Flight 427: Anatomy of an Air Disaster

Rating:
Summary: Eases you gently into flying, and crashing
Review: Despite the lack of pictures, I was surprised with the ease with which this writer pulled me into what becomes a very complicated technical detective story about the problems which caused two 737s to crash and few other near misses. He carefully introduces things and explains them early on so that even the layperson who knows nothing about flying can easily follow the plot (my girlfiend can't change a lighbulb and she's reading it now). For example, I'm fascinated by aviation but never knew so much about the way crashes get investigated. Apart from telling in some detail the story of two 737 crashes, this book is a good introduction to the field of air crash investigation and one of the best of the four on the subject I've read so far. It's a departure from the norm of disaster books where there is usually a lot about the victims and their relatives. This book lets the issues speak for themselves and exposes the real scandal of these crashes. This book is a wakeup call for the FAA and the people who design airplanes.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable but technical
Review: I agree with the other reviews of this book in that the author does a great job of keeping you interested and making it entertaining. However, I feel that book would have been greatly enhanced with the addition of some technical drawings or illustrations. The descriptions get somewhat complicated at times, and a diagram or two would ensure clear understanding. If you aren't interested in the details, then as it is written should be fine, but if you want to understand completly, diagrams are required. I also think the text jumps around quite a bit in time, not following a strictly linear timeline. While this makes for easier reading in following specific tangents and topics, it clouds the overall understanding of what is going on... I have read many crash investigation books, and this one does a credible job of mixing storytelling with technical explanations.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but lacking
Review: I agree with the other reviews of this book in that the author does a great job of keeping you interested and making it entertaining. However, I feel that book would have been greatly enhanced with the addition of some technical drawings or illustrations. The descriptions get somewhat complicated at times, and a diagram or two would ensure clear understanding. If you aren't interested in the details, then as it is written should be fine, but if you want to understand completly, diagrams are required. I also think the text jumps around quite a bit in time, not following a strictly linear timeline. While this makes for easier reading in following specific tangents and topics, it clouds the overall understanding of what is going on... I have read many crash investigation books, and this one does a credible job of mixing storytelling with technical explanations.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable but technical
Review: I would have preferred to have had some pictures/diagrams to help explain the more detailed technical aspects of the book. However overall an enjoyable and interesting book.

Rating:
Summary: Clear and concise account
Review: The author Gerry Byrne ought to be proud of this book. The book starts off with the crash of United flight 585 in Colorado Springs, another Boeing 737 aircraft that mysteriously flipped over and crashed while trying to land. The investigation of the United accident opened the door to a possible design problem with the rudder on the 737 airplane. The book then covers the US Air flight 427 accident that crashed in a way very similar to United 585. I couldn't put this book down. Even though this book is non-fiction and at times very technical it is written in a way that is comfortable to read and you really understand the detail in context with what is very complex story. There is one point in the book where Gerry describes a rudder test conducted at Boeing on a rainy night where an engineer finally is able to reproduce a rudder reversal problem which was suspected by the NTSB for a long time. In context with the story this was a point where you really breath a sigh of releif... But even than the story the investigation takes more unsuspected turns. Great book.