Flight 427: Anatomy of an Air Disaster [Paperback]

Boeing's 737 is indisputably the most popular and arguably the safest commercial airliner in the world. But the plane had a lethal flaw, and only after several disastrous crashes and years of painstaking investigation was the mystery of its rudder failure solved. This book tells the story of how engineers and scientists finally uncovered the defect that had been engineered into the plane. One of its novel features is that it portrays the complex interaction of different experts and opposing interests in investigating and solving the mystery of this single crash.Boeing's 737 is indisputably the most popular and arguably the safest commercial airliner in the world. But the plane had a lethal flaw, and only after several disastrous crashes and years of painstaking investigation was the mystery of its rudder failure solved. This book tells the story of how engineers and scientists finally uncovered the defect that had been engineered into the plane.(1) The Last Flight of US Airways 427; (2) The State of Commercial Aviation; (3) The View from the Cockpit; (4) Aircraft Design; (5) The Runway; (6) The 737 Rudder; (7) Altitude; (8) ATC; (9) Loss of Control; (10) NTSB; (11) The Crash Site; (12) Pointing Fingers; (13) Theories in Conflict; (14) Boeing Weighs In; (15) FAA and NTSB; (16) The Aftermath

From the reviews:

Its a book about hi-tech sleuths racing against time and looming danger to solve an unfathomable mystery: why commercial airliners in seemingly perfect working order flipped over and fell from the sky. Author Byrne manages this in a style that is both suspenseful and educational & . Highly recommended for anyone interested in technology and/or aviation & . (Wordtrade.com, Issue 1, 2003)

Byrne, an internationally recognized science journalist, has crafted a detailed, compelling chronicle about solving the riddles of an airline disaster. & Byrne probes the engineering variables, corporate politics, and federal bureauclĂ