The "talking heads" at CNN were running off at the mouth last night about the "security risks" posed by "little airplanes" (much hyperventalitation and hyperbole ensued).

Since 9/11 there have been two instances where small planes have hit tall buildings, that I am aware of (in the US). The first was a Cessna 172 flown by a distrubed young student pilot. He flew it into a office tower in Tampa, Florida. There was little damage and no fire. Yesterday's accident resulted in a post-crash fire that damaged or destroyed 6-8 units (apartments). The building suffered no structural damage. The aircraft was reported to be a Cirrus SR-20.

People in the media need to realize that planes like these are called "light aircraft" for a reason. The gross weight for a Cessan 172 is 2,450 lbs, the SR-20 is 3,000 lbs. Each can carry a maximum of about 50 gallons (US) of avaiation gasoline. One can see that the risks posed by aircraft such as these are minimal.

JimJr