• February 13, 2012
THE SKIES ARE RAINING DEATH

by Sara K. Smith

10:11 am July 15, 2009

  • MAYBE JUST STOP FLYING ON PLANES FOR A WHILE: “A passenger plane carrying 168 people smashed into the ground in northwestern Iran Wednesday, killing everyone on board and creating a huge smoldering crater.” [CNN]

{ 40 comments }

Liz Becton July 15, 2009 at 10:13 am

The death toll would have been 56 at first count, but Khamenei needed time to bus some of the arrested protesters out there.

hockeymom July 15, 2009 at 10:20 am

I already heard on the radio that this was America’s fault. Because we won’t let them buy Boeings and stuff. So they’re forced to buy crappy shit the Russians don’t want.

WickedWitch July 15, 2009 at 10:24 am

Hm. My sister cancelled one trip to see me because of the plane crashes this spring. The aeronautical industry is destroying family ties here — who wants a boycott? Who’s with me??

hobospacejunkie July 15, 2009 at 10:27 am

When you’re an airplane, everything looks like a landing strip.

bitchincamaro July 15, 2009 at 10:28 am

If you insist on flying on planes, do not visit this site. Ever.

http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/n526fe/photo.shtml

nappyduggs July 15, 2009 at 10:31 am

Perfect excuse for the poorly cultured and under-traveled boogins of the PUMA movement et al. to sit on their fat asses, hate shit, and blame senseless tragedies on heathenry.

rereridiculous July 15, 2009 at 10:35 am

See people, that’s what happens when you’re allowed to bring nail clippers on the plane.

Servo July 15, 2009 at 10:44 am

Apparently, the aircraft wasn’t being held aloft by God’s soft Pamolive hands, as he does to Princess Nooningtonshire’s flights.

Todd Mecklem July 15, 2009 at 10:45 am

I flew on a Russian-made Cubana Airlines jet back in 2001. A Yakelov, not a Tupelov, but still. When the pilots turned on the air-con after takeoff, thick steam billowed from the floor vents, looking just like smoke–in-flight entertainment indeed! There’s nothing quite like flying in a machine made up of millions of parts which was assembled by people who pour vodka on their cornflakes in the morning…

nightshift July 15, 2009 at 10:45 am

Jeff Sessions will somehow try and blame this on Sotomayor.

Neilist July 15, 2009 at 10:47 am

A TU-154?!? Jesus H. Christ on a Codfish, those things make an Airbus look safe. (And that was back in the 1970s, when they were new.)

Devilishly clever, those Israelis. (I’m sure this is their fault. Somehow.)

Servo July 15, 2009 at 10:55 am

[re=362803]Todd Mecklem[/re]:
Probably from hot bleed air hitting pooled condensation. They could’ve dried the system with warm air, but passengers would’ve bitched.

Monsieur Grumpe July 15, 2009 at 10:56 am

What’s the last thing to go through an airline passenger’s mind before they crash?

Their ass.

Sorry.

SayItWithWookies July 15, 2009 at 11:04 am

This is what happens when you go to those flight schools that don’t teach you how to land.

jasper f. krone July 15, 2009 at 11:05 am

[re=362795]hobospacejunkie[/re]: I AM NOT LNDING STIRP!1

gurukalehuru July 15, 2009 at 11:05 am

Poor Iranians, can’t seem to catch a fucking break. They get earthquakes, too.

Min July 15, 2009 at 11:07 am

Remind me not to ever, ever fly on a Tupolev airplane.

ph7 July 15, 2009 at 11:16 am

The pilot was texting.

Mumpedo July 15, 2009 at 11:17 am

Today we are all smoldering craters.

Servo July 15, 2009 at 11:19 am

[re=362824]Min[/re]:
It’s rarely the aircraft manufacturer’s fault. Most accidents are from pilot error and poor maintenance, usually because there lacks a governing body to enforce regulations, if they even exist.
In short, this is what happens with minimum gubmint.

Elm Hugger July 15, 2009 at 11:20 am

[re=362790]WickedWitch[/re]: I will stand with you, we can go to O’Hare and pass out leaflets, we can enjoy our vacation at Gitmo as well, I think we get our own rooms, err cells….

