Miracle ending in Columbia crash

Only one person passed away in the recent San Andres, Columbia crash. The plane crashed during the landing. Lightning striking the aircraft is believed to be the cause of the accident, but it isn't confirmed yet. The plane fragmented, but did not damage any buildings and had only one death which occurred following the crash. The avoidance of loss of life in the crash and the wreckage being confined to the concourse has been attributed to the skill of the pilot. I found this here: Miracle ending in Columbia crash

Boeing 737 breaks apart on runway

The flight was a red-eye from Bogota to San Andres. The plane approached the airport in bad weather and started to violently shake as AIRES Flight 8250 approached the runway. The plane started to split apart while the pilot began an emergency landing just short of the runway. According to CNN, some authorities attribute the crash to a downdraft, when others claim the aircraft was struck by lightning. The pilot of the flight also holds that the plane was hit by lightning. The plane initially broke into two pieces at Gustavo Rojas Pinillo airport. The wreckage apart from the plane was minimal.

All survived but one

Following the crash, according to Bloomberg, a 65 year old passenger had a heart attack and died. There were six individuals who had no injuries whatsoever. All other passengers and crew are expected for making a swift recovery from the injuries which were suffered. The plane was carrying at least 127 passengers and crew members.

Pilot skill believed to have made the difference

Professional pilots are some of one of the most highly skilled workers in existence. Not only do they have to navigate a very complex machine through a very precise trajectory, they also have to know exactly what to do when things go wrong. Their knowledge makes them very valuable and they work under tremendous pressure. The air travel trade has a lot of stress and responsibility involved, and numerous have watched the Steven Slater saga unfold. The pilot of AIRES Flight 8250 should be hailed as a hero.

More on this topic

CNN

cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/16/colombia.plane.fatality/?hpt=T1#fbid=QdDzKvaTDgY and wom=false

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-16/colombia-plane-splits-in-three-killing-1-and-injuring-114-el-tiempo-says.html