physician but also
(20:06):
as an Olympic skater and Nancy Kerrigan. So let's let's
get it right, folks. And this is an opportunity. Donald
Trump doesn't have to point fingers at anyone. Do yourself
a favorite President Trump, and make the changes that need
to be changes, and get it right, get it right,
simple as that. Thank you, John, appreciate your call very much.
(20:30):
I think we lost them. All right, we take a break.
We're coming back on night Side right after the news
at the bottom of the era and the lines are
still full, so back off. I'll let you know in
this an open.
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Speaker 11 (23:48):
I'm Nicole Davis the quick check of the stories trending
right now on WBZ News Radio ten thirty. Opponents of
the plan to demolish Whites Stadium in Boston and build
a new home for a pro women's soccer team are
making their voices heard.
Speaker 10 (24:06):
Holding signs with slogan's like what would Olmsted say in
private sports complex equals traffic gridlock. A group of protesters
chanted over the brooming construction.
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We're out here today because look at what's going on
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Speaker 8 (24:21):
It's Jeff, this is how it is.
Speaker 11 (24:22):
And you're gonna bulldoze through the community. You're gonna bulldoze
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That report they're from wbz's Madison Rogers. Meantime, Northfield Mount
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(24:44):
I'm Old Davis.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZZY, Boston's news.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Radio, Back to the Folds. You're go going to go
to Fred and Dad and Fred next on Nightside. Your
thoughts on this very sad night, Yes.
Speaker 12 (24:59):
Dan is too little things make it quick. One is
I guess two nights ago at that airport in Washington
and American Airlines had a problem. There was one of
military helicopter in his way and he had to get
a wave off, and he had to go around and
come in a second time because he didn't have a
clear sight onto the runway. And then I heard on
(25:23):
television tonight in Boston they've had three situations in Boston
in the last six months in which pilots had to
take evasive action because of a second airplane. So I'm
beginning to get a little bit scared about this whole thing.
Have a good night, Bye bye two Thanks.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Thanks Fred, appreciate your call, and I certainly understand exactly
what Fred has to say every time I fly, I'm
I'm nervous, and and this this will stick in my
mind for for a while. That that's for sure, it'll
stick in all of our minds. It's amazing that these
these planes get up in the air. Never mind that
(26:02):
they stay up in the air. Let me keep rolling here,
going to go to Rick and Bill Ricker next nightside
right ahead, Rick.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Hey, Dan, how are you okay? Yeah, very very very sad,
very sad day. First off, yeah, Trump saying, you know,
foolish things like the EI. I mean, if there was proof, fine,
he can say at all he wants, but he doesn't
have to go there. He undermines his intelligence by by
(26:31):
even saying it. It's it's foolish and it's not the
appropriate time. And didn't you say a few minutes ago
on the year that uh for three years or two years?
Reagan National, Reagan International. It's Reagan. It's an international airport, right, It's.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Called Reagan the international airport. But yeah, Reagan National, Ye,
go ahead.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Reagan National Airport has been understaff for three years now
or two years.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Well September twenty twenty three, so a year and a half.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
A lest how can that be legal? How can that
be legal? I mean.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Is that both the FAA and the union. So the
government and the union agree that they need thirty full
time you know, FAA air traffic controllers, FA air traffic controllers.
And as of September twenty twenty three, which is well
a year and a half ago, it was down to nineteen.
(27:29):
I mean, you can't cover all the shifts. I mean
those airlines. Those airlines start flying at five o'clock in
the morning and they don't shut down until midnight. Can
how can you cover seven days? And you can't have
people sitting there for eight hours without a bathroom break
or a food break. You have to have, you know,
more than one person in the control tower. It's crazy,
(27:52):
It's absolutely crazy.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
Yeah, but that's not my problem, Like your problem is
they're going to be open for business. They have to
get people and train them and offer them good enough
money and keep them on the job. And this is
just I just I sent my brother off yesterday to
take a flight to Florida for a cruise, and I
just thought from you know, sent them to Logan Express
(28:15):
in Woburn, and I was like, whoa. It just caught
me off card, but it's it's so tragic. Remind it
takes me back to the lockery Scotland. I think it
was pan Am. I know that was far more people
on it. There was like two hundred and seventy people.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
That also was That also was a bomb that detonated.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
That was that was. That was a whole different thing,
I know, but it just made me think of it
for some sug I.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Mean again, these people are sitting These folks are sitting there.
I'm sure they're talking, they're excited, They're about to land
there on half way home, and within a nanosecond they're dead.
I mean, I mean, the only good thing and there
was no good thing in reality. But they probably didn't suffer.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
Well that's I hopefully not because they hit they hit
the cold water. But I you know, I just think
to myself in closing, uh tonight, with with the with
we have AI robots that can talk and make movements
like human, we have the Myers over, we have all
this incredible technology, and the only thing I can think
of is sometimes people forget to pay attention. I feel
(29:20):
so sorry for the person who who was who reported it,
who was kind of on behind the controls of the
you know, the what is it called, I'm losing my
train of thought, you know, the the the attendant in
the in the station. I feel sorry for that person
(29:41):
for not knowing. But I just think, with all the technology,
how can this happened? You've you've you think that also?
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Yeah, I'm sure you think about technology. The question is
are they trying to do too much or with too
little resources? Are there too many planes up there? Too
many people? Are are we overextending everybo Look? I want
the economy to do well. I want people to be
able to fly, but maybe they have to just cut
back and say, hey, look these you know, some of
(30:09):
these hubs, I mean Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Dallas. I mean
they're landing planes every uh, you know, it seems like
every two minutes. I just don't know that they can
that they can handle it. And all you need is
one and maybe this will be turned out that the
that the helicopter pilot his alterrimeter wasn't working or he
(30:30):
didn't see they'll have a reason here. I don't think
this was intentional. This was a mistake. No, no, of course, yeah,
but we have to make sure that that these mistakes.
