Crash not as shocking after Sept. 11

Just two months after hijacked airliners collapsed the World Trade Center towers, an American Airlines jetliner crashed into a neighborhood in Queens, N.Y. yesterday while it was on its way to the Dominican Republic with 255 people on board. \nPeople have been on edge since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, but investigators suggested the cause of the crash was mechanical failure and not an act of terrorism.\nMany students' initial reaction to finding out about another plane crash in New York was shock and disbelief of another tragedy. Yet this time students wondered if terrorism was a possible cause of the attack rather than a mechanical problem. \n"I was shocked when I saw it on television," said junior Ruth Schachter. " I immediately wondered if the crash was related to Sept 11. Whatever the outcome of the investigation though, it's still a huge loss of life."\nBut some students didn't feel as threatened or distressed as they did on Sept 11. \n"I wasn't taken aback by it as much as I would have been before two months ago," said sophomore Michael Vito. "It's not caring any less, I have felt numb emotionally about what"s happened since Sept 11 and that feeling is ongoing."\nYesterday's crash has made some students even more nervous about flying whether or not the cause of the crash was an act of terrorism.\n"I'm even more apprehensive about flying now with the crash (Monday) and the crash of the hijacked planes on Sept. 11," said junior Katy Shafer. "It just makes you want to be fully aware what's going on when you"re on the plane."\nBut passengers have never been ensured their safety and yesterday's crash is another example of putting your life at risk when flying, Vito said.\n"I've always think of things statistically and plane crashes happened a lot even before Sept. 11 and today," Vito said.