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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The tech company Sea.AI is helping boats avoid collisions and unseen dangers at sea.</li><li>Its software uses thermal cameras and AI to identify objects in the ocean and alert sailors.</li></ul>Will Harris has been a professional ocean racer for over 10 years. The skipper, or boat captain, sails with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.team-malizia.com/">Team Malizia</a> and has spent more time away from land than the average person."The thing about being at sea, or one thing that's very challenging, is when you are in the middle of the ocean, you really are some of the most isolated humans at those moments," he said.Safety is a top priority for sailors. For decades, boats have relied on technology such as radar to detect major obstructions. But objects like garbage, debris, fishing boats, and buoys often aren't seen until <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/two-boats-competing-the-ocean-race-rammed-by-orcas-2023-6">a collision is imminent</a>.To avoid these obstacles during a race, Harris uses software from <a target="_blank" href="http://Sea.AI">Sea.AI</a>, a startup that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-artificial-intelligence-customer-experience-business-applications-2024-5">employs artificial-intelligence</a> detection and proprietary thermal cameras to give boats a better view of the ocean. Founded in 2019, the French company has been collecting data on over 10 million objects that radars cannot detect. Solenn Gouerou, the head of marketing communication at Sea.AI, told Business Insider that 500 vessels used its AI tech.Sea.AI's widest adoption has been in boat racing to evade collisions. "These are multimillion-pound boats," Harris said. If a collision occurs, he added, the race has to stop because it's "obviously very dangerous."<div type="image" title="Will Harris adjusting the sail of the J2 during a boat delivery." height="2384" width="4240" msid="111691318" hostid="261" sizebytes="304330"></div>Harris started using Sea.AI the same year it launched and has sailed over 100,000 miles with the tech. "We're really trying to use data to our advantage now because <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ai-extended-reality-disrupting-changing-technology-industry-2023-8">it's a technology race</a> for us," Harris said, adding that boats have several sensors that measure metrics like speed, depth, fuel, and the boat's infrastructure.The Malizia-Seaexplorer, the boat he cocaptains with Boris Herrmann, uses Sea.AI, which helped Team Malizia place second on May 6 during the first leg of the Transat CIC race from France to New York.<h2 id="a39fdd57-fd8b-4b02-83fb-54f5a00e9159">How the technology works</h2>Sea.AI's founder, Raphael Biancale, previously worked in the autonomous-car industry. When he got his first boat, he noticed that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-looking-for-drones-ai-tools-to-help-shipyards-2023-10">watercraft technology was lacking</a>. When he sailed at night, "he didn't have a proper system to help him see in front of the boat," Gouerou said.Sea.AI uses a large thermal camera that can attach to the front of a boat or on a mast to scan the water. Using thermal imaging and night vision, the software detects items that the naked eye would struggle to see.The camera's imaging can be accessed through an app or connected to a boat's multifunction-display system. When objects are detected, the software automatically sounds an alarm to give the skipper enough time to divert the ship's course.<div type="image" title="Boris Herrmann looks at the screens in the boat's cockpit." height="2384" width="4240" msid="111691316" hostid="261" sizebytes="609338"></div>Sea.AI's system then logs the object to help train the software to detect more types of obstructions. Harris said because sailors aren't always looking at the camera — "we're looking at the sails, we're sleeping, we're resting" — Sea.AI's alarm is a "really important" feature.Harris recalled avoiding a collision while his team was sailing "25 to 30 knots," or about 29 to 35 mph, near Gibraltar. He said they weren't monitoring the camera but heard an alert from Sea.AI notifying them of a fishing boat about 100 meters away: "We were probably 10 or 15 seconds away from crashing into it."<h2 id="dd41d159-9208-40a4-9447-07023d1e73be">Building a more well-rounded navigation system</h2>Sea.AI was developed to be used in conjunction with radar tech and an automatic identification system, a tracking system that allows boats to see each other's geographic position.The company's partnership with Garmin, a manufacturer of multifunction displays, has allowed Sea.AI to integrate more seamlessly into Garmin's software. The MFDs centralize information for sailors who are surveilling multiple systems that help a vessel operate."I was interested by the innovation that they put into the market because looking for floating objects was always a critical area," Andrea D'Amato, the business-development manager of the marine subset at Garmin International, said."Our display can be divided into two windows," D'Amato told BI. "For example, in one window you can be focused on the radar, and in the other window you can be focused on the Sea.AI features."<div type="image" title="Sea.AI screen detection" height="1365" width="2048" msid="111691323" hostid="261" sizebytes="77806"></div>Harris said he had the displays for Sea.AI, the automatic identification system, and the radar next to each other on his MFD. The radar and AIS displays <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-artificial-intelligence-autonomous-systems-help-shipping-sustainability-goals-2023-11">help with navigation</a>, and the Sea.AI display indicates where objects are relative to the boat's position. "It's telling us straight away which direction we need to look to see the object," he added.Romain Attanasio, a skipper for Fortinet-Best Western, recently used Sea.AI while transporting the boat across the Atlantic. He told BI that avoiding fishing boats, which are heavily present near shores, was one of his biggest navigational challenges, especially when entering and exiting ports.<div type="image" title="Romain Attanasio stands on the Fortinet-Best Western boat as he sails past the Statue of Liberty in New York City." height="2260" width="4024" msid="111691324" hostid="261" sizebytes="480012"></div>Attanasio said many fishermen don't use an AIS because "they don't want the other fishermen to know where the fish are," which makes it harder to see fishing boats' locations. Fishermen's nets, he added, are also invisible dangers since they create large concentrations of fish and rope just below the surface of the water — an area that is mostly invisible to AIS and radar tech but easier to monitor with Sea.AI's imaging.Sea.AI, automatic identification systems, and radar each have their benefits and disadvantages, Gouerou said. "Each sensor has its own capabilities," she said. "We are an optical sensor. So, for example, if there's really, really heavy rain, it's tricky for us."<h2 id="43a9fb36-8aaf-4a78-a8b2-dc7ed70e2df2">Expanding AI in the maritime industry</h2>Gouerou told BI that Sea.AI was expanding with the launch of Brain, its software-only machine-vision product that can identify objects in the ocean. Unlike Sea.AI's preceding software, which worked exclusively with the company's camera units, Brain is compatible with third-party thermal cameras. The goal, Gouerou said, is to reduce the cost of using Sea.AI's system by eliminating the need to purchase both the software and the cameras from Sea.AI.<div type="image" title="Malizia-Seaexplorer captain Boris Herrmann and his team leave Brooklyn marina to join the start of the New York Vendee sailing race, in Brooklyn, New York, on May 28, 2024." height="2095" width="4190" msid="111691321" hostid="261" sizebytes="403776"></div>The company also plans to enter other markets, such as cruising, commercial vessels, and ferries. Gouerou said Sea.AI recently conducted trials with search-and-rescue boats in France, the UK, and Germany.The future of Sea.AI will be building technology with an "automatic avoidance" capability to reduce the need for human intervention, Gouerou said. Harris' boat uses a prototype of this feature; it connects to the ship's steering system to help automatically avert collisions with small nearby objects. "It's still a work in progress, but it's definitely something that's going to be developed more and more in the future," he said.