You just can't say, Gee, I wish we had fewer mistakes,
because any mistake is unacceptable at this level. You're talking
about a plane that has sixty seven souls on it
(30:52):
and they're gone as simple as that. Look. Appreciate you
call Wrick. We'll talk soon. Okay, thanks buddy, absolutely, thanks,
but only right now six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty. We're going to go next to Ruth in Westwood. Ruth,
appreciate you taking the time to call you next on nightside.
Go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
Yeah, I I I remember the nineteenth because you want
playing crash and because I used to figure skate and
all those people who died were my friends.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Yeah, I remember it very well as well. And that
set back. Yeah, you know our Olympic skating programs. I
mean all of those young people have gone and gone
in an instant.
Speaker 5 (31:38):
Yeah right, just I already saying something that you may
think of It was horrible, but I no mean competitors
the way I feel, I don't think they would have
minded if that had happened when they were coming back. Really,
I mean I think it's someone had gone up to
(32:03):
Brother Lord or Maratha Own and said, if you're going
to win gold but you'll die of plank posh on
the way back. I know competitors fairly well, and I
think that some of them would have gone, well, okay.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Yeah, I'm I'm not quite sure the point you're trying
to make, Ruth, because I'm.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
Trying, and I'm trying. I don't know what the point
I'm trying to make about that is. But I knew them,
I remember them. It was awful. I feel equally horrible
for the parents of these poor kids and the grandparents
of these poor kids, absolutely because I know exactly what
(32:50):
it's like, and my heart purs out to them, all right,
and I hope thank you will and you but I
want someone said about the slight controllers that these people
pay by the federal government to people who sit there
and tell the planes but one way to go, John,
(33:15):
And they're not paid enos, and they're orange. Enough of them,
and they are retiring, and that's one of the reasons
that you're getting more and more of this kind of
thing happening here, all right, because enough of them them.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
We've hit that. And and I thank you for calling,
and I thank you for adding your voice to our
conversation today.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
I'm sorry if I sound like a luna chip. I'm
rearing up.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
You sound upset, and I think we're all up. Thank
you so much. Let me get real quickly here, Alex
and Millis Alex want to get you in here soon enough.
The way through the commercial go ahead, Alex.
Speaker 7 (33:52):
Oh hid My heart goes out to those fourselves. But
I was going to say, there's three possibilities. It's either
the helicopter pilots, the American Airline plane, or the air
traffic controllers.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
I think you've covered the waterfront there for sure.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
Well one of the three is gotta be you know
what happened. But the other thing is I thought we
had you know, the planes have an anti collision warning device,
but I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
I'm not, I'm not doesn't work below I'm told it
doesn't work below one thousand feet, and they they collided
in three and fifty feet, right.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
Can I tell you many years ago, I was flying
into because I've flown so many times to Greece, I
was flying into Athens Airport and all of a sudden
the landing gear was having an issue and I could
see so I could see the you know, the emergency
vehicles you know below and thankfully everything worked out okay,
(34:59):
but it was so and I can't imagine what those
people want through if they did, if they probably didn't. Yeah,
that's what's happened. Now.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
I think I think obviously never should have happened. I
just think it was pretty all right.
Speaker 7 (35:12):
It's a tragedy.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Okay, thank you so much. I appreciate your calling. Yeah,
good night, good night. Take a break here on Nightside.
I got a one line at six one seven, two
five four and one at six one, seven, nine thirty.
Back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
Now, back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Hey, let's keep it rolling. You're gonna go to John
in Boston. John, tough night here, You're you're next on
night Side, John.
Speaker 7 (35:40):
Yeah, ah right, good evening, Dan. Lately what I've heard
on the radio, I feel so upright gone. My stomach
feels sick. You know, uh this news tonight, Uh the
other day or last week. Uh, twenty one year old
woman got out of the car and Vermont and shot
and killed the board of a trolley agent. They shot
back and killed the boyfriend put in the hospital. I
hope you've covered that.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
One well, did yeah.
Speaker 7 (36:03):
I mean, yeah, you did, okay, but I mean you
can't do.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Like a whole hour on it. But it's insane. I
mean twenty one year old. Oh gives a woman a
twenty one year old anything but crazy that takes here
her life?
Speaker 7 (36:14):
Go ahead, yeah, yeah. And then I heard the news
an eighteen year old boy shar teenage girl in the face.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Oh.
Speaker 7 (36:21):
My stomach's upside down thinking about all this and this
last night. This reminds me of when I was in
junior high school. Mister Lucci said, these things are towering
monument in these people's lives. Most of us we listen,
we'll probably move on pretty quickly from it and remember it.
But these people that affects it's a towering monument in
their lives. And I don't know why the air traffic
(36:45):
controllers are on the staff. New rules should be put
in place. They shouldn't work more than six hours a day.
They're well paid with an hour break in between this.
There's no excuse money wise. I mean, it makes me sick.
This country gives billions to I won't name the country,
some billions of this country. There are plenty money to
give away to other countries. There should be well, they
should be well paid there, and there's no excuse for
(37:07):
anything like this. I don't understand it. You know why
any airport or any traffic control tower has to be understaffed.
That's what I don't get.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Listen, people respond, John, I agree with you totally. Of
all the places that should be overstaffed or certainly fully staffed,
it would be airports because.
Speaker 7 (37:29):
And well paid. But I don't think they should work
among the six hours a day. Those people. I'm with you,
they got enough to do. Yeah, I'm with you. Shouldn't
mean not only the six hour days, more than enough.
We don't want them overwork.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Thanks, thank you, Thank you, John, Thank you. Question. That's
a good suggestion. Mel Is in Watertown, Meil. You're next
time nightside, go.
Speaker 7 (37:48):
Right ahead, my Dan, can you hear me?
Speaker 2 (37:51):
I can hear you. Fine, Thanks, it's Melanie. Huh, go ahead.
