Download or read book Flight Failure written by Donald J. Porter and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-05-19 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A former aircraft engineer exposes the dangerous breakdown in airline safety due to lapses in maintenance and quality control. This book chronicles maintenance-related accidents –including the recent Boeing 737 MAX accidents –caused by individual, corporate, or governmental negligence and brings the industry's current state of affairs into sharp focus.The author, a former aviation engineer specializing in aircraft fault diagnosis and maintenance planning, examines how failures of the smallest of parts have brought down airliners, explaining sometimes esoteric mechanical issues for readers with no technical background. Vividly describing the terror of accidents and close calls, the author then follows the painstaking investigations to determine causes. He focuses on maintenance errors, which rank as one of the top three causes of airline accidents, and points to the factors that have led to an alarming situation-- continued reduction of licensed mechanics, the shutting down of maintenance bases in the United States, and the outsourcing of maintenance to lowballing contractors. Outsourcing has forced thousands of licensed mechanics into retirement or different careers. For those mechanics still employed in the United States, the ever-present threat to their jobs does nothing to cultivate loyalty to an employer and devotion to a task. The Federal Aviation Administration, which should be overseeing quality control, is caught in a conflicted dual role--charged with regulating safety on the one hand and assuring the fiscal stability of airlines on the other. This disturbing wakeup call for improved airline safety standards highlights the critical importance of attention to detail. Porter recommends that the numbers and job security of airline mechanics be increased and that they be vested with an authority level akin to medical professionals.
Download or read book Flight 232 A Story of Disaster and Survival written by Laurence Gonzales and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2014-07-07 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A richly detailed story that is equal parts heartbreaking, inspiring…and full of fascinating science…masterful." —San Francisco Chronicle As hundreds of rescue workers waited on the ground, United Airlines Flight 232 wallowed drunkenly over the bluffs northwest of Sioux City. The plane slammed onto the runway and burst into a vast fireball. The rescuers didn't move at first: nobody could possibly survive that crash. And then people began emerging from the summer corn that lined the runways. Miraculously, 184 of 296 passengers lived. No one has ever attempted the complete reconstruction of a crash of this magnitude. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of survivors, crew, and airport and rescue personnel, Laurence Gonzales, a commercial pilot himself, captures, minute by minute, the harrowing journey of pilots flying a plane with no controls and flight attendants keeping their calm in the face of certain death. He plumbs the hearts and minds of passengers as they pray, bargain with God, plot their strategies for survival, and sacrifice themselves to save others. Ultimately he takes us, step by step, through the gripping scientific detective work in super-secret labs to dive into the heart of a flaw smaller than a grain of rice that shows what brought the aircraft down. An unforgettable drama of the triumph of heroism over tragedy and human ingenuity over technological breakdown, Flight 232 is a masterpiece in the tradition of the greatest aviation stories ever told.
Download or read book The Flight 981 Disaster written by Samme Chittum and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2017-10-03 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On June 12, 1972, a powerful explosion rocked American Airlines Flight 96 a mere five minutes after its takeoff from Detroit. The explosion ripped a gaping hole in the bottom of the aircraft and jammed the hydraulic controls. Miraculously, despite the damage and ensuing chaos, the pilots were able to land the plane safely. Less than two years later, on March 3, 1974, a sudden, forceful blowout tore through Turk Hava Yollari (THY) Flight 981 from Paris to London. THY Flight 981 was not as lucky as Flight 96; it crashed in a forest in France, and none of the 346 people onboard survived. What caused the mysterious explosions? How were they linked? Could they have been prevented? The Flight 981 Disaster addresses these questions and many more, offering a fascinating insiders' look at two dramatic aviation disasters.
Download or read book Flying Blind written by Peter Robison and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2022-10-11 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BUSINESS BEST SELLER • A suspenseful behind-the-scenes look at the dysfunction that contributed to one of the worst tragedies in modern aviation: the 2018 and 2019 crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX. An "authoritative, gripping and finely detailed narrative that charts the decline of one of the great American companies" (New York Times Book Review), from the award-winning reporter for Bloomberg. Boeing is a century-old titan of industry. It played a major role in the early days of commercial flight, World War II bombing missions, and moon landings. The planemaker remains a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, as well as a linchpin in the awesome routine of modern air travel. But in 2018 and 2019, two crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 killed 346 people. The crashes exposed a shocking pattern of malfeasance, leading to the biggest crisis in the company’s history—and one of the costliest corporate scandals ever. How did things go so horribly wrong at Boeing? Flying Blind is the definitive exposé of the disasters that transfixed the world. Drawing from exclusive interviews with current and former employees of Boeing and the FAA; industry executives and analysts; and family members of the victims, it reveals how a broken corporate culture paved the way for catastrophe. It shows how in the race to beat the competition and reward top executives, Boeing skimped on testing, pressured employees to meet unrealistic deadlines, and convinced regulators to put planes into service without properly equipping them or their pilots for flight. It examines how the company, once a treasured American innovator, became obsessed with the bottom line, putting shareholders over customers, employees, and communities. By Bloomberg investigative journalist Peter Robison, who covered Boeing as a beat reporter during the company’s fateful merger with McDonnell Douglas in the late ‘90s, this is the story of a business gone wildly off course. At once riveting and disturbing, it shows how an iconic company fell prey to a win-at-all-costs mentality, threatening an industry and endangering countless lives.
