PHILADELPHIA, April 18, 2018 — Councilman Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District) issued the following statement in response to yesterday’s emergency landing of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL):
“My heart is broken for the family that lost their loved one in this tragic incident. My thoughts and prayers are with all of Jennifer Riordan’s loved ones at this time, and with all of the passengers who are recovering from Flight 1380’s emergency landing yesterday.
“I want to personally thank and commend the passengers on the plane who acted quickly and heroically in a terrifying situation to try to save another’s life; the aircraft and PHL personnel who responded professionally and calmly in unusual circumstances to keep as many passengers safe in an emergency as possible; and emergency services personnel who met the plane on landing to help assist and prevent further injuries and fatalities.
“From as many accounts that I’ve read thus far from passengers on board, everyone involved did as much as they possibly could to try to preserve public safety in this horrific situation. Your efforts are truly inspiring.
“We are thankful this situation did not end with more fatalities but one death is too many. We are all wondering how this happened. I understand there is a National Transportation Safety Board investigation ongoing; I am interested to know if safety procedures in place should have, or could have, prevented this incident.”
Councilman Johnson co-chairs City Council’s Committee on Public Safety as well as chairs the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities. Additionally, the Philadelphia International Airport is located in the 2nd Council District.
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Photo: Used under Creative Commons license.
