On a recent flight to Miami, a pilot’s words just moments before takeoff offered assurance to a cabin of travelers rattled by Wednesday’s midair collision of an American Airlines aircraft and a U.S. Army helicopter in Washington, D.C.
Passengers on board American Airlines Flight 1044 bound for Miami were acutely aware of the fatal incident that occurred just a day prior and left no survivors. The collision prompted many to be insecure about their own safety while in the skies.
“Talk of the news is just everywhere,” Leighton Mixon from New York City, who was on Flight 1044, tells TODAY.com in a recent interview. “You’re hearing about it at the bag check, you’re hearing about it in the security line, you’re hearing the TSA people talk about it.”
Mixon says he could feel the unease as everyone settled in on the plane. Then, just before takeoff, the captain’s voice came through the speakers from the cabin.
In a now-viral post on TikTok, Mixon captured the moment the pilot addressed passengers before takeoff to deliver more than just your standard pre-flight announcement. His words struck a chord with millions on social media.
The clip begins with the captain acknowledging the fear that some passengers were likely experiencing.
“That’s certainly understandable,” the pilot says. “But just please know that my first officer and myself place your safety and responsibility of caregiving to families or vacations or beings on the highest level. I have no higher calling than carefully, professionally transporting you today.”
TODAY.com reached out to American Airlines for comment but did not hear back.
“This American Airlines captain just said the exact words that I (and everyone else) needed to hear,” Mixon wrote over the video, which has since amassed over 5 million views.
Mixon, 28, says he was on the flight for a spontaneous trip for his birthday. He’d been expecting a fun-filled celebration, but the tragic collision earlier this week changed everything. The mood at the airport was notably subdued.
“The airport just felt a little quieter. It felt a little somber,” he recalled.
When he boarded American Airlines Flight 1044 from Jacksonville to Miami, he was feeling anxious. The pilot words couldn’t have been delivered at a better time for Mixon.
“It was like every fear and anxiety I had, it felt like he was speaking to me, like, it literally felt like he was speaking directly to me,” he explained. “I looked around, and it was like every single person on this flight needed to hear that. I think every single person needs to hear this. It was just kind of magic.”
For the first time in hours, Mixon was able to breathe easily.