An AI startup focused on maritime safety is helping sailors navigate the ocean and avoid collisions

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A man says his Tesla malfunctioned, accelerating on its own after a collision in Nevada.</li><li>The couple said the incident followed a head-on collision with a Jeep that they caught on camera.</li></ul>A Tesla driver said his car malfunctioned and began accelerating on its own after a collision with another car.It was scary enough when Radu and Angela Stefan were in a head-on collision with another vehicle while driving their Tesla on Mount Charleston in Nevada on the afternoon of July 7.But the nightmare got worse when Radu Stefan's Tesla began accelerating on its own moments after a Jeep Rubicon turned around a corner and hit them head-on while they were stopped at an intersection, he told a local news outlet. The Jeep later drove away from the scene, according to Stefan."It was like a horror movie," Stefan told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://news3lv.com/amp/news/local/caught-on-camera-dash-cam-captures-hit-and-run-on-mt-charleston-couple-seeks-help">KSNV</a>, an NBC affiliate station in Las Vegas. "We were just horrified, experiencing it. Just in shock."Stefan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider."We lost control of the car," Stefan told KSNV. "The car went towards the mountain, and I was barely able to stop it at one point, but that we saw in the rearview mirror the people who hit us, they just left."Stefan did not say in the interview if he had any of Tesla's self-driving or driver-assist software engaged at the time of the collision.Nevada State Police, who responded to the crash and are investigating the incident and searching for the Jeep driver, according to KSNV, did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Tesla's vehicles have drawn regulator scrutiny in recent years around their self-driving and assisted-driving features. The company <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-recalls-2-million-cars-as-regulators-say-autopilot-insufficent-2023-12">recalled 2 million Teslas</a> in 2023 amid a litany of crashes associated with the Autopilot feature and a yearslong probe from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Even so, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/feds-investigating-tesla-autopilot-recall-after-crashes-kept-happening-2024-4">NHTSA opened a fresh Tesla investigation</a> in April after the vehicle crashes continued despite the recall. One man reported that his Tesla was in Autopilot mode when it drove onto <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-mistook-train-tracks-for-road-police-warning-2024-6">train tracks that it mistook for the road</a>.

Tesla driver says his car malfunctioned and started accelerating after a head-on collision with a Jeep

Two people were killed Tuesday following a <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/kenya-plane-crash-nairobi-park-24cf54c89270de860e5951cf63dfc235">midair plane collision</a> in Kenya, police said, according to The Associated Press.A De Havilland Dash 8 plane operated by a safari airline collided with a single-engine Cessna 172 above the Nairobi National Park, according to a police report cited by the news agency.Safarilink Aviation <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Flysafarilink/status/1764934153319903339">said</a> the Dash 8 with 44 people on board "experienced a loud bang soon after takeoff" and safely returned to Nairobi-Wilson airport.The smaller plane had two people on board who were in a training session with the 99 Flying School, per The AP. Police said it crashed in the national park.The Kenya Police Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

2 people were killed in a midair plane collision in Kenya, police say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Three Ukrainian pilots were killed Friday after a midair collision during a training flight.</li><li>Among the dead was a commander with the callsign Juice, who'd urged the US to provide F-16 jets.</li></ul>Three Ukrainian pilots died Friday after a midair collision occurred during a training flight.Eyewitnesses told <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-air-crash-witnesses/32566086.html">Radio Free Europe</a> they saw the two L-39 planes collide during their flight after flying "closer and closer to one another" during the training exercise. The crash sent debris crashing down near the village of Sinhury."Yesterday, a disaster occurred in the sky over Zhytomyr region," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a <a href="https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/spravzhnya-micnist-ye-lishe-v-tih-derzhav-yaki-vmiyut-zahish-85213">statement</a> released Saturday, confirming the pilots' deaths. "Among them was Andriy Pilshchykov, call sign Juice. He was a Ukrainian officer, one of those who helped our country a lot. A lot! My condolences to the family and friends, to everyone who knew the guys."Zelenskyy added: "The investigation into what happened is ongoing. It's too early to talk about the details. Of course, all the circumstances will be clarified. Of course, Ukraine will never forget anyone who defended Ukraine's free sky. May they always be remembered!"In an interview last year with <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1506065646941085701" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">CNN</a>, in which he lamented Russia's air superiority, Juice revealed his friends branded him with the nickname during a trip to the US because he would continually ask for juice during their nights out since he doesn't drink alcohol.When Anderson Cooper asked how it felt for Juice to join the war effort, he replied: "It's just my job. I was trained for this. I was ready for this war." The MiG-29 pilot returned to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/21/europe/ukraine-pilot-f16-russia-intl/index.html">CNN</a> in June to say that the summer counteroffensive would be "much more effective" and "safer for our guys on the ground" if the West supplied Ukraine with F-16s because the American-made fighter jets would be better able to compete with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraines-biggest-threat-russian-minefields-airpower-us-general-2023-7" rel="">Russia's superior air power</a>. Representatives for Ukraine's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.The catastrophe comes just days after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-biden-administration-supports-f16-jets-ukraine-war-2023-8">the US announced plans to provide jet pilot training for Ukrainians</a> flying F-16s that Denmark and the Netherlands have supplied from their fleets. The Biden administration's agreement to offer pilot training on American soil, a reversal from comments made earlier this year, follows months of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/international-pressure-biden-send-f-16-fighter-jets-ukraine-working-2023-5" rel="">mounting international pressure</a> and pleas from Ukrainian officials that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-jets-are-ambushing-ukrainians-in-swarming-sneak-attacks-report-2023-4">F-16s would be a critical factor in defending against Russia's air force</a>.The training, which will be conducted at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, will begin in October.

