Private Jet Charter News

CNN Mistakenly Reports Near Miss

United 747 Nearly “Collides” with Golden Gate Bridge
In one of the more over-blown video reports regarding low flying aircraft, an anchor in Atlanta for CNN emphasizes how “close” the UAL 747 comes to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Watch the video
According to the FAA, The agency had received no complaints about the flyovers performed Oct. 9 and 10 as part of San Francisco’s annual Fleet Week, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said. In the video, the jet makes a wide turn before flying low over the bridge. Kenitzer said the aircraft was well above the span, and blamed the angle at which videos were shot for making it appear closer than it actually was.  He said flight restrictions were in place in the area and that an air traffic controller was directing the plane’s altitude. United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said the company was showcasing one of its 747s to celebrate its longstanding partnership with San Francisco. “The fly-by was conducted as part of a well-publicized air show and with the utmost consideration to the safety of the public and the aircraft,” McCarthy said. CNN later aired this segment explaining their misinterpretation of the video.  Watch the video.  Why does every low-flying aircraft automatically draw comparisons to what happened on Sept 11, 2001?  CNN could have easily shown this same video depicting the same sensational visuals and yet explain that although the aircraft APPEARS to come very close to striking the bridge that it was really just a visual trick caused by the angle, distance, and depth perception from where the video was filmed.  CNN gets to roll great footage and yet educate their viewers about the real story.  Two phone calls, one to the FAA, and one to United Airlines PR department would have gotten the complete picture.  Instead, the rush to post/display/report sensational images resulted in much ado about nothing.  Perhaps that was the idea after all – ratings, hits, and blogs.