Pilot’s skills human, not miraculous

Why are people calling the recent crash landing of a passenger aircraft “The Miracle on the Hudson”? A well-engineered aircraft that floats, and a skilled pilot and crew are responsible for the lack of loss of human life in this accident. Wouldn’t a “miracle” entail some sort of supernatural intervention, i.e., a giant hand scaring the birds away from the engine intakes, or the plane landing all by itself with an unconscious crew? Our cultural superstitions are blinding us to the wonders of science and human achievement.

Michael R. Sheehan

Everett