Speaker 6 (37:55):
So I just wanted to say, long time listener, second
time caller, okay, go ahead. But this issue has me
so upset. And there was another night I wanted to
call you too, So these are both related. I just think, well, first,
prayers go out to the folks that lost their lives,
(38:16):
their families, their loved ones. It's horrific having had a
chance to do the research. But this has been a
well known problem that we don't have enough air traffic
controllers in the pipeline.
Speaker 7 (38:30):
It takes a long.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
Time to train them. It's not a matter of just
paying them enough. There's not enough people to even fill
the seats. So it's not like you can just snap
your fingers and have these people at already. It's the
same thing with firefighters, police officers. We don't pay them
(38:52):
all you don't want And just today I got so
mad listening to the diversity because if they hired people
that did have disabilities, maybe we would be even better
off because they would want the job and they would
(39:13):
do the job. We don't have enough people that want
the job.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Well, I don't know. I mean, I think that would
be a job that if you have an interest, I mean,
you have to have an interest in an issue, and
if you have an interest in airplane safety and all
of that, And I think there are a lot of
people and like the idea of being in control. I
think that you can do psychological analysis on people. You
need to have people who cool, calm and collected. We
(39:37):
used to have a director at WBZ. When I worked
in TV many years ago, I always said he sounded
like an air traffic controller because no matter whatever was
going on, Steve never lost his composure. And if all
of a sudden a couple of live shots went down,
when most people in the control would be screaming brack
and forth, Steve and saying, Okay, let's just calm down here,
we're going to kill that live shot. Let's go Let's
(39:59):
go to the anchor. Okay, anchor, fine, let's go back
to whether. I mean he just controlled that he was.
He was a magnificent director.
Speaker 6 (40:08):
And I just think disability doesn't mean depending on the
disability doesn't mean that you don't have a calm demeanor.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
Absolutely, I'm agreeing with I'm totally agreeing with you. I'm
totally agreeing with you. Could be you could be confined
to a wheelchair and you have a disability theoretically, but
your mental acuity, uh, and your demeanor and your interest
in the issue. You want people who are qualified, and
it doesn't matter what color they are, and it doesn't
(40:36):
matter how tall they are, how short they are, how
handsome they are, or how beautiful they are. You want
people who can keep their heads, you know, when when
others are losing their.
Speaker 6 (40:47):
Wits, and there's training you can do, their simulations you
can do to find out who would be good in
the job or not so related to my their issue.
And I know a lot of people want to call tonight.
One night you were on or you're always on, but
you're talking to somebody and you said, I don't know
(41:09):
what a chief people in culture person really does. I
don't know what this job title and it may not
have been that exact job title, but the chief people officer,
the chief, it's the new title for strategic planning of
your workforce. And they're the ones that have probably been saying,
(41:33):
don't have people in the pipeline.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
You look at what I wish I could recall. I
get bossed with you. I wish I could recall the
comment that you're attributing to me when you say chiefs
like like Kansas City chief, h I E F.
Speaker 6 (41:49):
S YEP, chief people officer, chief strategic or strategic people
or strategic human resource person. It's like a business strategy
per it may have been people's strategy.
Speaker 2 (42:03):
I don't know, you know. To be honest with you,
I can't artist to god cod recall it. I think
that there's a lot of people who work in companies,
who get settled into companies. I'm looking for people who
are productive, that's all. Whether you're working as a steel worker,
you're working in a sawmill, a doctor's office, an er,
(42:24):
you need people who are smart and who can accomplish
the job, and who also have a passion about the job.
That's all. You want somebody, whether it's somebody playing for
the Patriots or somebody work in an emergency room, you
want someone who really is into the job. That's what
I want. And wherever I go, if I go to
the store and someone's a store clerk, I want someone
(42:46):
who's friendly and appreciates you as a customer. That's all
I mean. You know, we're so lucky in this country,
and let's let's let's be happier, let's be more upbeat.
I try to be. I hope others will join me
in that feeling. How much would those folks who last
night hopefully went to a better place, how much you
(43:07):
think they would give to be back with their families tonight,
safe and safe and sound. They'd give everything, you know,
And I just think we take a lot for granted.
In this country, we take a lot for granted. Every
day we wake up, every day's a gift. Make the
most of it. Mel I loved you. Call Call more often,
will you?
Speaker 6 (43:26):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Dan, Thanks talking to you. Soon here comes to ten
o'clock news. Stay in the line. If not, fill it
up six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty six
one seven, nine three, ten thirty. Going to start it
off when we get back with Chuck in Georgia and
Steven Bridgewater. Got some room for you.
It's Night Side with Dan Raybs Constance video.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well, this time last night, a tragedy had struck Washington, DC,
and I watched the news today and watched television today,
and it is the story. It is the story of
the day. There was a news conference and a statement
from President Trump this morning which has generated a little
(00:27):
bit of controversy. The President linked what happened last night,
didn't link it directly, but talked about a DEI, which
I think was an honestly unnecessary and an unenforced political error.
So I would like to focus on the tragedy of
(00:47):
last night, the loss of life sixty four people on
the plane from Wichita to Reagan National Airport, as well
as the three military personnel. Now, I have no idea
what happened. I suspect no one in the audience knows
what happened. These are the sorts of accidents that are
investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, and that they
(01:13):
may have an interim report that comes out a couple
of months from now, or it may be a year
before the final report comes out. But there was enough
reporter today that has troubled me, and it troubles me
as just as a human being, but it also troubles
(01:36):
me as someone who spends a little bit of time,
not a lot of time in airports and on airplanes
during the course of the year. Two things that trouble
me the most are as. I understand that. And I
watched a lot of the reporting today from the cable
network's news channels as well as the nightly newscast ABC
(02:01):
Evening News. I watched that's my newscast of choice at
six point thirty, and I understand it, and some of
you probably know more about this than I do, so
I want to open this up as kind of a discussion.