3 Ukrainian pilots died in a disastrous mid-flight collision days after Western allies announced a new training initiative

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="21494352" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Force-pilots" source="keywords">Air Force pilots</keyword> are extensively trained to prevent loss of consciousness during high-acceleration flights.</li><li>The <keyword id="21494351" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anti-G-Straining-Maneuver" source="keywords">Anti-G Straining Maneuver</keyword> helps pilots maintain consciousness when they fly.</li></ul>You're flying a fighter aircraft, and you are accelerating. But you're relaxed — a little too relaxed. Suddenly, you notice your peripheral vision beginning to fade. In what may be just seconds, you completely lose consciousness. That's <keyword id="21494350" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="G-LOC" source="keywords">G-LOC</keyword>, or G-induced loss of consciousness, and the results can be catastrophic. In flight, levels of acceleration known as G-force vary, and when pilots experience its highest levels, the pressure of gravity pushes blood to the lower half of the human body, causing low blood circulation in the upper half of the body. "When that happens for an extended enough period of time, you will lose consciousness," Lt. Col. <keyword id="21494356" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="carolyn-price-moore" source="keywords">Carolyn Price Moore</keyword>, an aerospace physiologist and the chief of the 19th <keyword id="19949543" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Force" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Air Force" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Air Force">Air Force</keyword>'s Aircrew Performance Branch, told Business Insider. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-aircraft-fleets-war-like-we-havent-seen-general-2024-2">Air Force</a> pilots must prepare their bodies for the reaction at the highest levels of acceleration during their flights. Experts broke down how pilots make it through these high-pressure endeavors. <div type="image" title="A T-38 Talon aircraft flying from Columbus Air Force Base, Ohio." height="768" width="1024" msid="109198061" hostid="261"></div>"All the training that we do, the goal is to ensure that the pilot is capable of doing the maneuver," <keyword id="21494357" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="price-moore" source="keywords">Price Moore</keyword> said. The Anti-G Straining Maneuver, also known as <keyword id="21494355" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AGSM" source="keywords">AGSM</keyword>, is an exercise pilots use during high levels of G-force to prevent G-LOC. Air Force pilots are taught about G-forces, AGSM, and all the ways that increased altitude and pressure can affect the body as early as their first week of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f35-b-fighter-pilot-training-marine-corps-air-station-2021-4">training</a> in the classroom. <h2>Learning the ropes</h2>When pilots are just starting out, their introduction to G-force is gradual. This gives them time to build the physical fitness to withstand pulling Gs. "You really just want your lower body to be very strong, so if you can do working out that improves your lower body strength that's gonna go a long way towards helping with G tolerance," Price Moore said. Athletes tend to have an advantage when it comes to preparing for high-G-force flights as they may already have significant lower body strength. Although height is beyond the pilot's control, it also helps to have a short stature as blood can circulate in the body faster. Students are put through an introductory primary acceleration training where they are individually spun in a human centrifuge that gradually increases in Gs. "It's a nice slight, just kind of slow climb up into the G realm that lets them kind of get used to the feel of the centrifuge," said Senior Master Sgt. Tyler Long, who has overseen training performance facilities. He called the training a "roller coaster on steroids," saying "it's a feeling you've never felt before in your life." Students wear G-suits that act as an external "air bladder," squeezing the lower body to promote blood flow if a student doesn't have enough lower body strength to flex on their own. <div type="image" title="centrifuge spins" height="2256" width="3000" msid="109198063" hostid="261"></div>Training also includes what Long describes as the SACM (Simulated Aerial Combat Maneuvers) profile, a simulation in which the student has to track an aircraft onscreen while they undergo and ride out varying levels of G-force. "The whole point is proficiency. Get them proficient with this G strength, get them comfortable to a point where they can now go and fly a higher G capable aircraft," he said. New Air Force <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pilot-navy-topgun-what-its-like-daily-life-2023-9" target="_blank">student</a> pilots start out flying a T-6 Texan II aircraft, within about seven months in Undergraduate Pilot Training and move forward to either mobility or heavy aircraft training using the Air Mobility Fundamentals-Simulator or fighter and bomber training in a T-38 Talon aircraft. Students are assigned an aircraft by the end of UPT. The student will use this simulator for several months. An undergraduate pilot will then move to fly a T-6 Texan II aircraft within about seven months in Undergraduate Pilot Training and move forward to either mobility or heavy aircraft training using the AMF-Simulator or fighter and bomber training in a T-38 Talon aircraft. Students are assigned an aircraft by the end of UPT. Once the student masters this training they will fly the aircraft they were assigned and master it during the Formal Training Unit. <h2>Handling the real thing</h2>The two main mechanisms of AGSM that prevent a pilot from passing out are calculated breathing and the squeezing of the lower body. It's a simple but life-saving maneuver. Before the pilot even enters G-force onset while flying, they have to flex their lower body like their glutes, hamstrings and other muscles as tight as they can. "They just tighten and hold and what that does is it actually compresses all of the blood vessels, all your veins and arteries in the lower half of your body to help prevent that pooling," Price Moore said, explaining that the flexing allows the blood to stay and continue circulating the upper body. <div type="image" title="Air Force T-1 Jayhawk, T-6 Texan II, and T-38 Talon" height="1331" width="2000" msid="109198066" hostid="261"></div>The more challenging step is executing the proper breathing technique. This allows blood flow to return to the heart and then to the brain. A pilot should take a big deep breath, holding the air in their glottis, which is located in the throat, before the G-onset or acceleration occurs and then they begin the "air exchange." The air exchange is the quick release of air that should occur every three seconds. "It's not a normal breath, it's a forced air exchange where you are essentially forcing the glottis open and closed really, really rapidly," Price Moore described. The sound of an air exchange sounds hoarse, like a mix between a gasp and a cough. In training, this is all done under the supervision of the instructor who is accompanying the student in the aircraft. They must listen for the air exchanges to ensure and approve whether the pilot is breathing correctly. <h2>Accidents still happen</h2>Sometimes G-induced loss of consciousness cannot be avoided and a pilot might also experience symptoms such as brief amnesia, nausea, disorientation, and confusion, as well as neck and back injuries. Flight accidents have also occurred as a result of pilots passing out. For instance, among other incidents, both the Navy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.military.com/defensetech/2008/01/14/blue-angel-crash-blamed-on-gloc">Blue Angels</a> and Air Force <a target="_blank" href="https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/10/16/report-thunderbirds-pilot-killed-in-crash-lost-consciousness-in-high-g-maneuver/">Thunderbirds</a> have lost demonstration pilots to G-LOC.But many military aircraft are now equipped with an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System that help to prevent accidents from happening. "When the auto GCAS is engaged, the aircraft itself gets texts if it is essentially too close to the ground, and if so, the aircraft itself will take over and do what's called a 'fly up,' and we'll fly the aircraft back up to a safe altitude," Price Moore explained. "Since the installation of auto GCAS we have had far fewer incidents of G-induced loss of consciousness mishaps or accidents," she said, adding that "operationally, the auto GCAS has kind of been a game-changer in terms of G-LOC mishaps, so there's that guardrail." But even with a kind of safety net in the aircraft, that doesn't make it any less necessary for US military pilots to train as if they don't and ready their bodies for the intense high-pressure challenges of <keyword id="21494349" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="high-G-flying" source="keywords">high-G flying</keyword>. Correction: April 29, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misidentified a training aircraft and simulation profile. The Air Force uses the T-6 Texan II in initial training and the SACM (Simulated Aerial Combat Maneuvers) profile.

