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As sick a thought as this is, I've often wondered about it. When I lived outside DC in the late 1980s, I used to go down to the Potomac and watch the planes shoot the Potomac River visual approach into Washington National. They follow the river from Georgetown down over the bridges and then hang a hard right to the runway at practically the last second. I've thought to myself, all it'd take is one whackjob with an SA-16, who didn't care if he got caught or not, and one isolated corner of a park, and you'd have the potential of a jetliner crashing into the Potomac--or worse, if it veered to one side or the other--in full view of thousands of people.

}:-)4

Without getting into specifics, National is far from uniquely vulnerable in that regard. I can think of a handful of MAJOR airports (much bigger than DCA) that are as, if not more, vulnerable.

The big deal being that the perp doesn't care whether he gets caught or not.

We already know that our mohammedan enemies are suicidal.

When I lived outside DC in the late 1980s, I used to go down to the Potomac and watch the planes shoot the Potomac River visual approach into Washington National.

The probability that someone would fire a shoulder launched anti-aircraft missile at an aircraft, on a landing pattern, just minutes from touchdown is unlikely. What they prefer to target is a fuel laden aircraft that has just taken off ... like TWA Flt. 800. LAX is vulnerable, especially late at night when flights to Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Australia depart ... these aircraft are gorged with fuel.

"As sick a thought as this is, I've often wondered about it. When I lived outside DC in the late 1980s, I used to go down to the Potomac and watch the planes shoot the Potomac River visual approach into Washington National. They follow the river from Georgetown down over the bridges and then hang a hard right to the runway at practically the last second. I've thought to myself, all it'd take is one whackjob with an SA-16, who didn't care if he got caught or not, and one isolated corner of a park, and you'd have the potential of a jetliner crashing into the Potomac--or worse, if it veered to one side or the other--in full view of thousands of people."

I think about that every time I drive past National on a weekend and see all of the cars/trucks parked on every patch of grass. because of the river, you know exactly where every northbound plane is heading. Considering that we're facing a suicidal enemy, I'm amazed that we haven't had someone pop up out of a convertible/sun roof/boat and shoot down a plane headed straight for the 14th street bridge, or worse, the Mall.