Is Family Travel On Same Aircraft Too Much Risk To Take? Various Case Studies Unearthed
Through records of ill-fated air crashes over the years, there have been instances of whole families or almost all members of a family perishing in an accident. Suffice it to say that in some quarters, people are asking if it is not too much risk for a family to fly together in an aircraft.
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In the recently recorded ET 302/10 March B-737-8-MAX (ET-AVJ), Ethiopian airplane crash, 3 generations of Indian-Canadians, – husband, wife, their 2 children and parents of the wife- perished. The wife was allegedly taking her family on tourism to her birthplace in Kenya.
A week before traveling, the woman identified as Carol Karanja had reportedly sent a message to her sister, saying she had an uneasy feeling.
The WhatsApp message read:
“My heart isn’t really excited. I feel like there’s something bad ahead, but I don’t know what.”
Back home in Kenya, Carol’s younger sister, Kelly Karanja was worried about the premonition so she asked her sister the exact day she would arrive and told her to pray about it.
Carol replied in a message:
“10th. Will let you know the time.”
Karanja was so worried about the trip that she sent a similar message expressing her fear of the impending journey to her father, John Quindos Karanja, before she boarded the flight. Sadly, she never made it home. The plane she was in crashed just minutes after takeoff from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
She died with her mom, Ann Wangui Karanja, and her three children: Ryan Njoroge, 7, Kellie Pauls, 4, and 9-month-old daughter, Rubi Pauls, with 152 others aboard.
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Another Kenyan family of 3 generations comprising of the grandmother, daughter and 2 grandchildren were also reportedly involved.
In 2005, in the ill-fated sosoliso airplane crash that had the likes of popular Lagos preacher, Bimbo Odukoya and Kechi Okwuchi aboard, children born of of the same parents were reported amongst the victims.
In Dana airplane crash of 2012, amongst the 153 passengers aboard, there was a record of a Nigerian dad who was visiting home with his family and some members of his wife’s family. Pathetically, he was allegedly bringing his children to Nigeria for the first time. On the same flight, there was a young mom-of-2 who was traveling with her two children. She was reportedly returning to Lagos after paying her husband who was based in Abuja; a visit over the weekend.
In 2013, involved in an Associated Airline Crash was the owner of popular funeral home, MIC undertakers, Tunji Okusanya who was aboard with his first son. Sadly, that was the end of father and son.
In 2014, Bahamian pastor, Myles Munroe and his wife, Ruth died in a plane crash along with 7 other passengers.
To this end, a Facebook user, Femi Akinwunmi has raised a question:
“Isn’t family travels on same aircraft too much of a risk?”
He postulated that by law of most countries, the president and his vice aren’t allowed to travel on same aircraft asking why individuals won’t adopt same approach. He further told the story of how he fared when on an occasion, he and his wife were aboard a turbulent flight.
Akinwunmi wrote:
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“3 generations of Indian-Canadians perished in the ill-fated Ethiopian airline, husband, wife, their 2 children and parents of the wife. The wife was taking her family on tourism to her birthplace in Kenya????
CNN just aired a documentary on another Kenyan family, 3 generations. Grandmother, daughter and 2 grandchildren????
Isn’t family travels on same aircraft too much of a risk? By law of most countries, the president and his vice aren’t allowed to travel on same aircraft, shouldn’t individuals adopt same approach?
I developed a strong phobia flying with my wife few years ago when she followed me on a trip to Spain. We had this terrible turbulence, and I almost passed out in fear. It wasn’t a personal fear of death.
I looked beside me and saw my wife, and the fear of what would be the lot of my children crippled me. It was like, dear, this turbulence was much o, but I couldn’t say a word, I couldn’t even pray, as I could no longer breathe well. My heart was almost numb.
We got to our destination in peace, but I wasn’t okay for two days, because of the trauma I subjected myself into. Since then, I struggle to put us on same flight despite the fun such companionship bring. And when I do my travel alone, I don’t get so paralyzed no matter the turbulence.
May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace, amen.”
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Looking at this subject from another angle, countless numbers of family members have traveled on same flight and arrived at their destination in peace.
To this end, how would you respond to Femi Akinwunmi’s question?