Fighter pilots can black out in seconds during high-G flying. Here's how flight experts say they train to stay conscious.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/21/business/airline-safety-close-calls.html">investigation</a> finds airplanes are nearly colliding <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-close-calls-happening-multiple-times-nyt-investigation-2023-8">multiple times a week</a>.</li><li>Part of that can be chalked up to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/becoming-air-traffic-controller-career-pros-cons-of-job-2022-1">air traffic controller</a> labor shortages.</li></ul>Airplanes keep <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-close-calls-happening-multiple-times-nyt-investigation-2023-8">almost hitting each other</a> — and one reason is a shortage of workers whose job it is to make sure they don't.A recent investigation by the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/21/business/airline-safety-close-calls.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> found that, in July alone, there were nearly 50 almost-collisions in the US. Earlier this month, a Southwest Airlines flight and a private jet came within <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/near-miss-between-southwest-plane-and-private-jet-sparks-investigations-2023-8">100 feet of one another</a> on a San Diego runway. A <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements#Top" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preliminary review</a> by the FAA determined air traffic control had cleared the Cessna jet to land on the same runway that it had previously cleared a Southwest Airlines flight to taxi to and wait for permission to take off. The Times found — through an analysis of FAA records and a NASA aviation database — that <a href="https://www.insider.com/kentucky-woman-allegiant-air-flight-near-miss-florida-2023-7">close-call incidents</a> like these are often the result of human error, such as mistakes made by air traffic controllers who are chronically understaffed. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airplane-experts-stumped-by-high-rate-of-near-miss-collisions-2023-5">recent rise in close call incidents</a> involving commercial airlines is in part due to a widening hole in what's called the "Swiss cheese model," a framework for ensuring safe traveling. Under the <a href="https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/James_Reason_HF_Model" target="_blank" rel="noopener">model</a>, the idea is that the different factors that go into ensuring planes land safely all have certain weaknesses. Those vulnerabilities could include the weather, a pilot's amount of sleep, wildlife, what the pilot ate for breakfast, or other human error. When you layer enough pieces of holey cheese, and make sure the holes don't line up, it creates a solid layer of security against disaster. In this case, air traffic controllers are a key piece of cheese, making sure that the holes are caught by someone monitoring the situation on the ground. Except there's not enough air traffic controllers. A <a href="https://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/FAA%20Controller%20Staffing%20and%20Training%20at%20Critical%20Facilities%20Final%20Report-06-21-23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">government audit</a> released in June found that 77% of critical air traffic control facilities in the US are staffed below the recommended threshold.The report concluded that the FAA "lacks a plan to address" the shortages, noting that due to training delays caused by COVID-19, the agency cannot ensure it will successfully train enough controllers in the short term.<h2>Air traffic control is a well-paid, high risk job that requires lots of training</h2>The shortages aren't due to a lack of interest — the FAA received over 58,000 applicants for 1,500 air traffic controller positions (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/becoming-air-traffic-controller-career-pros-cons-of-job-2022-1">which pay a median salary of nearly $128,00</a>) last year.But new hires can't immediately start on the job. Air traffic controllers have to go through rigorous training that can take over three years to complete. In addition, applicants must be younger than 31 years old and are required to <a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section8335&amp;num=0&amp;edition=prelim#:~:text=%C2%A78335.,e)%2C%20whichever%20occurs%20later." target="_blank" rel="noopener">retire by age 56.</a>Staffing shortages "have placed a tremendous amount of strain on air traffic controllers," Rich Santa, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in a statement to Insider."We saw the effect that air traffic controller staffing shortages had on air travel this summer, and although there has been an increased focus on training, the hiring process to overcome the staffing shortage takes years," Santa said, adding that many air controllers are working mandatory overtime of 10-hour shifts for six days a week. "Air traffic controllers are doing an exemplary job in a very difficult situation, but this is not sustainable."In May, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/faa-traffic-controllers-shortage/index.html#:~:text=The%20Federal%20Aviation%20Administration%20ATC,controller%20positions%20nationwide%20are%20vacant." target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CNN</a> that air traffic control needed 3,000 more workers to be fully staffed.The FAA has hired 1,500 air traffic controllers this year and has an additional 2,600 controllers currently in training, the agency said in a <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/close-calls-and-new-york-times" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.Following a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/faa-launching-safety-review-committee-after-recent-near-crashes-2023-2">March safety summit</a> with industry leaders and labor organizations, the FAA announced steps to ensure supervisors devote their full attention to the operation and airfield during peak traffic, as well as launched a series of monthly safety briefings for air traffic controllers, the agency added.<h2>'We are seeing controllers taken out in ambulances'</h2>Despite the FAA's recent hiring efforts and training initiatives, air traffic controllers are experiencing the impact of short staffing acutely, according to an Insider analysis of safety reports voluntarily submitted to NASA by air traffic controllers, pilots, and other aviation personnel. At least 20 reports submitted to the database over the last two years mentioned air traffic control staffing levels as a safety issue. "As our operations continue to grow we need more staffing to ensure controllers are not put in these positions," one air traffic controller wrote of a January 2023 incident where they were dealing with too many aircraft and unable to quickly help an aircraft with a landing issue. "We're already working 6 day workweeks with shortened breaks, and these types of safety issues require us to be at our peak." One controller based at the Southern California TRACON, one of the busiest air traffic control facilities in the country, said they took sick leave after issuing the incorrect altitude clearance to a pilot. They cited fatigue from a lack of adequate down time as a contributing factor to the mistake. "If I can make a small mistake like that, I can make a bigger one. I am back to work today on my 6th day. I wish I could say a recommendation would be that we don't have to work so much overtime," they wrote in a report submitted in June 2022. "It's frustrating that we are behind in hiring and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. I'm sure the continuous OT has caused some consistent fatigue."In a report submitted in February 2022, another air traffic controller with 20 years of experience based at the Jacksonville control center said controllers are routinely working 60 hours a week and are "written up if they call in sick due to fatigue." "We are seeing controllers taken out in ambulances and we have had more than one resign. We are putting the controllers in an unsafe situation each and every day," the controller wrote. "I have never seen the morale so low or the workforce so defeated, disgruntled and exhausted."They continued: "Something needs to change soon because safety is compromised every single day. I am at home writing this report on my own time because I know that there will be no duty time available tomorrow and I already know that I will walk into understaffed areas."Are you an air traffic controller dealing with understaffing? Contact these reporters at <a href="mailto:htowey@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">htowey@insider.com</a> and <a href="mailto:jkaplan@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jkaplan@insider.com</a>.

