Spectacularly Bad Timing

American Airlines has had a plane go down minutes after taking off from JFK.  At this point, there are reports of an explosion on board, but no confirmation.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was a safety lapse rather than a security problem, what with the airlines being focused on keeping nail clippers off planes, the fundamentals of airline safety might not receive the focus they should.  

Let's not even get into the fact that they much be having all kinds of problems turning planes around with half their passengers stuck at security checkpoints...or are they just letting those people miss their planes?

God help the airline industry if this turns out to be a terrorist incident.  The FAA recently announced that they would be able to check all baggage for explosives in 2004, which they saw as a vast improvement from 2008.  By 2004, this war might be over.

If you are an insane megalomaniacal freak, like, say, Osama bin Laden, what better way to keep the infidels down but prevent them from world travel?  If this turns out to be a terrorist incident, it will show coherent strategy on his part, and it may signal an death-blow for the airline industry.  If it's not a terrorist attack, then the timing and placement of the wreckage is spectacularly bad as many firefighters from the Rockaway area were lost in the WTC disaster.  Not only that, the U.N. building(s) is full of heads of state from all over the world.  

The BBC is now reporting that the FBI says there was an explosion on board.  Earlier, it was reported that there were no distress calls.  Of course, it might not be a bomb.  It could be sabotage.  I guess we all get to wait for the FDR and the Black Box to be found.  Even then, they may never know.  People are still arguing about TWA800.  At least this wreckage will be easier to recover.

The pictures of the plane on the ground amidst houses are truly spectacular.  It really gives you the scale of how big a widebody plane is.

Really, no matter what caused this, this is a Very Bad Thing for the airlines.  We already know that they didn't put any money aside from when their planes were flying at 100% capacity.  It will just be totally obvious that they don't have the resources to keep their passengers out of harm's way.