You're thinking what I'm thinking, right?This shot by David Becker was the major photo on the front of the business section of the Review-Journal today with a piece by Benjamin Spillman about concerns of FAA officials about all the tall buildings sprouting in Las Vegas.
I get that this may have seemed like one of the few ways to illustrate the potential danger here which is, presumably, that planes could bump into the towers. Actually, though, the story doesn't really discuss such collisions; it's less about safety and much more about air traffic control problems and congestion which, certainly, does have safety implications. But the article largely leaves the disastrous outcome unsaid, probably because there are lots of huge cities with zillions of skyscrapers that have never seen a plane-v-building crash. Usually, it takes a suicidal maniac or 19 to make that happen deliberately.
In this post-9/11 world, I found the image chilling and wondered if I was the only one. Just consider how long Becker must have spent waiting to get this faux-apocalyptic shot. Didn't someone stop and wonder how a terrorism-scarred public might react?
6 comments:
There have been at least a couple freak crashes in New York City over the years. A small airplane carrying Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle crashed into a 40-story condo tower in Manhattan a couple years ago. And a B-52 flew into the Empire State Building in 1945.
Meanwhile in Florida, a plane crashed into a Tampa skyscraper a few years ago.
But you're right about it being really rare. I can't imagine it's a big concern in Vegas.
i agree it's a tasteless photo. how could anyone look at that and not think of 9-11???
it is very tasteless. In my mind's can still see the smoke coming from those buildings that day.
It was a B-25 not a B-52 that hit the Empire State Building. Big difference in size, but either way, not good.
I didn't find it tasteless, which is surprising as I tend to hate any kind of shock media style photos or stories. Fear seems to be the lazy way organizations try to capitalize on income now a days, but in this case, I thought it kind of fit.
Just another thought, catching up on the blog, as I was in Vegas last week, but at least 4-5 times, I saw this same photo opp. from limited walks on the strip. Just a comment on it.
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