Airline collision close calls are on the rise partly because there's not enough people working the high-paid, high-stress job that prevents them

Mistakes by the US's top spies allowed China to turn a deadly mid-air collision into an intelligence coup

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Russian fighter jet collided with an American drone this week after harassing it.</li><li>The drone crashed, and the Russian aircraft was damaged.</li></ul>A Russian fighter aircraft ran into a US Reaper drone over the Black Sea this week after executing a series of "reckless" maneuvers around the aircraft, and it may be a sign Russia "has a problem with its fighter pilots," two former US Navy aviators told Insider.A pair of Russian Su-27 fighters carried out what the US military called an "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept of a US MQ-9 drone on Tuesday, flying in front of the unmanned aircraft and dumping fuel on it before one of the Russian jets <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-fighter-jet-clips-us-military-reaper-causing-drone-crash-2023-3">clipped the drone's propeller</a>, causing a "crash and complete loss" of the US aircraft.The US military said that the Russian jet was damaged in the incident, but Russia has denied that its plane ever made contact with the US drone. The military released a video of the incident on Thursday, clearly showing damage to the drone as it operated in international airspace.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said there's "no question" the harassment was intentional, but it is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moscow-likely-sending-message-harassing-military-drone-us-critciizes-pilot-2023-3">unclear if the collision was</a>. A State Department official <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puY9IqAPtXA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it "probably was the result of profound incompetence on the part of one of these Russian pilots."One of the aviators who spoke to Insider called the move a "weird" maneuver that the Russian flier failed to pull off.<h2>'Egg on the face for Russia'</h2>Former Navy pilot and host of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FighterPilotPodcast/featured" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fighter Pilot Podcast</a> Vincent "Jell-O" Aiello said the engagement was "extremely reckless as well as illegal," adding that either the collision was intentional and "America has a problem with Russia" or "Russia has a problem with its fighter pilots," who he said may have been flat-hatting or showboating.Either way, the "close proximity, dumping fuel, and approaching and overtaking from the rear" the way the fighter did in the video released by the US military is dangerous, he said.Another former naval aviator and TOPGUN instructor, Guy "Bus" Snodgrass agreed that if the collision was unintentional, it looks bad for Russia."This is just egg on the face for Russia," he said. "There's no doubt about it.""For years, especially during my two decades of military service as a fighter pilot, we always kind of thought Russia was a little bit of a ten-foot-tall giant," Snodgrass told Insider. Russian military failures in Ukraine have altered this view, he continued, "and now, you've got something like this."<div type="image" title="An MQ-9 Reaper" height="2761" width="4879" msid="98715041" hostid="261"></div>"We've known they were unprofessional," he said, as Russia has conducted many unsafe intercepts over the years, but "it's like their training is bad."He said the collision with the US drone, assuming it was an accident, "demonstrates how poorly trained" the Su-27 pilots are and highlights the "poor decision making."A report from the Royal United Services Institute's Justin Bronk <a href="https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/mysterious-case-missing-russian-air-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted last year</a> that Russian fighter pilots receive less training than their Western counterparts with far fewer flight hours overall.And the war in Ukraine may result in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fighting-in-ukraine-reveals-russian-air-force-fragility-think-tank-2022-12">further deficiencies</a>, the London-based think tank <a href="https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/special-resources/preliminary-lessons-conventional-warfighting-russias-invasion-ukraine-february-july-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in a separate report</a>. RUSI pointed out last fall that not only does Russia lack well-trained pilots, but it has committed its instructor pilots to the fight, which has "hampered the ability to generate new pilots."It's unclear what kind of pilot was flying Tuesday, but US European Command's <a href="https://www.eucom.mil/pressrelease/42314/russian-aircraft-collides-into-us-unmanned-system-in-international-waters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on the incident involving the Russian Su-27s and the American MQ-9 Reaper said it demonstrated "a lack of competence" on the part of the Russians."The maneuver that the pilot used was reckless and just ill-informed," Snodgrass said. "I can't fathom anybody I've ever flown with taking an approach like that.""They're doing this weird maneuver where it's almost like they are trying to fly right at it and at the last second pull up so that their fuel will splash on the drone," he said, adding that "it just highlights they're unprofessional and their lack of capability, lack of ability as pilots.""It was a bad decision to do it that way," the former pilot said, noting there were other ways to go about it that would have been far less risky. "And then, obviously, the act of actually pulling it off was horrendous."<h2>'An aggressive maneuver by the Russians to force a reaction'</h2>Tuesday's incident raises questions about US operations in challenging environments.Russian jets routinely conduct unsafe intercepts of American aircraft, but the collision this week calls into focus the risks, especially in situations where the aircraft are all manned, such as when Russian planes have harassed US maritime surveillance aircraft.<div type="image" title="US Air Force Russia Su 27 intercept" height="777" width="1200" msid="98715043" hostid="261"></div>"The tactical portion here is that poor training or poor decision making by a Russian pilot caused a collision," Snodgrass said. "The strategic implications here is that it was an aggressive maneuver by the Russians to force a reaction."Aiello suggested that perhaps the US should consider "whether it is worth flying in those areas" or consider flying "with self-defense weapons or escorts," though Snodgrass suggested it would be undesirable to give way to Russia or escalate, arguing the US should continue to operate as it has.The US secretary of defense signaled its not the US that needs to change, but Russia, though that may prove a challenge."Make no mistake, the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after the crash this week, adding that "it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner."