Download or read book The Crash of Delta Flight 723 written by Paul D. Houle and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2021-11-19 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the height of the Watergate scandal, Delta Flight 723 crashed into a fog-shrouded seawall at the end of Runway 4R at Logan Airport in Boston. While this incident and Watergate seemed unrelated at first, President Richard Nixon and his subordinates' actions during Watergate interfered with the ability of the National Transportation Safety Board to properly investigate the crash. It wasn't until three court cases, a federal investigation, congressional hearings, as well as a state investigation, when the true cause of the accident was exposed ten years later. This is also the story of Air Force Sergeant Leopold Chouinard and his incredible fight for survival. Chouinard survived the initial impact of the crash, only to suffer third and fourth degree burns on the majority of his body. Doctors fought against incredible odds to try and save Chouinard's life. For 134 days, Leo Chouinard defied all expectations as his doctors and nurses applied the latest advancements in burn treatments to save him from a non-survivable accident. They nearly succeeded. Through interviews with Chouinard's family, his physicians, and the NTSB's investigation, comes a story of corruption, determination, and vindication as well as the answer to what really caused that crash at Logan airport.
Download or read book Air Crash Investigations The Crash of Swissair Flight 111 written by Hans Griffioen and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2009-08-01 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 2 September 1998, Swissair Flight SR 111 departed New York, on a scheduled flight to Geneva, Switzerland, with 215 passengers and 14 crew members on board. About 53 minutes after departure, the flight crew smelled an abnormal odour in the cockpit. They decided to divert to the Halifax International Airport. They were unaware that a fire was spreading above the ceiling in the front area of the aircraft. They would never make it to Halifax, 20 minutes after the first detection of smoke in the cabin the aircraft crashed in the North Atlantic near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada. There were no survivors, 229 people died in the incident.
Download or read book Air Crash Investigations written by Igor Korovin and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2011-05 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 aircraft, on its way from Chicago to Los Angeles, crashed just after take-off near Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, Illinois. During the take off the left engine and pylon assembly and about 3 ft of the leading edge of the left wing separated from the aircraft and fell to the runway. Flight 191 crashed killing two hundred and seventy one persons on board and two persons on the ground. The accident remains the deadliest airliner accident to occur on United States soil.
Download or read book Aviation Disasters written by David Gero and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2009-05-29 with total page 839 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flying as an airline passenger is, statistically, one of the safest forms of travel. Even so, the history of civil aviation is littered with high-profile disasters involving major loss of life. This new edition of the authoritative work on the subject brings the grim but important story of air disasters right up to date. David Gero assembles a list of major air disasters since the 1950s across continents. He investigates every type of calamity, including those caused by appalling weather, mechanical failure, pilot error, inhospitable terrain and hostile action. The first incident of sabotage involving a commercial jetliner is covered, as is the first, much-feared crash of the jumbo jet era. Examined alongside less well-known disasters are high-profile episodes such as that of Pan American Flight 103 at Lockerbie in 1988, the Twin Towers tragedy of 11 September 2001 and, more recently, the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in 2014 – the greatest mystery of the commercial jet age. Aviation Disasters is the authoritative record of air disasters worldwide, fully illustrated with a fascinating selection of photographs.
Download or read book Plane Crash written by George Bibel and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2018-03-14 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- 1 Takeoff! -- 2 Takeoff (Never Mind!) -- 3 Controlling the Plane -- 4 Vanished! -- 5 Practice Makes Perfect -- 6 Turbulence -- 7 The 168-Ton Glider -- 8 Approach -- 9 Landing -- Epilogue -- Notes -- References -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y
Download or read book Operational Experiences and Characteristics of the X 15 Flight Control System written by Robert A. Tremant and published by . This book was released on 1962 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Air Crash Investigations Korean Air Lines Flight 007 Shot Down All 269 Persons on Board Killed written by Dirk Barreveld and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2018-10-20 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 31 August 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747, departed John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, United States, on a scheduled flight for Seoul, Republic of Korea. The flight had 269 persons on board. Soon after departure from Anchorage, Alaska, KE 007 deviated to the right (north) of its direct track, this deviation resulted in penetration of Sovjet Russian air space. Military aircraft operated by the USSR attempted to intercept KE 007 over Kamchatka Peninsula. The interception attempts were unsuccessful. Upon approaching Sakhalin Island, USSR, the flight was intercepted by USSR military aircraft and shot down on the assumption that is was a United States RC-135 (spy) aircraft. There were no survivors.
