On Jan. 29, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a commercial airplane over the Potomac River, killing 67 people, including members of the U.S. Figure Skating Community.
The crash was the most significant air disaster to occur in the U.S. since 2009.
Following the incident, a medical Lear jet crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven people.
Last month, a Delta passenger jet flipped over during its landing in Toronto. Fortunately, everyone survived. Other airlines have also reported multiple near misses on runways.
Collectively, these incidents have led some American passengers to have doubts about flying. An Associated Press-National Opinion Research Center poll conducted last month found overall confidence in flying and the agencies that oversee safety has declined a bit from last year.
Tuesday on the "Sound of Ideas," we'll discuss air travel and safety with two experts, including some of these headline-grabbing incidents and the lessons learned from them. We'll also talk about the air traffic controller shortage and staffing and how that's affecting travel.
Later in the hour, there's a new sheriff in town in Stark County for the first time in more than a decade.
Republican Eric Weisburn defeated incumbent sheriff George Maier in last November's election. Weisburn previously worked in the sheriff's office for 31 years as a corrections officer, road patrol deputy and detective.
Among his new priorities as sheriff is an $85 million jail renovation project. Ideastream Public Media's Anna Huntsman spoke with Weisburn about the jail and his other top concerns for the county.
Guests:
- Lori Aratani, Reporter, The Washington Post
- Ted Orris, Retired Commercial Airline Pilot
- Eric Weisburn, Stark County, Sheriff
- Anna Huntsman, Akron/Canton Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