Russian jet's collision with a US drone shows Russia may have a fighter pilot 'problem,' former US aviators say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>On February 12, 1988, two Soviet frigates "bumped" two US warships in the <keyword id="391209" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Black-Sea">Black Sea</keyword>.</li><li>The incident was the result of US challenges to what it saw as excessive Soviet maritime claims.</li><li>The US now faces similar tension with Russia and China, and the risk of "bumping" or worse is growing.</li></ul>A close encounter between US and Soviet warships in the Black Sea more than 30 years ago has new relevance amid rising tensions between the US and Russia and China, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-subs-better-than-chinese-subs-but-it-may-not-matter-in-a-conflict-2018-9https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chinas-aircraft-carriers-compare-to-us-navy-flattops-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are fielding larger</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-nato-do-quite-well-against-russian-subs-admiral-says-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more capable navies</a>.The February 12, 1988, incident began with Navy cruiser USS Yorktown and destroyer USS Caron conducting what the US called an <a href="https://sites.tufts.edu/lawofthesea/chapter-three/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">innocent passage</a> - transiting a state's territorial waters without conducting military operations - off of Crimea.The US ships "entered the 12-mile limit claimed by the Soviet Union as part of a Navy policy of occasionally asserting the right of passage in waters exceeding the 3-mile territorial limit recognized by the United States," The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/13/us/2-soviet-warships-reportedly-bump-us-navy-vessels.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported at the time</a>.The ships entered Soviet territorial waters near Sevastopol - Caron about 7 miles off the coast and Yorktown about 10 miles - around mid-morning and sailed eastward.Within minutes, Soviet frigate Bezzavetnyy intercepted Yorktown, while Soviet frigate SKR-6 intercepted Caron. Both ships, smaller than their US counterparts, told the Americans to leave Soviet waters or they would "<a href="https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol46/iss2/6/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strike</a>" them.<div type="image" title="USS Yorktown Soviet navy collision Black Sea" height="1964" width="2500" msid="81000358" hostid="261"></div>Around 10 a.m., SKR-6 "bumped" Caron, scraping the paint on the US ship's hull. Minutes later, Bezzavetnyy did the same to Yorktown, causing minor damage to its hull and to two of its Harpoon missile launchers, while the Soviet ship's starboard anchor was torn away.With the Soviets close by, the US warships continued their transit, leaving Soviet waters around noon without further encounters.Transits through areas controlled or claimed by US rivals are a long-standing mission - Yorktown and Caron did a similar one in the Black Sea in 1986 - and the Soviets usually reacted by shadowing US ships and lodging protests afterward.But the 1988 encounter "was somewhat of a seminal event," James Foggo, who commanded US naval forces in Europe until retiring as an admiral in 2020, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-bully-in-black-sea-remind-of-cold-war-incidents-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said last year</a>.While it wasn't unprecedented, word of it did spread through the Navy, Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain, told Insider this month.Despite the danger inherent in physical contact between ships, there was a high degree of professionalism on display, Hendrix said.An innocent passage requires the passing ship, the US vessels in this case, to maintain course and speed, while the onus was on the Soviets "to make contact with the Americans in the safest manner possible and then attempt to use their own mass, their engines, and their rudders to move the American out of the way," Hendrix said."We were able to maintain ... our course despite the fact the Soviets were trying to move us out" of their waters, Hendrix said.<h2>'They're doing their homework'</h2><div type="image" title="Black Sea Soviet navy frigate SKR-6 destroyer USS Caron" height="1498" width="1997" msid="81000364" hostid="261"></div>The 1988 incident prompted the US and the Soviets to reach <a href="https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol46/iss2/6/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several agreements</a> regarding potentially dangerous encounters at sea. (They agreed in 1972 to limit a maneuver known as "<a href="https://www.stripes.com/news/navy-reviewing-use-of-shouldering-tactic-used-to-divert-enemy-ships-1.40638" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shouldering</a>," which caused numerous collisions.)In the 1990s and 2000s, concern within the Navy about another such encounter was "almost negative," due to the size of the US fleet and its ships, as well as other navies' shift to smaller ships, Hendrix said.In recent years, however, as the Russian and Chinese navies have grown and tensions with those countries have risen, the risk of a repeat has increased."Tensions in the Black Sea today are actually very high again," Lyle Goldstein, a research professor and expert on naval warfare at the US Naval War College, told Insider this month.Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea added <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-nato-russian-militaries-increasingly-active-in-black-sea-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another maritime dimension to those tensions</a>."If Ukrainians, obviously, have a claim to Crimea, and we dispute Russia's claim to Crimea, then whether we consider the waters off of Crimea to be within the territorial waters ... becomes a rather thorny legal issue," Goldstein said.<div type="image" title="Russia Su-24 fighter jet Navy ship Black Sea" height="1231" width="1642" msid="81000368" hostid="261"></div>US and Russian ships have had close encounters elsewhere, but Russian actions <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-bully-in-black-sea-remind-of-cold-war-incidents-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the Black Sea are reminiscent</a> of the 1988 incident, Foggo said last year.The Russians "really have not changed. They've not embraced <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> organizations, institutions, standards, and norms," Foggo said.In the <keyword id="430735" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="South-China-Sea">South China Sea</keyword>, China is pressing sweeping claims that numerous countries and <a href="https://www.cfr.org/councilofcouncils/global-memos/hague-tribunals-south-china-sea-ruling-empty-provocation-or-slow-burning-influence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an international tribunal</a> have rejected. The US frequently conducts freedom-of-navigation operations <a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/freedom-navigation-south-china-sea-practical-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to challenge</a> those claims.During one such operation by Navy destroyer USS Decatur in 2018, a Chinese warship came within 45 yards of Decatur's bow. Navy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/decatur-incident-video-shows-chinese-sailors-preparing-for-collision-2020-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">footage</a> showed Chinese sailors preparing for a collision.Repeats of the 1988 incident are "very likely in coming years," Hendrix said, pointing to China's investment in the 10,000-ton <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1203103.