We call this show North America's back Porch. I don't
use that nomenclature as often as I should, but I
(02:22):
view this program as a program similar to the all
houses that maybe some of you grew up in many
years ago when life was a little simpler, and they
would be a front porch or a back porch where
people would gather on a good you know, spring, late spring,
early summer, midsummer night, and people would come up on
the porch and talk. And that's the metaphor that I
use for our program. So I guess the first thing
(02:47):
that troubles me that I heard about was that the
helicopter was flying in an altitude of three hundred and
fifty feet, because that is where they crash occurred. So
three hundred and fifty feet in the air, that's longer
than a football or higher than a football field. If
(03:07):
you would turn a football field perpendicularly, I guess if
you took the end zones, that you'll let stadium the
one hundred yards of the field, and then there's ten
yards on each end, so we're talking about one hundred
and twenty yards. That's about three hundred and sixty feet. Okay,
So that's where the crash occurred. Didn't take long for
those for the plane and the helicopter to fall out
(03:29):
of the sky into the Potomac River. They're still trying
to find bodies tonight, and hopefully they will find everyone,
and that part of the story will bring some closure,
I guess to some extent. I don't know that we'll
ever have these families will ever have closure. We'll get
(03:49):
to the families in a moment. The other story that
has broken tonight, according to the New York Times, staffing
was not normal at the Reagan Airport tower. According to
an FAA report. Now this gets interesting. This is an
article that was written by two women, Sidney Ember and
(04:13):
Emily Steele, who was updated this afternoon about three point
forty two. Staffing at the air traffic control tower at
Ronald Reagan National Airport was not normal quote not normal
for the time of day in volume of traffic. According
to an internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration safety report about
the collision that was reviewed by The New York Times,
(04:34):
the controller who was handling helicopters in the airport's vicinity
on Wednesday night was also instructing planes that were landing
and departing from its runways. Those jobs are typically typically
assigned to two controllers rather than one. The increase this
increases the workload for the air traffic controller and can
(04:54):
complicate the job. One reason is that controllers can use
different radio frequent to communicate with pilots flying planes and
pilots flying helicopters. While the controller is communicating with pilots
of the helicopter and the jet, the two sets of
pilots may not be able to hear each other. Like
most of the country's air traffic control facilities, the tower
(05:17):
at Reagan Import has been understaffed for years. The tower
there was nearly a third below target staff levels, with
nineteen fully certified controllers as of September twenty twenty three.
According to the most recent Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan
(05:37):
and ANERWER report to Congress that contains target and actual
staffing levels. The targets set by the FAA and the
Controllers Union call for thirty. So both the FAA, which
represents the government, and the Controllers Union call for thirty
fully certified controllers, but in September twenty twenty three, there
were only nineteen fully certified controllers. The shortage, caused by
(06:01):
years of employee turnover and tight budgets, among other factors,
has forced many controllers to work up to six days
a week and ten hours a day. The FAA did
not immediately respond to a quest to a request for comment.
Now we have heard most of us, I think have
(06:22):
heard some of the traffic, the audio traffic, and this.
I want to play this for you because I think
it's pretty critical. It always seems to me, now not
an air traffic controller, but it seems to me that
air traffic controllers have to speak and make decisions very quickly,
(06:47):
and they are life and death decisions. Even surgeons in
operating rooms or doctors in emergency rooms have more time
to make some of these decisions. Rob, if you can
locate cut sixty three, this is air traffic control audio
from the plane helicopter crash near DC. You'll hear a
(07:11):
comment at the end that says, I saw a fireball,
then it was just gone. I think that's another pilot.
There was a plane above and behind the American Airlines
flight from which you tak So Rob, if you've located
sixty three, let's play it and listen to it.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Fire Command. The accident happened in the river.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river
is east of the.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
Approach end of runway three three.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Real close. Yes, the airfield is closed. The airfield is closed.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
World, Yes, all runways are closed.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Nobody's landing, no one's moving at all.
Speaker 6 (07:51):
It was probably out in the middle of the river.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
So any since they hits a river, but it was a.
Speaker 5 (08:02):
CRJ and a helicopter that hit.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I would say maybe a half mile off the approach
in the.
Speaker 7 (08:07):
Three three.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Obviously that's air traffic control audio, and that is after
the accident has occurred. Now, the American Airlines CEO, guy
named Robert Isisim, released a video, just a video expressing sorrow,
which is perfectly understandable and it is not in any way,
(08:32):
shape or form and acknowledgment that his crew messed up.
At this point, we don't know who messed up, but
we know that someone messed up because these two planes,
these two aircraft, should not have been anywhere near one
another at this time. This is cut number sixty four.
Rob this is the American Airlines CEO.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Hello everyone, I'm Robert Eisen, the CEO of American Airlines.
I want to brief you on a serious accident that
occurred involving an American Eagle aircraft. The aircraft was operated
by PSA Airlines, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of
American Airlines. First, and most importantly, I'd like to express
our deep sorrow about these events. This is a difficult
(09:17):
day for all of us at American Airlines, and our
efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers,
crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and
loved ones.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well, the families and loved ones are the one who
need most of the support. Now we've learned throughout the
day that there were six people on that flight. Two
teenage US national figure skaters, a young man from Barrington,
Rhode Island, Spencer Lane, sixteen years old, a young girl
(09:55):
thirteen year old, Gina Hahn. I watched she's from Mansfield.
I watched video of both of them tonight. They were
out at a development camp for American figure skaters in
the Wichita area. They obviously had been identified by their
(10:15):
coaches as people with incredible potential and probably at some
point in our lives we will watch them completely competing
in the Winter Olympics for our country. Their moms, Christine
Lane and Jin Hahn, they were with their teenagers and
(10:36):
they died in the crash along with them, as well
as their coaches. Eugenia Shishkoba and Vadim Knockmov, two Russian
nationals who relocated here at some point several years ago,
were living in Norwood. They were nineteen ninety four national champion,
(11:01):
and I'm trying to remember back if ninety four was
an Olympic year, but either way, they which they were
world class figure skaters who now were world class coaches
thirty years later, and they were on the plane as well,
So six people that we know of. There apparently were
some other members from the figure skating community who lived
(11:21):
in other parts of the country who had taken the
flight from Wichita to Washington because there are no direct
flights from Wichita to Boston. So I just like tonight,
as we often do sparticularly in times of tragedy, is
open up the phone lines and give you an opportunity
to say whatever you like about this. There's no controversy here.
