[ny plane crash] huge tactical response a little too late

A small plane crashed today in New York City, disappearing from radar screens as it flew north up the East River. At some stage the Cirrus SR20 single-engine plane turned, banking steeply and started heading south. Anthony Francavilla was working on the 28th floor of a building on 72nd Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side when he heard an engine splutter three times. "You could tell it was really straining," he said. He believed the plane dodged one building and was trying to turn towards the river when it hit the 40th floor — 30 floors above street level — of the Belaire residential and hospital building across the street. The accident triggered a full-scale response from emergency services, and the immediate fear in many New Yorkers' minds was: is it happening again? Within 30 minutes fighter jets had been scrambled over New York and Washington. Six ships armed with heavy weapons were deployed around Manhattan. The President was briefed. In this tragedy I’d like to ask one question – how would this massively impressive tactical response have helped? I mean, how could that have prevented the tragedy? If it had been terrorism, wasn’t it just a little too late?