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Type 055-class</a> guided-missile destroyer, which is longer than and displaces more than most US Navy ships, and in <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/09/10000-tons-patrol-vessel-haixun-launched-for-chinas-maritime-safety-administration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Haixun</a>, a coast guard patrol ship of similar size.China's coast guard, one of its frontline forces in contested waters, has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-navy/u-s-says-chinese-vessels-harassed-navy-ship-idUSTRE52845A20090309" target="_blank" rel="noopener">harassed US ships</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/b01aa43fba874ac6a0a09a293be15914" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commercial vessels</a>. Haixun's design suggests more to come. "There's no reason to have a Coast Guard cutter that size, except to do this," Hendrix said.<div type="image" title="uss decatur" height="475" width="800" msid="81000372" hostid="261"></div>The 1988 US-Soviet encounter has also influenced Chinese strategic thinking.Like all militaries, Chinese planners "try to create mental maps of basic operational scenarios using historical examples," Goldstein said. "It's very interesting that the Chinese were studying examples from the Soviet naval interaction, as it were. They're doing their homework."A 2015 Chinese analysis described the 1988 incident as "not a negative event for either side" and maybe even as "win-win" because it led to agreements on maritime interactions, Goldstein <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russias-past-can-help-explain-chinas-south-china-sea-strategy-114141" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in 2017</a>.The lack of "bumping" incidents since then may be a positive sign, in light of past <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/collision-with-us-spy-plane-near-hainan-causes-china-military-advances-2019-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deadly encounters</a> between the US and Chinese militaries, Goldstein told Insider."One, they may have entertained this closely in China and then thought this is too risky," Goldstein said. "Two, I imagine naval leadership in the US and in China are both saying to themselves, 'do we really want to go to that level of danger?'"<h2>Rising tension, rising frustration</h2><div type="image" title="The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters August 21, 2017. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood " height="546" width="800" msid="81000376" hostid="261"></div>"Inadvertent escalation" following incidents at sea is "a huge danger," Goldstein said, and such incidents pose acute challenges to the Navy.Those encounters would test the seamanship of Navy crews. A lack of experience was <a href="https://news.usni.org/2017/11/01/uss-fitzgerald-uss-john-s-mccain-collision-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cited as a factor</a> in deadly collisions involving Navy destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain in the Western Pacific in 2017."We do not steam as much today as we did in the past, in the sense of training hours, to get our officers of the deck trained on ship-handling," Hendrix said.Navy crews "don't have as much experience, and quite frankly, after 20 years their commanding officers themselves, the most experienced ship-handlers on the ship ... [don't] have as much time underway as [their] peers from 1988-1989. It's not even close," added Hendrix, author of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Provide-Maintain-Navy-Americas-Strategy/dp/0960039198" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To Provide and Maintain a Navy</a>."Goldstein said that students of his, including Navy officers with experience in the Pacific, say "by and large" the Chinese "are very professional mariners."But Hendrix, pointing to cases of "fairly risky ship maneuvering" in recent years, expressed concern about "the professional experience level of Chinese naval officers."<div type="image" title="The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald is seen off Shimoda" height="2806" width="3909" msid="81000381" hostid="261"></div>The Navy <a href="https://news.usni.org/2020/08/26/lack-of-u-s-warship-repair-capacity-worrying-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is also worried</a> about its lack of repair capacity, which creates problems for normal operations that would be exacerbated if a "bumping" incident or collision required unexpected repairs.When the McCain and the Fitzgerald returned to the US after their 2017 collisions, "it actually took longer to repair them than it did to originally build them and commission them," Hendrix said.A longer-term risk for the US may be Russia and China replicating its activity closer to home."Russian and Chinese vessels will begin turning this back against us, meaning they are going to very consistently patrol up to our territorial waters," Goldstein said. "If we continue in this trajectory ... we are maybe shooting ourselves in the foot, because we may find that China and Russia adopt a very aggressive posture."Russian military ships <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mariners-told-extreme-caution-russian-spy-ship-spotted/story?id=67784490" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sailing</a> near US coasts already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-destroyer-tracks-advanced-russian-warship-in-the-caribbean-2019-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attract scrutiny</a>. Chinese warships haven't visited the region, though a hospital ship toured South America in 2018, but US officials <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-is-watching-chinese-influence-with-latin-american-militaries-2020-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worry Beijing is setting the stage for such a presence</a>.<div type="image" title="Navy destroyer USS Chancellorsville Russian ship Admiral Vinogradov collision" height="959" width="800" msid="81000386" hostid="261"></div>Articles in Chinese state journals, while noting the importance of stability, <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-china-wants-its-navy-patrol-atlantic-ocean-105187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have said</a> the Atlantic "has great significance for the future of Chinese maritime strategy" and <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/feature/beijing-sea-china-crafting-atlantic-maritime-strategy-19622" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have called for a strategy</a> to "break the American maritime blockade and develop China's maritime 'external line.'""They say, 'Americans are putting pressure on us in our backyard so we need to put pressure on them in their backyard,'" Goldstein said of the articles."While I do think we should maintain our [freedom-of-navigation] program ... it should be maintained at a moderate level," Goldstein added.Incidents like the 1988 encounter "occurred during the Cold War due to the tension with regard to competing interests that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union," Hendrix said.Tensions "today are also rising, and with that rising tension comes frustration," Hendrix added, "specifically because of China's claims ... and their frustration that the United States will not back down and, in fact, as we continue to do normal operations in the South China Sea."

