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Air Crashes and Miracle Landings: 85 CASES - How and Why
"Congratulation Christopher. Air Crashes and Miracle landings is a great resource for every pilot who wants a clear summary of the Whats, Hows and Whys behind the key aviation accidents. This book should be part of Human Factors and Crew Resource Management training." Richard de Crespigny--captain of Qantas QF32 Now has eighty-five accounts, some short, some long, with hard-hitting analyses, ranging from the disappearance of Amelia Earhart to that of Malaysian Airlines MH370, not forgetting AF447 where many human factors in addition to technical ones were responsible. Each chapter covers a specific type of incident in chronological order showing the evolution of accidents over time, and how many should never happen again because of advances in technology. Covering so many incidents, it provides background facts and insights for professionals and aficionados of the Air Accident Investigations/MAYDAY TV series, amongst others Lessons from these incidents made flying so safe today.
- GenresAviationNonfiction
632 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 29, 2018
334 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 18, 2022
The book seems like a decent summary of many aircraft accidents, but I couldn’t finish it. I rated it only 3 stars because the writing style, and choices of material to cover is so strange. Some of the accident summaries go into way more detail than others, and even within a summary the level of detail varies significantly between different facets of the same accident.
It’s just so inconsistent and unusual. Then there are details that the author mentions but spends absolutely zero time on. For example, the subtitle for one accident is “A great feat of airmanship by a captain with one eye”. But then that fact, which seems very interesting, is not mentioned again or discussed in any way!
The writing is often awkward as well. I remember one sentence that had so many commas I counted them. 10 in one sentence, and it wasn’t a list of items.
Then there were clear technical errors that make you question the rest of the material. For example, the author says that airliners do not make good gliders - on the contrary, most airliners are much better gliders than small airplanes, posting excellent glide ratios. Another was referring to FAA TRACONs as TRACOMs, and that was not a simple typo either, it’s that way several times even in the footnote that explains what the acronym means.
And then there’s the times when the author injects his own opinions, such as saying “the pilots cannot be blamed”. How did the author decide that? The technical errors bring into question the author’s qualifications to make statements and conclusions that are not supported by the mishap reports. I actually tried to find out what the author’s qualifications are regarding aviation mishaps, but was mostly unsuccessful.
It’s just so inconsistent and unusual. Then there are details that the author mentions but spends absolutely zero time on. For example, the subtitle for one accident is “A great feat of airmanship by a captain with one eye”. But then that fact, which seems very interesting, is not mentioned again or discussed in any way!
The writing is often awkward as well. I remember one sentence that had so many commas I counted them. 10 in one sentence, and it wasn’t a list of items.
Then there were clear technical errors that make you question the rest of the material. For example, the author says that airliners do not make good gliders - on the contrary, most airliners are much better gliders than small airplanes, posting excellent glide ratios. Another was referring to FAA TRACONs as TRACOMs, and that was not a simple typo either, it’s that way several times even in the footnote that explains what the acronym means.
And then there’s the times when the author injects his own opinions, such as saying “the pilots cannot be blamed”. How did the author decide that? The technical errors bring into question the author’s qualifications to make statements and conclusions that are not supported by the mishap reports. I actually tried to find out what the author’s qualifications are regarding aviation mishaps, but was mostly unsuccessful.
July 15, 2020
Fantastic read
This book manages to make the complex and intricate science of flight understandable. The inclusion of the human factors and interpersonal relationships make decades old information as immediate as today's headlines. Whereas the most recent and more technical events are explained in easy to understand facts. More importantly, the book does not deal with the only the same events that have already been covered dozens of times by printed and electronic media. Take time to read the footnotes after you finish the book. The information is very interesting.
This book manages to make the complex and intricate science of flight understandable. The inclusion of the human factors and interpersonal relationships make decades old information as immediate as today's headlines. Whereas the most recent and more technical events are explained in easy to understand facts. More importantly, the book does not deal with the only the same events that have already been covered dozens of times by printed and electronic media. Take time to read the footnotes after you finish the book. The information is very interesting.
March 28, 2023
I had no idea there were so many problems
Chilling account of the many problems with aircraft over the years. The author refers the reader to search You Tube for videos concerning the flights listed, which I did for a number of flights. About TWA Flight 800 leaving New York, I disagree with his findings. There were too many witnesses of a streak of light going toward that plane.
Chilling account of the many problems with aircraft over the years. The author refers the reader to search You Tube for videos concerning the flights listed, which I did for a number of flights. About TWA Flight 800 leaving New York, I disagree with his findings. There were too many witnesses of a streak of light going toward that plane.
October 17, 2021
Fascinating
Here is a fascinating look at accidents and crashes, that digs a bit deeper into what happened. It also shows that not every accident is crew related, inspite of companies with a lot at steak, trying to pin it on them.
Here is a fascinating look at accidents and crashes, that digs a bit deeper into what happened. It also shows that not every accident is crew related, inspite of companies with a lot at steak, trying to pin it on them.
July 12, 2023
Bon voyage? You be the judge!
An interesting review of aircraft accidents and near misses from an investigators point of view. Well worth your time if you are interested in the nitty gritty of aviation safety.
An interesting review of aircraft accidents and near misses from an investigators point of view. Well worth your time if you are interested in the nitty gritty of aviation safety.
September 10, 2021
The book is great for Av-Geeks who are interested in how planes work, if you have aerophobia, DO NOT READ.
December 11, 2021
Ok but boring
Just didn’t like writing style. Not an easy read. Good bedtime bed as short chapters but dull delivery spoiling an interesting subject.
Just didn’t like writing style. Not an easy read. Good bedtime bed as short chapters but dull delivery spoiling an interesting subject.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews