July 15, 2013
Flying in small planes for work and fun is second nature to Alaskans. The beauty of the state cannot be enjoyed without taking to the air. And, for many of us flying is a joyous experience, separate and apart from the remote areas which become accessible by air. Unfortunately, no matter how much effort is expended making sure those flights are safe, tragic crashes occur repeatedly. Though we do not know at this time why a perfectly good airplane with 10 souls aboard crashed at the Soldotna airport, we do know the tragic loss of life will be felt by the families and friends of all of those “casualties”. They will continue to wake every morning asking “why” for many mornings on into the future. Regardless of the technical “answer”, no answer is ever adequate to “answer” the question in the heart.
Though I have represented “survivors” of aviation accidents and family members of those who have perished in aviation accidents, I have never been able to come up with a good “answer” to the “why” question. In fact, there is never a satisfactory “answer” to these sorts of questions. So, for those who are left behind, they soldier on in life with the memories of their lost loved ones. Hopefully they will also remember the excitement and joy of those who are gone as they prepared to see the beauty of Alaska from the air and that this knowledge will somehow lessen the sense of loss.