Flying is safer than ever. Then why are we so afraid?

When the news flashed on my screen, at first I couldn’t believe it. In this modern day and age, when planes are so much more state of the art, how can a jetliner just drop out of the sky and crash? The story of Air India flight 171 in Ahmedabad is beyond tragic. The hopes and dreams of over 270 people just vanished in 32 seconds as the plane went down immediately after take off. From the passengers and crew on board to the poor medical students on the ground whose hostel was hit. No one had time to even think or act, it all happened so quickly. Investigators may take months to find out the cause. It has been heartbreaking to see the families struggling with their grief and pain.

I refuse to speculate about why this happened. Enough has already been said on it. And that is part of the problem. In the age of social media, we all want quick answers to complex issues. We must know right away about why a Boeing 787 Dreamliner had a catastrophic accident. We don’t want to wait for a proper probe with all the evidence. The media talks to any and every ex pilot or aviation “expert” it can find. And of course everyone on social media is suddenly an aviation expert too, offering half baked theories, even conspiratorial ones.