Min July 15, 2009 at 11:29 am

[re=362833]Servo[/re]: I stand corrected. Remind me not to ever, ever fly on an airplane going to, leaving from, or flying over Iran.

WickedWitch July 15, 2009 at 11:30 am

[re=362836]Elm Hugger[/re]: But think of the nice fruity tropical drinks we’ll drink and the tans we’ll be sporting!

GIJoeIce July 15, 2009 at 11:31 am

Even the Russians don’t trust Russian airplanes.

azw88 July 15, 2009 at 11:31 am

I don’t know, I kind of like Southwest’s new skylight package.

AngryBlakGuy July 15, 2009 at 11:33 am

…I guess the pilot got his license from the John McCain school of text book landings.

Servo July 15, 2009 at 11:40 am

[re=362845]AngryBlakGuy[/re]:
Holy shit! Look who’s here!

19kevin8 July 15, 2009 at 11:42 am

USS Vincennes strikes again! Oh wait, it’s decommissioned… never mind.

AngryBlakGuy July 15, 2009 at 11:44 am

[re=362854]Servo[/re]: …yep, today is my day off and I have just cracked open my first beer!

Naked Bunny with a Whip July 15, 2009 at 11:44 am

Where was Superman?!??!1!?

mrsixinch July 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm

[re=362833]Servo[/re]: Snark off: Airplane maintenance standards outside of countries with flush toilets generally isn’t so great. Poorly maintained planes turn survivable pilot errors into news headlines. Snark on: Flying to Armenia? Somebody’s gonna blame the Turks…

Mad Farmer Manifest July 15, 2009 at 12:18 pm

[re=362833]Servo[/re]: Bullshit. Blasphemy against Our Lord Capitalism. Everyone knows that this sort of thing is bad for the airline that kills its passengers, so consumers will choose the airline that won’t kill them. Viola! The Invisible Hand of the Market solves all problems, then it gives us handjobs (invisibly).

Servo July 15, 2009 at 12:29 pm

[re=362879]mrsixinch[/re]:
Exactly my point.

[re=362894]Mad Farmer Manifest[/re]:
In Capitalism Gone Wild, if the plane won’t kill you, the peanuts will.

TGY July 15, 2009 at 12:56 pm

It was a Russian airplane from vintage Aeroflot days. Those are the ones where the seats fold forward as a mercy gesture, as you break your neck in a crash rather than burn to death.

mrsixinch July 15, 2009 at 12:59 pm

[re=362908]Servo[/re]: True story: several years ago at an air show in Van Nuys some guy shows up with an An-2, the biplane transport the Soviets built by the hundreds. I asked the guy about teh condition of the plane when he bought in some Eastern European nation. he said it was in okay condition because non-Russians had maintained it. He also said that when they inspected it, they found a (deactivated) self-destruct device in the fuselage behind the cockpit. Huh–wonder why? “Y’know, they used to fly these things along the Soviet borders…”

Servo July 15, 2009 at 1:04 pm

[re=362960]mrsixinch[/re]:
That’s the “Don’t get any fuckin’ ideas!” mechanism.

Jumping Jim July 15, 2009 at 1:29 pm

Sad.
But think of how many virgins they are going to end up with!

Lionel Hutz Esq. July 15, 2009 at 1:44 pm

Has Liz Cheney come out and stated that her Dad and her are convince that this was dry run by the Iranians, preparing to attack the US, and that Obama must hate the US since he has yet to bomb Iran for this affront? The Iranians will not stop crashing their airplanes if Obama keeps showing weakness like this. Hell, he probably came out and expressed condolences to the dead, which is just like apologizing for the whole thing. Or, if he has said nothing, why won’t he back these dead people, who willing gave their lives for freedom.

inedalo July 15, 2009 at 1:55 pm

“the invisible hand?” – he has just left the room and is outside molesting a young girl…

nader paul kucinich gravel July 16, 2009 at 2:36 pm

The Air France crash is not as sold.

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