Matt Whiting wrote:

James Robinson wrote:

News reports a Cherokee crashed just short of the runway at Erie, PA
around 21:30. Aircraft resting upside down, and 3 of the 4 on board
fatal. 4th reportedly had extensive burns, and transported by
helicopter to hospital.

Aircraft and passengers reportedly from Delaware. They had stopped in
Jamestown, NY, for fuel, but the FBO was closed(?) so flew on to
Erie.

What is this recent obsession with posting every airplane accident all
about?

I missed one from last night: Four killed in crash while approaching
Denver's Centennial airport. That's the fourth fatal accident at that
airport since December.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2941816

As to why they get posted, perhaps because of a sense of "There for the
grace of God go I"; perhaps because aviation is made up of a small
fraternity, and people often know those involved; perhaps because there
are lessons to be learned - in the case of the ERI accident, it appears
the pilot took a chance and ran out of fuel on a 50 mile flight; perhaps
it is simply morbid curiosity.

Overall, I hope that we never get inured to aviation accidents the way
we have to automobile accidents where something like 100 people a day
are killed on highways, and they are a footnote on back pages of
newspapers.