(11:47):
This is just a national tragedy, similar to the aircrash
that wiped out the US figure skating team in nineteen
sixty one when they're playing crashed in Belgium. I believe
it's It was difficult last night to continue to do
our show last night realizing that a lot of people
(12:08):
probably had had their attention rightfully, so turned to the
disaster in Washington. So tonight, let's focus on that and
say what you'd like. If you know any of these folks,
if you're from the figure skating community, you know the
Boston Skating Club used to be on Soldiers Field Road,
very close to WBCTV, and recently, well in the last
(12:30):
few years, they built a magnificent building in Norwood. I
believe I've not been out there, but I believe it's
on Route one, and it just was perfect. There's going
to be some national competition here in Boston late in March.
This is some monumental tragedy. So I just have one
(12:54):
other thing to say, two things to say, six one, seven,
thirty three thirty later on tonight, I would like to
talk about this for a couple of hours because I
think it's important to express your feelings, and for not
only for you to express your feelings, but for people
(13:15):
to realize that none of us are alone, and this
all of us. This is what all of us are
thinking about tonight, and so to do anything else, even
something as important as confirmation hearings, Cabinet confirmation hearings, it
doesn't work. We will spend an hour at eleven o'clock,
from eleven o'clock to twelve and talking about Internet and
(13:36):
social network and social network addiction. We have a guest
who we had on a couple of weeks ago and
I thought he was really good. We're going to bring
him back tonight and give you a chance to talk
to him and ask you a question. So that's that's
the agenda for the evening, pretty straightforward. Feel free to
join the conversation. The only line that remains open right
now is six one, seven, nine, three, one ten thirty.
(13:57):
My name is Dan ray We'll be back right after
this on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Now back to Dan ray Lie from the Window World
Nightside Studios on w b Z, the news radio.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Let me go to the phones right away. Let me
go to John and Denim. John, appreciate you getting us
going tonight. You were first tonight on Nightside. Your thoughts
on this horrific event last night.
Speaker 7 (14:20):
Well, then after what you just said about the staff,
and I said, you know, and I meant to I
want to call it, you know, you know other times
about this, but I'm more angry than anything right now.
But how how is this? How will we but all
the millions billions we spend on crap? If I could
say the word, how do we not have stuff? I'm
(14:41):
looking at the disasters like New Orleans with that truck
that went down street, the fires in California that could
the damage could be minimized, and the Secret Service a
sleep at the wad of for twenty year old kid
and it just goes on and on. What happened? What
happened is the accountability. Like I said, I'm just angry
(15:01):
because this did not have to happen. Let me tell
you if.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
I couldn't agree with I couldn't agree with you more.
The word is accountability. You just wonder how look I'm
at it every time I go to the airport. I
don't know about you, but it's like I'm at a
bus station. But do you do you fly often or no?
Speaker 7 (15:24):
Not as much as they used to. But I know
what you mean.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
It's like a bus station.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
And I look at I think, how do they keep
how do they keep the plane safe up there? This
will stay with me for a long time. I know
that there hasn't been a big commercial disaster like this,
they said, since the crash in Buffalo in two thousand
and nine. But how can of all the places in
(15:53):
the world that you would want to have overstaffing, it
would be an FAA troll tower.
Speaker 7 (16:03):
Yeah, I'm sorry, Dan, but it's like if if ever
you need a redundancy or check some balances, listen that
I go up in Brighton I go up skating at
that skating Cup of Boston. As you know, I live
in Dead of Mouse. I'm not too far from a
new rank, beautiful rank. And it's like a thirteen year old,
sixteen year old kid for what because somebody didn't staff,
(16:26):
we couldn't get we couldn't get enough money to staff
enough controllers. I don't get it. I just don't get it.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
I don't either. It's it seems to me that that
there's a there's a new sheriff in town. Donald J. Trump,
and if he would focus on the problem that you
just identified. He spent some time today looking pretty presidential,
but then he kind of drifted off and wanted to
(16:55):
to talk about diversity Inclusion DEI. I am as frustrated
with some of the DEI programs that exist as anybody.
But I don't think he was smart to bring that
up today because there's no suggestion that this had anything
to do with people who were hired and were not confident.
(17:16):
It has everything to do with they weren't enough people
up there period.
Speaker 7 (17:21):
I mean, at this point, again, base of what you said,
I don't even I don't think I'm getting to blame. Obviously,
you need a full investigation. But it doesn't sound like
it's even the controler's fault. It's like, just you have
I'm wondering, like, did both the helicopter pilot and the
air air wine pilot listen to the same instructions today?
From what I understand, he was handling both.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
If I heard right, that's what That's what the New
York Times are saying this afternoon, right, or said.
Speaker 7 (17:45):
That's the case. It's like, uh, and Daniel, what you say?
They working like ten hours a day and they yeah,
do you want a doctor at the end of his
twenty hour ship to operate on you? It's like and
that Obviously we've heard about how many close causes have
been around the country, so it's obvious. I hope, I
(18:08):
hope Trump and you know, Trump does it. I think obviously,
like you said, new sheriff in town. But again, I
hope this investigation comes out and it's not it's unbiased,
totally objective. Put the boy where it was. If there
wasn't enough staffing, why I wasn't there staffing? Don't tell
me there's not enough money. You can find money. You
(18:28):
find billions, illegals, you can find minor staff and control.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Cow absolutely and and by the way, this is an
opportunity for Donald Trump. I know today that there was
a couple of the reporters he talked about signing an
executive order last week, and one of the reporters asked
him this dumb question, like, well, you signed the executive order,
how did this happen? I mean, it does take some
time for policy to be to be put in place.