What a 'bumping' incident 33 years ago says about the US Navy's future showdowns with Russia and China

<ul class="summary-list"><li>At least 36 people have died after two trains collided head-on in Greece on Tuesday evening. </li><li>Surviving passengers said they had to use luggage to break windows and escape carriages.</li></ul>Survivors of a deadly train crash in Greece recall passengers screaming "we are on fire" as their carriage flipped upside down, <a href="https://www.kathimerini.gr/society/562300198/sygkroysi-trenon-sta-tempi-kataggelia-epivati-toy-moiraioy-intercity-pame-kai-opoy-vgei/">according to Greek news outlet Kathimerini.</a>At least 36 people have died and more than 80 are injured after two trains — one passenger train and one carrying only cargo — collided head-on in the northern region of Thessaly, Greece, on Tuesday evening. The collision was so violent that the first two carriages of the passenger train "no longer exist," Kostas Agorastos, the governor of the region told state television, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64806678">according to the BBC. </a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/two-trains-collide-greece-dozens-feared-injured-2023-03-01/">Footage from the scene</a> shows derailed carriages, broken windows, and thick plumes of smoke. Shell-shocked passengers who survived the crash told local media they were lucky to be alive."We felt the whole carriage shake, the train was coming towards us. I still don't feel alive," one man told Kathimerini. "We could hear people shouting 'we are burning.' It's shocking. I'm still in shock." <div type="image" title="pass" height="1000" width="1333" msid="98337862" hostid="261"></div>Passenger Stergios Minenis, 28, said he jumped to safety from the wreckage after his carriage flipped and came to a stop."We heard a big bang," Minenis said, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/two-trains-collide-greece-dozens-feared-injured-2023-03-01/">Reuters</a>. "We were turning over in the carriage until we fell on our sides and until the commotion stopped. Then there was panic. Cables, fire. The fire was immediate. As we were turning over we were being burned."Another witness told Kathimerini that the crash felt like an earthquake, adding: "I was in the fourth carriage, the luggage fell and we turned upside down ... Words fail, I thought I was going to die."People have described having to crawl through windows and over broken glass as they tried to escape."There was a woman with a child with us. There was a fire next to us. We found a hole and from there we managed to get out," another passenger told EPT news channel, according to Kathimerini. "It was a nightmarish 10 seconds, in the flames. You couldn't see around you because of the smoke, there was panic."<div type="image" title="greece crash" height="3764" width="5018" msid="98337865" hostid="261"></div>It is unclear what caused the crash. Several survivors told Kathimerini they were told they would be delayed 15 minutes because of "heavy traffic on the railway lines." Around 350 people are believed to have been on board the passenger train, while two crew were on the cargo train, Reuters reported, citing Hellenic Train data.It is still unclear what caused the crash, though officials will be investigating "in full transparency," Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis, told reporters, according to Reuters.Agorastos said the trains "were traveling at great speed and one [driver] didn't know the other was coming."

Survivors of deadly Greek train crash recall passengers screaming 'we are on fire' as their carriage flipped upside down

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two men were mourning the loss of their brother who had died in a train collision the week earlier.</li><li>They were struck by a train in the same spot their brother was killed, the City of <keyword id="23469" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Charlotte">Charlotte</keyword> said.</li><li>Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.</li></ul>Two men were mourning the loss of their brother, who had been struck by a train a week earlier when they were killed by a train in the same spot, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/07/us/north-carolina-brothers-killed-train-mourning-brother/">CNN</a> first reported.Jose Chilambalam Tiquiram Us, 20, and Pablo Tiquiram, 29, were walking along train tracks in Charlotte, <keyword id="6397385" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="north-carolina">North Carolina</keyword>, when they were hit by a Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Lynx train on Tuesday morning, according to <a href="https://charlottenc.gov/newsroom/releases/Pages/Major-Crash-Investigation-in-the-Steele-Creek-Division---August-3,-2021.aspx">a press release</a> by the City of Charlotte.Both men were pronounced dead at the scene, the press release said.A preliminary investigation by local authorities found that the men had been conducting a memorial for their brother, Baltazar Tiquiram Us, who was killed by a CATS train at the same location the week before."They had been memorializing their brother on the one-week anniversary of his death, and they were conducting a memorial out by the site where he was killed," CMPD Sgt. Adam Jones said during a press conference Wednesday, according to CNN. "Unfortunately, the two brothers were also struck by a train while they were on foot and they both succumbed to their injuries pretty quickly."The brothers had been lighting candles to commemorate their brother when they were hit, Jones added.Alcohol impairment is suspected as a contributing factor for the pedestrians' death, the press release said.An investigation into the collision is active and ongoing.

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