Submitted by: kirkland on Monday August 28th, 2006 at 06:25 PM EST

It was meant to be funny. But a fake plane crash during the opening Emmy awards skit made many cringe on Sunday — the same day 49 people died in a fiery plane crash in Kentucky.

The skit, aired live at the start of NBC's Emmy telecast, brought a swift response from the general manager of NBC's Lexington, Ky., affiliate, WLEX.

"It was a live telecast. We were completely helpless," Tim Gilbert was quoted as saying on the Lexington Herald-Leader's Web site.

"By the time we began to react, it was over. At the station, we were as horrified as they were at home," Gilbert said.

The prerecorded opening segment began with Emmy host Conan O'Brien boarding a private plane to Los Angeles. Asked by a stewardess if he was nervous about hosting the show, O'Brien answered "Nervous? What could possibly go wrong?"

The plane then shook and pitched violently, sending O'Brien out of his seat and seeking shelter in an overhead baggage compartment.

The skit didn't show the plane crashing. Instead, it cut to O'Brien emerging from the ocean onto an island resembling the one in "Lost," where he meets a cast member.

» Full story @ Yahoo