Flight 427

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XXI

   PDF

2. 585

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. The Unfriendly Skies

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 3-15

   3. Tin Kickers

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 17-27

   4. Looking for Answers

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 29-44

   5. Reconstructing the Wind

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 45-54

   6. We have a Problem

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 55-71

3. 427

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 73-73

      PDF

   2. Out of the Sky

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 75-86

   3. A Target Has Disappeared

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 87-97

   4. Situation: Non-Normal

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 99-107

   5. Pumps and Valves

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 109-122

   6. Secrets of the Flight Data Recorder

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 123-133

   7. The First Public Hearing

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 135-146

   8. Human Factors

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 147-165

   9. Atlantic City

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 167-178

   10. Jim Hall Steps In

       • Gerry Byrne

       Pages 179-190

   11. Human Factors Revisited

       • Gerry Byrne

       Pages 191-200

4. 517 and After

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 201-201

      PDF

   2. The Eastwind Incident

      • Gerry Byrne

      Pages 203-217

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.

• aircraft design
• control
• design

From the reviews:

"It’s 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 bureaucracies that characterized the investigation of these incidents. … Highly recommended. All levels." (R. E. Bilstein, Choice, January, 2003)

"In 1994, a commercial jetliner crashed on its approach to Pittsburgh International Airport … . British science writer Byrne investigates why it took so long to uncover and disclose the rare but lethal design flaw in the Boeing 737. Intelligently written, drawing in readers without dwelling on the stories of the victims, the narrative instead focuses on the technology and the politics involved." (SciTech Book News, December, 2002)

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