‘Near Miss’
Ken Morrison (letter, July 7) chides the Federal Aviation Administration for using the term “near miss” to describe incidents in which two aircraft pass within close proximity to one another, calling it a euphemism for a “near” collision.
Like many others, Morrison incorrectly equates “near,” a measure of distance, with “nearly” or “almost.” The term “near miss” is used, and correctly so, to describe the short distance that separated two aircraft that “almost” collided. One would not say the aircraft had a “close proximity collision,” would one?
DAVID A. KENNEY
Palos Verdes Estates
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