It’s wrong to use the term “pilot suicide” to describe the horrific crime that took place in Southern France last week and to describe similar heinous acts.

Pilot Suicide: When a lone pilot intentionally crashes an empty plane in order to kill themselves.

Pilot Murder: When a pilot murders innocent people by intentionally crashing a plane.

Tragedies like this will become much less likely to occur when all airlines and aviation authorities who haven’t done so already mandate that two people be in the cockpit at all times on all passenger flights.

I hope the tragedy of Flight 9525 helps everyone realize how fragile and unpredictable life is and reminds us to be grateful for and make the most of the time we have left on our tainted yet still beautiful planet.