MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Hearts and minds have been on the fatal DC crash between a helicopter and a regional jet this week.
Ans Wishing, a pilot for over 40 years who often flies commercial flights for American Airlines, was shocked to hear about the accident.
"That's what I thought of — wow, that could've been me," Wishing told NewsChannel 5.
His next thought was for the pilots flying the plane.
"They were doing everything perfectly correct, and they lost their lives," he said.
While officials still work to find an answer to what went wrong, Wishing expects there to be changes in the DC airspace, where he's flown in and out many times.
"Incredible amount of traffic," he remembers. "Lot of restricted airspace, there's military airplanes, commercial planes..."
As traumatic as the crash was, Wishing wants to remind you it doesn't reflect industry standards.
"The odds of you or me ever being in an airline accident are almost zero," he said, noting nearly 10 million people fly safely every day. "I would say don't hesitate to fly the airlines. It's incredibly safe. Pilots are incredibly well trained. Air traffic control system is second to none in the United States. There is room for improvement, but I wouldn't hesitate to fly."
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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