Flying is still safest mode of transport

Dear Sir,

The recent crash of Flydubai flight FZ981 is a grim reminder that pilot error and technical failure can lead to awesome tragedies.
Nothing conclusive can, however, be said about the cause of the FZ981 crash as investigation is still on.
Investigators are now probing into the crash that killed all 62 people on board.
The Boeing 737, which flew from Dubai to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, exploded into a fireball on Saturday after missing the runway in bad weather.
It had reportedly been making its second attempt to land after circling for several hours.
All 55 passengers and seven crew - including nine different nationalities, with 45 from Russia - had died instantly.
While 75% of plane crashes are caused by pilot error, rarely have the same mistakes been made more than twice. Statistically speaking, flying is still the safest mode of transport.
The average person’s odds of dying in a plane crash is 1 in 20,000, being struck by lightning is one in 3,000, dying in a car accident one in 100.
Pilots are highly-trained professionals but they can still make mistakes.
Weather-related causes could have been behind the FZ981 crash. A build-up of ice on the jet’s wings could be a major factor as temperatures at the crash site were -5C. Our sympathies to those who lost their loved ones in the fiery crash.

Farouk Araie, farouk.araie@telkomsa.net

Don’t exaggerate the problems

Dear Sir,

The letter, “Impact of e-mails on our environment”, was taking things a bit too far. If e-mails contribute to carbon emissions, then one can safely say there can be no human activity that will not leave any impact on our environment. Everything we do have its effect on our surroundings. Life has its impact on environment!  
What if the energy we use for sending e-mails and using the Internet comes from solar energy or wind power? Will that be causing harm to the environment?
We shouldn’t exaggerate the problems; instead we should find practical ways to reduce humanity’s carbon footprint.

SB, (Full name and address supplied)

Please send us your  letters By e-mail: editor@gulf-times.com