Elk takes out helicopter in midair collision.

No, really:

 An elk leaped into a research helicopter that was trying to capture it and brought down the helicopter in a collision that also killed the elk, authorities said Tuesday.  The elk jumped into the chopper’s tail rotor as the aircraft flew about 10 feet (3 meters) above ground in a mountainous part of eastern Utah, with its crew trying to drop a net on the elk, said Jared Rigby of the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.

Continue reading Elk takes out helicopter in midair collision.

The Amtrak crash was because of human error.

I say this as the son and grandson of good railroad men. If you have been trying to argue that this crash was do to some mythical infrastructure negligence by the GOP, then sit down and shut up, fool. The speed limits are there for a reason:

An Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night had been going at least 100 mph before the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board announced on Wednesday– more than twice the legal speed limit.

Sources familiar with the investigation of the crash told The Wall Street Journal that the train hit a sharp curve and failed to slow down. As NBC News reported, the speed limit on the curve itself was 50 mph, while the limit on the track preceding the curve was 70 mph — still far below the train’s apparent speed.

Continue reading The Amtrak crash was because of human error.

Satellite to crash on Earth today!

This is how the zombie flick traditionally starts, you know.

A 2,000-pound European satellite has run out of fuel and is expected to plunge back to Earth sometime between 1:30 PM EST and 7:00 PM, scientists with Europe’s Space Debris Office said Sunday.

As of 9:30 A.M. EST it was over Greenland and racing toward Canada; it will pass over the Dakotas, Colorado and New Mexico shortly. Where precisely it will crash remains up in the air.

…And may they be forgiven for that pun.

Anyway, a dramatic reenactment of the event will be below the fold.

Continue reading Satellite to crash on Earth today!