Footage showing an American Airlines pilot delivering a heartfelt message to his passengers recently went viral on social media. During American Airlines flight 1044, less than 24 hours after the devastating crash over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, reassuring the travelers that they were in good hands during the trip.
The deadly midair collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and a United States Military Black Hawk helicopter left no survivors, creating a death toll of 67. The accident, which has amounted to one of the worst airline accidents in years, has sparked a newfound fear of flying among many travelers. However, the kind pilot on flight 1044 from Jacksonville to Miami did his best to ease these worries.
“[You] may be fearful about flying, and that’s certainly understandable, but just please know that my first officer and our flight attendants and myself place your safety and the responsibility of carrying you to Miami, to your families, your vacations, your gates, at the highest level,” the pilot can be heard saying in the viral clip.
He emphasized his conviction to operate the plane with conviction and professionalism, knowing he has the lives of many others in his hands. “I have no higher calling than carefully, professionally transporting you today, so with that, relax and enjoy the beautiful evening that we get to fly in. We’ll begin shortly [and] welcome aboard,” he said.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Leighton Mixon, from Jacksonville, Florida, expressed how much the message meant. “I just want to [say] how thankful I am for him and his words in such a time as this. After such a tragic event, [and] I am someone who doesn’t have an anxious bone in my body, but I found myself facing so much anxiety and so much worry going into my trip (which was the following day),” he said.
Mixon, who captured the viral footage, which has racked up millions of views on social media, added, “It’s every pilot’s job to inform and take control, but his kindness and his empathy far surpass his job description.” He further noted, “I honestly couldn’t help but wonder how the crew would be and how their demeanors would be. How will they act? What will they say? That’s actually initially why I pulled my phone out to record, because I knew I wanted to hear what he was going to say.”
“And with one PA, it’s like he just invited calm into the room. It felt like he was speaking literally to me, and then I looked up and quickly realized how badly every single person on the flight needed to hear what he had said,” he continued. Mixon, who is a flight attendant, explained, “As an airline employee you train and train and train for every possible worst-case scenario, and hope and pray to God it never happens.”
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However, Mixon acknowledged that despite their best efforts, airline employees cannot control all variables. “You can be doing everything right, and it still be totally out of your control,” he said. “That scares me but also brings me peace. We are not in control.” Watch the heartwarming message from the American Airlines pilot that eased the fears of so many passengers below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.