Strange Fascinations

I've come to realize that I have a fascination with catastrophic airplane crashes. I suppose it's one of those instances in the human experience where we come to realize how small we are. Not only is nature itself capable of wiping out hundreds or thousands of us in one clean swoop, but also the giant machines we create to accommodate our modern human lifestyles.

The most recent catastrophe in Mangalore, India eliminated 150 lives in an instant. In this case, it is likely that most of the passengers, although aware of the hazardous weather conditions outside their aircraft, had no idea they were about to die until the last few seconds of flight. However, this is not always the case.

The most horrific jetliner crash in recent memory was that of Air France Flight 447, which broke apart in mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, killing all 228 people on board. The terror that must have been felt when, after experiencing severe turbulence, the enormous aircraft you were relaxing comfortably in only moments before starts breaking into pieces and plummet toward the ocean. Experts have said that the physical force of wind at that speed probably killed most of the passengers before they hit water.

Anyway, I'm just saying, if they recovered my body from such a crash, they would likely be able to conclude that I had shit my pants at some point before impact.