Off the Radar

On occasion it's nice to be off the radar screen. However today I woke up to the news story of an Air France airplane from Rio deJenaro going off the radar and out of voice contact as well. I am unable to fathom the set of emotions the families of the passengers and crew are experiencing.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/06/01/air.france.brazil/

It is a very rare occasion to have this type of occurrence in air travel. A person is much more likely to turned up missing during everyday life. What do parents do when their child runs away or is abducted? What does a child think when a parent just doesn't come back from the grocery store? What goes through a persons mind when their friend commits suicide? Why do these things happen? What did I do to deserve this? What could I have done to change things? Did I miss some signs? What if....? How could they do this to me? It's all my fault!

As this story progresses we may hear of a crash or a miracle landing or, best case scenario, the plane lands at it's destination no worse for ware. In the case of a crash it is important for the rest of us to realize that the odds of crashing your personal vehicle are much greater than that of a commercial air plane. PlaneCrashInfo.com reports the odds of dying in an airliner crash are 0.089 per 100,000 flight hours. The odds of your dying in a 1 hour flight are less than 1 in 1,000,000. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/631793/aviation_safety_what_are_the_odds.html?cat=16

Thoughts and prayers go out for the families, friends, passengers, and crew that are involved in this Air France flight. Also for those that are dealing with the loss for what ever reason of a friend or relative. Remember the good times, honor their life with your memories. God bless you all!