(18:53):
So let's hope that that he does the right thing
for everyone. And one more thing, yeah, true, yeah, true.
Speaker 7 (19:01):
Because after what you just said, you just reminded me
of was it like a few days ago, I thought
I heard Elizabeth Warren criticizing Trump for inflation and and
and I don't know if you saw that, and it
it's like you didn't criticize buy for four years. This
guy just gets an office and you already criticized it
because I think the egg price and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, let me let me let me tell you. She's
on the she was on the war path yesterday. I
thought she made a fool of herself yesterday. The Wall
Street Journal actually gave her a good review, but I
thought she was totally both she she and Bernie Sanders
were totally out of control yesterday. But that's a story
for yesterday. Let's let's focus on the folks whose lives
(19:43):
have been taken from us. You know, mothers and uh
and coaches and skaters who had everything to live for.
And I was tough watching the news tonight at six
o'clock and seeing Nancy Carragan out there as well as
doctor Tentley. All right, you know two great New Englanders
who we know, all Bright as a physician but also
(20:06):
as an Olympic skater and Nancy Kerrigan. So let's let's
get it right, folks. And this is an opportunity. Donald
Trump doesn't have to point fingers at anyone. Do yourself
a favorite President Trump, and make the changes that need
to be changes, and get it right, get it right,
simple as that. Thank you, John, appreciate your call very much.
(20:30):
I think we lost them. All right, we take a break.
We're coming back on night Side right after the news
at the bottom of the era and the lines are
still full, so back off. I'll let you know in
this an open.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Line night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
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You're listening to WBZ ten thirty one oh seven point
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Speaker 11 (23:48):
I'm Nicole Davis the quick check of the stories trending
right now on WBZ News Radio ten thirty. Opponents of
the plan to demolish Whites Stadium in Boston and build
a new home for a pro women's soccer team are
making their voices heard.
Speaker 10 (24:06):
Holding signs with slogan's like what would Olmsted say in
private sports complex equals traffic gridlock. A group of protesters
chanted over the brooming construction.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
We're out here today because look at what's going on
with our park. You know, we don't even get a
voice in what's happening.
Speaker 8 (24:21):
It's Jeff, this is how it is.
Speaker 11 (24:22):
And you're gonna bulldoze through the community. You're gonna bulldoze
through our park, and you don't care about how we feel.
That report they're from wbz's Madison Rogers. Meantime, Northfield Mount
Herman School has received the biggest donation in the school's history,
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died back in twenty twenty two. The money goes towards
student need based scholarships and support for faculty and teachers.
(24:44):
I'm Old Davis.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZZY, Boston's news.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Radio, Back to the Folds. You're go going to go
to Fred and Dad and Fred next on Nightside. Your
thoughts on this very sad night, Yes.
Speaker 12 (24:59):
Dan is too little things make it quick. One is
I guess two nights ago at that airport in Washington
and American Airlines had a problem. There was one of
military helicopter in his way and he had to get
a wave off, and he had to go around and
come in a second time because he didn't have a
clear sight onto the runway. And then I heard on
(25:23):
television tonight in Boston they've had three situations in Boston
in the last six months in which pilots had to
take evasive action because of a second airplane. So I'm
beginning to get a little bit scared about this whole thing.
Have a good night, Bye bye two Thanks.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Thanks Fred, appreciate your call, and I certainly understand exactly
what Fred has to say every time I fly, I'm
I'm nervous, and and this this will stick in my
mind for for a while. That that's for sure, it'll
stick in all of our minds. It's amazing that these
these planes get up in the air. Never mind that
(26:02):
they stay up in the air. Let me keep rolling here,
going to go to Rick and Bill Ricker next nightside
right ahead, Rick.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Hey, Dan, how are you okay? Yeah, very very very sad,
very sad day. First off, yeah, Trump saying, you know,
foolish things like the EI. I mean, if there was proof, fine,
he can say at all he wants, but he doesn't
have to go there. He undermines his intelligence by by
(26:31):
even saying it. It's it's foolish and it's not the
appropriate time. And didn't you say a few minutes ago
on the year that uh for three years or two years?
Reagan National, Reagan International. It's Reagan. It's an international airport, right, It's.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Called Reagan the international airport. But yeah, Reagan National, Ye,
go ahead.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Reagan National Airport has been understaff for three years now
or two years.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Well September twenty twenty three, so a year and a half.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
A lest how can that be legal? How can that
be legal? I mean.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Is that both the FAA and the union. So the
government and the union agree that they need thirty full
time you know, FAA air traffic controllers, FA air traffic controllers.
And as of September twenty twenty three, which is well
a year and a half ago, it was down to nineteen.
(27:29):
I mean, you can't cover all the shifts. I mean
those airlines. Those airlines start flying at five o'clock in
the morning and they don't shut down until midnight. Can
how can you cover seven days? And you can't have
people sitting there for eight hours without a bathroom break
or a food break. You have to have, you know,
more than one person in the control tower. It's crazy,
(27:52):
It's absolutely crazy.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
Yeah, but that's not my problem, Like your problem is
they're going to be open for business. They have to
get people and train them and offer them good enough
money and keep them on the job. And this is
just I just I sent my brother off yesterday to
take a flight to Florida for a cruise, and I
just thought from you know, sent them to Logan Express
(28:15):
in Woburn, and I was like, whoa. It just caught
me off card, but it's it's so tragic. Remind it
takes me back to the lockery Scotland. I think it
was pan Am. I know that was far more people
on it. There was like two hundred and seventy people.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
That also was That also was a bomb that detonated.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
That was that was. That was a whole different thing,
I know, but it just made me think of it
for some sug I.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Mean again, these people are sitting These folks are sitting there.
I'm sure they're talking, they're excited, They're about to land
there on half way home, and within a nanosecond they're dead.