Download or read book Air Crash Investigations Horror in Guam the Crash of Korean Air Flight 801 written by Igor Korovin and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-02-22 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On August 6, 1997, about 0142:26 Guam local time, Korean Air flight 801, a Boeing 747-300, crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam. The aircraft was on its way from Seoul, Korea to Guam with 237 passengers and a crew of 17 on board. Of the 254 persons on board, 228 were killed. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was captain's fatigue and Korean Air's inadequate flight crew training.
Download or read book AIR CRASH INVESTIGATIONS IN FLIGHT ENGINE FAILURE The Crash of Air Algerie Flight 6289 written by Pete Collins and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2015-02-09 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During takeoff from runway 02 at Tamanrasset Aguenar aerodrome in Southern Algeria, on Thursday 6 March 2003, the left engine of a Boeing 737-200 from Air Algerie suffered a contained burst. The airplane swung to the left. The Captain took over the controls. The airplane lost speed progressively, stalled and crashed, with the landing gear still extended, about one thousand six hundred and forty-five meters from the takeoff point, to the left of the runway extended centerline. The crew of six and 96 of the 97 passengers were killed in the accident. The accident was caused by the loss of an engine during a critical phase of flight, the non-retraction of the landing gear after the engine failure, and the Captain, the PNF, taking over control of the airplane before having clearly identified the problem.
Download or read book AIR CRASH INVESTIGATIONS Runway Overrun American Airlines Flight 1420 Killing 11 Persons In Little Rock written by Dirk Barreveld and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2019-06-26 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On June 1, 1999, at 2350:44 central daylight time, American Airlines flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, crashed after it overran the end of runway 4R during landing at Little Rock National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. The flight originated from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas. There were 145 persons on board. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The captain and 10 passengers were killed; 120 crewmembers and passengers received serious or minor injuries; and 24 passengers were not injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable causes were the flight crew's failure to discontinue the approach when severe thunderstorms.
Download or read book AIR CRASH INVESTIGATIONS MECHANICAL FAILURE OR SUICIDE 3 The E C A A Egypt View of the Crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 written by Igor Korovin, editor and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On October 31, 1999, EgyptAir flight 990, a Boeing 767-366ER, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean 60 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. All 217 people on board were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. According to the Egyptian Investigation Team a mechanical defect is the most likely cause of the accident, there is no credible evidence to support a conclusion that the First Officer intentionally dove the airplane into the ocean in fact.
Download or read book Associated Press Coverage of a Major Disaster written by Thomas Fensch and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-07-16 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1989. This diary of a news event looks at how the reporting happened as spread by the news wire system of the Associated Press service in America. Analysing the flow of information in this detailed way, this book presents how a major disaster, a fast-moving story with considerable spin, was fed out to the press via the Dallas bureau in 1988. Introductory chapters outline the workings of a press bureau office during a major story and present interview sections with key reporters on the story about how their role unfolded. Sidebar commentary alongside the reproductions of the news wires, organised by date and time, adds interesting discussion throughout the book, while a conclusion evaluates the coverage of the story. The Appendices include reproductions of Texas newspapers’ resulting pages about the crash. This is a fascinating case-study of the dissemination of news date before the internet, compiled at a time when computers were just large enough to retain in memory all stories relating to event ‘X’ in order for this kind of analysis to be attempted.
Download or read book AIR CRASH INVESTIGATIONS PILOT ERROR The Crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 written by Hans Griffioen, editor and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-04 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 25 January 2010, at 00:41:30 UTC, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 409, a Boeing 737-800, on its way from Beirut to Addis Abeba, crashed just after take-off from Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, into the Mediterranean Sea about 5 NM South West of Beirut International Airport. All 90 persons on board were killed in the accident. The investigation concluded that the probable causes of the accident were pilot errors due to loss of situational awareness. Ethiopian Airlines refutes this conclusion. Other factors that could have lead to probable causes are the increased workload and stress levels that have most likely led to the captain reaching a situation of loss of situational awareness similar to a subtle incapacitation and the F/O failure to recognize it or to intervene accordingly. Ethiopian Airlines refutes the investigation. According to the airline the final report was biased, lacking evidence, incomplete and did not present the full account of the accident.
