NBC Apologizes for Airplane Crash Footage

On Sunday night, at the opening of the Emmy Awards, the viewers all over the world could see a skit prerecorded and performed by host Conan O'Brien involving a plane crash. It showed the funnyman standing in a plane and, when he's asked by the stewardess if he is feeling nervous about presenting the ceremony, he says 'What could possibly go wrong?'.

The next scene hints at a crash (not shown on the screen) and later on, O'Brien can be seen on a deserted island. The skit was initially meant to poke fun at one of the greatest television series, 'Lost', but the time of its airing was more than unfortunate. That same night, a jetliner with commuters crashed in Kentucky, killing 49 people. Only a co-pilot survived and he is still struggling between life and death on a hospital bed.

The criticism began immediately after the plane crash skit was aired and it was manifested especially on the Internet. Some major newspapers called the footage 'cringe-inducing' and 'of questionable taste'. NBC was forced to apologies Monday morning for having offended the families of the victims from the tragic crash.

'Our hearts and prayers go out to the many families who lost loved ones in the plane crash in Kentucky on Sunday, and to the entire community that has suffered this terrible loss. In no way would we ever want to make light of this terrible tragedy. The filmed opening during the Emmy telecast was meant to spoof some of television's most well-known scenes. The timing was unfortunate, and we regret any intentional pain it may have caused', the statement from NBC said.

Despite the fact that the executives from NBC also joined the public apology, the network's Lexington affiliate, WLEX, said that the footage was all the more disturbing as it was presented as part of a live transmission and nothing could be done to prevent people from seeing it. 'We were completely helpless. By the time we began to react, it was over', a spokesperson for WLEX said.