I mean, I mean, the only good thing and there
was no good thing in reality. But they probably didn't suffer.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
Well that's I hopefully not because they hit they hit
the cold water. But I you know, I just think
to myself in closing, uh tonight, with with the with
we have AI robots that can talk and make movements
like human, we have the Myers over, we have all
this incredible technology, and the only thing I can think
of is sometimes people forget to pay attention. I feel
(29:20):
so sorry for the person who who was who reported it,
who was kind of on behind the controls of the
you know, the what is it called, I'm losing my
train of thought, you know, the the the attendant in
the in the station. I feel sorry for that person
(29:41):
for not knowing. But I just think, with all the technology,
how can this happened? You've you've you think that also?
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Yeah, I'm sure you think about technology. The question is
are they trying to do too much or with too
little resources? Are there too many planes up there? Too
many people? Are are we overextending everybo Look? I want
the economy to do well. I want people to be
able to fly, but maybe they have to just cut
back and say, hey, look these you know, some of
(30:09):
these hubs, I mean Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Dallas. I mean
they're landing planes every uh, you know, it seems like
every two minutes. I just don't know that they can
that they can handle it. And all you need is
one and maybe this will be turned out that the
that the helicopter pilot his alterrimeter wasn't working or he
(30:30):
didn't see they'll have a reason here. I don't think
this was intentional. This was a mistake. No, no, of course, yeah,
but we have to make sure that that these mistakes.
You just can't say, Gee, I wish we had fewer mistakes,
because any mistake is unacceptable at this level. You're talking
about a plane that has sixty seven souls on it
(30:52):
and they're gone as simple as that. Look. Appreciate you
call Wrick. We'll talk soon. Okay, thanks buddy, absolutely, thanks,
but only right now six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty. We're going to go next to Ruth in Westwood. Ruth,
appreciate you taking the time to call you next on nightside.
Go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
Yeah, I I I remember the nineteenth because you want
playing crash and because I used to figure skate and
all those people who died were my friends.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Yeah, I remember it very well as well. And that
set back. Yeah, you know our Olympic skating programs. I
mean all of those young people have gone and gone
in an instant.
Speaker 5 (31:38):
Yeah right, just I already saying something that you may
think of It was horrible, but I no mean competitors
the way I feel, I don't think they would have
minded if that had happened when they were coming back. Really,
I mean I think it's someone had gone up to
(32:03):
Brother Lord or Maratha Own and said, if you're going
to win gold but you'll die of plank posh on
the way back. I know competitors fairly well, and I
think that some of them would have gone, well, okay.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Yeah, I'm I'm not quite sure the point you're trying
to make, Ruth, because I'm.
Speaker 5 (32:29):
Trying, and I'm trying. I don't know what the point
I'm trying to make about that is. But I knew them,
I remember them. It was awful. I feel equally horrible
for the parents of these poor kids and the grandparents
of these poor kids, absolutely because I know exactly what
(32:50):
it's like, and my heart purs out to them, all right,
and I hope thank you will and you but I
want someone said about the slight controllers that these people
pay by the federal government to people who sit there
and tell the planes but one way to go, John,
(33:15):
And they're not paid enos, and they're orange. Enough of them,
and they are retiring, and that's one of the reasons
that you're getting more and more of this kind of
thing happening here, all right, because enough of them them.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
We've hit that. And and I thank you for calling,
and I thank you for adding your voice to our
conversation today.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
I'm sorry if I sound like a luna chip. I'm
rearing up.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
You sound upset, and I think we're all up. Thank
you so much. Let me get real quickly here, Alex
and Millis Alex want to get you in here soon enough.
The way through the commercial go ahead, Alex.
Speaker 7 (33:52):
Oh hid My heart goes out to those fourselves. But
I was going to say, there's three possibilities. It's either
the helicopter pilots, the American Airline plane, or the air
traffic controllers.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
I think you've covered the waterfront there for sure.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
Well one of the three is gotta be you know
what happened. But the other thing is I thought we
had you know, the planes have an anti collision warning device,
but I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
I'm not, I'm not doesn't work below I'm told it
doesn't work below one thousand feet, and they they collided
in three and fifty feet, right.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
Can I tell you many years ago, I was flying
into because I've flown so many times to Greece, I
was flying into Athens Airport and all of a sudden
the landing gear was having an issue and I could
see so I could see the you know, the emergency
vehicles you know below and thankfully everything worked out okay,
(34:59):
but it was so and I can't imagine what those
people want through if they did, if they probably didn't. Yeah,
that's what's happened. Now.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
I think I think obviously never should have happened. I
just think it was pretty all right.
Speaker 7 (35:12):
It's a tragedy.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Okay, thank you so much. I appreciate your calling. Yeah,
good night, good night. Take a break here on Nightside.
I got a one line at six one seven, two
five four and one at six one, seven, nine thirty.
Back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
Now, back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Hey, let's keep it rolling. You're gonna go to John
in Boston. John, tough night here, You're you're next on
night Side, John.
Speaker 7 (35:40):
Yeah, ah right, good evening, Dan. Lately what I've heard
on the radio, I feel so upright gone. My stomach
feels sick. You know, uh this news tonight, Uh the
other day or last week. Uh, twenty one year old
woman got out of the car and Vermont and shot
and killed the board of a trolley agent. They shot
back and killed the boyfriend put in the hospital. I
hope you've covered that.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
One well, did yeah.
Speaker 7 (36:03):
I mean, yeah, you did, okay, but I mean you
can't do.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Like a whole hour on it. But it's insane. I
mean twenty one year old. Oh gives a woman a
twenty one year old anything but crazy that takes here
her life?
Speaker 7 (36:14):
Go ahead, yeah, yeah. And then I heard the news
an eighteen year old boy shar teenage girl in the face.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Oh.
Speaker 7 (36:21):
My stomach's upside down thinking about all this and this
last night. This reminds me of when I was in
junior high school. Mister Lucci said, these things are towering
monument in these people's lives. Most of us we listen,
we'll probably move on pretty quickly from it and remember it.
