Scene of the crime...

So, today is a typical busy Saturday. Errands, dentist appointment, hair appointment, etc. While I was running around this morning, I had to pass the scene of the plane crash that happened earlier this week. It was really eerie. We have learned more about the pilot and we now know this wasn't an accident.

As with any investigation, details are still being sorted out. However, we know the name of the pilot and his motive. The morning of the crash, he posted a six-page "manifesto" online. It was a deluded and random rant that specifically mentioned the IRS. He apparently had been out of work and owed the IRS quite a bit of money. He ended the letter by telling the IRS that he was going to try something new and signed the letter, stating his year of death as 2010. He then set fire to his North Austin home (thankfully his wife and step-daughter weren't home), went to the Georgetown airport, got in his plane and headed to the Echelon office building in Northwest Austin. He specifically targeted the lower floors of the building where the IRS had offices. The rest we saw in living color. 

The good news is that those floors in the building were actual going through a remodel and were very sparsely occupied. What could have been a horrific tragedy with massive casualties, didn't turn out that way. Had his plane hit only one building South, full classrooms of a satellite location of St. Edward's University would have been destroyed. The bad news is that several people were injured and (other than the pilot) one person was killed. His desk was directly in the path of the plane. His few surrounding co-workers weren't at their desks for various different reasons at the moment of impact. The irony is that his job with the IRS was working out payment plans for those that can't afford their taxes owed.

You never think your city will have this kind of event happen. But then, we would still have the Twin Towers if these kinds of things didn't happen. You are never prepared for it. So, because of this, there is a morbid curiosity when it happens in your town. Since I am human, I was curious too. 

I was in the Gateway Shopping Center today and it sits directly across Hwy 183 for the crash site. As I drove by the area that provided the best view, I was amazed at how many people were out of their cars and staring at the building. I parked my car, grabbed my camera and joined the masses. (For you Austinites, I was in the parking lot for Marie Calendar's and Sushi Sake.) Here is what I could see...

You can see the point of impact. In fact, if you look close enough, you can see the plane wreckage.

 

Where I stood is where the plane would have flown directly over. It is believed he added extra fuel or something to make the explosion greater. 

Some people chatted with friends and fellow onlookers, others snapped pictures and the rest of us just stood there. 

Imagine... its 10am on a normal workday. You are just sitting at your desk, doing your job and then...