But these people that affects it's a towering monument in
their lives. And I don't know why the air traffic
(36:45):
controllers are on the staff. New rules should be put
in place. They shouldn't work more than six hours a day.
They're well paid with an hour break in between this.
There's no excuse money wise. I mean, it makes me sick.
This country gives billions to I won't name the country,
some billions of this country. There are plenty money to
give away to other countries. There should be well, they
should be well paid there, and there's no excuse for
(37:07):
anything like this. I don't understand it. You know why
any airport or any traffic control tower has to be understaffed.
That's what I don't get.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Listen, people respond, John, I agree with you totally. Of
all the places that should be overstaffed or certainly fully staffed,
it would be airports because.
Speaker 7 (37:29):
And well paid. But I don't think they should work
among the six hours a day. Those people. I'm with you,
they got enough to do. Yeah, I'm with you. Shouldn't
mean not only the six hour days, more than enough.
We don't want them overwork.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Thanks, thank you, Thank you, John, Thank you. Question. That's
a good suggestion. Mel Is in Watertown, Meil. You're next
time nightside, go.
Speaker 7 (37:48):
Right ahead, my Dan, can you hear me?
Speaker 2 (37:51):
I can hear you. Fine, Thanks, it's Melanie. Huh, go ahead.
Speaker 6 (37:55):
So I just wanted to say, long time listener, second
time caller, okay, go ahead. But this issue has me
so upset. And there was another night I wanted to
call you too, So these are both related. I just think, well, first,
prayers go out to the folks that lost their lives,
(38:16):
their families, their loved ones. It's horrific having had a
chance to do the research. But this has been a
well known problem that we don't have enough air traffic
controllers in the pipeline.
Speaker 7 (38:30):
It takes a long.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
Time to train them. It's not a matter of just
paying them enough. There's not enough people to even fill
the seats. So it's not like you can just snap
your fingers and have these people at already. It's the
same thing with firefighters, police officers. We don't pay them
(38:52):
all you don't want And just today I got so
mad listening to the diversity because if they hired people
that did have disabilities, maybe we would be even better
off because they would want the job and they would
(39:13):
do the job. We don't have enough people that want
the job.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Well, I don't know. I mean, I think that would
be a job that if you have an interest, I mean,
you have to have an interest in an issue, and
if you have an interest in airplane safety and all
of that, And I think there are a lot of
people and like the idea of being in control. I
think that you can do psychological analysis on people. You
need to have people who cool, calm and collected. We
(39:37):
used to have a director at WBZ. When I worked
in TV many years ago, I always said he sounded
like an air traffic controller because no matter whatever was
going on, Steve never lost his composure. And if all
of a sudden a couple of live shots went down,
when most people in the control would be screaming brack
and forth, Steve and saying, Okay, let's just calm down here,
we're going to kill that live shot. Let's go Let's
(39:59):
go to the anchor. Okay, anchor, fine, let's go back
to whether. I mean he just controlled that he was.
He was a magnificent director.
Speaker 6 (40:08):
And I just think disability doesn't mean depending on the
disability doesn't mean that you don't have a calm demeanor.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
Absolutely, I'm agreeing with I'm totally agreeing with you. I'm
totally agreeing with you. Could be you could be confined
to a wheelchair and you have a disability theoretically, but
your mental acuity, uh, and your demeanor and your interest
in the issue. You want people who are qualified, and
it doesn't matter what color they are, and it doesn't
(40:36):
matter how tall they are, how short they are, how
handsome they are, or how beautiful they are. You want
people who can keep their heads, you know, when when
others are losing their.
Speaker 6 (40:47):
Wits, and there's training you can do, their simulations you
can do to find out who would be good in
the job or not so related to my their issue.
And I know a lot of people want to call tonight.
One night you were on or you're always on, but
you're talking to somebody and you said, I don't know
(41:09):
what a chief people in culture person really does. I
don't know what this job title and it may not
have been that exact job title, but the chief people officer,
the chief, it's the new title for strategic planning of
your workforce. And they're the ones that have probably been saying,
(41:33):
don't have people in the pipeline.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
You look at what I wish I could recall. I
get bossed with you. I wish I could recall the
comment that you're attributing to me when you say chiefs
like like Kansas City chief, h I E F.
Speaker 6 (41:49):
S YEP, chief people officer, chief strategic or strategic people
or strategic human resource person. It's like a business strategy
per it may have been people's strategy.
Speaker 2 (42:03):
I don't know, you know. To be honest with you,
I can't artist to god cod recall it. I think
that there's a lot of people who work in companies,
who get settled into companies. I'm looking for people who
are productive, that's all. Whether you're working as a steel worker,
you're working in a sawmill, a doctor's office, an er,
(42:24):
you need people who are smart and who can accomplish
the job, and who also have a passion about the job.
That's all. You want somebody, whether it's somebody playing for
the Patriots or somebody work in an emergency room, you
want someone who really is into the job. That's what
I want. And wherever I go, if I go to
the store and someone's a store clerk, I want someone
(42:46):
who's friendly and appreciates you as a customer. That's all
I mean. You know, we're so lucky in this country,
and let's let's let's be happier, let's be more upbeat.
I try to be. I hope others will join me
in that feeling. How much would those folks who last
night hopefully went to a better place, how much you
(43:07):
think they would give to be back with their families tonight,
safe and safe and sound. They'd give everything, you know,
And I just think we take a lot for granted.
In this country, we take a lot for granted. Every
day we wake up, every day's a gift. Make the
most of it. Mel I loved you. Call Call more often,
will you?
Speaker 6 (43:26):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Dan, Thanks talking to you. Soon here comes to ten
o'clock news. Stay in the line. If not, fill it
up six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty six
one seven, nine three, ten thirty. Going to start it
off when we get back with Chuck in Georgia and
Steven Bridgewater. Got some room for you.
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