Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)"Flight 427" is a book that Gerry Byrne can be rightfully proud of. I have been interested in this subject for many years now both as an airline pilot (I flew the 737 for almost two years, and must in all candor say that it was my least favorite of the nine different airliner types that I have flown; In all fairness to Boeing, many of my colleagues seem to really enjoy flying the 737, but after my personal experience with the plane, I still can't understand why) and a student (I wrote my Master's thesis on a quantitative systems safety comparison of 737 and A-320 primary flight control systems.) Of the two books on the market which focus on USAir flight 427 (the other, by Bill Adair, is also excellent) I give this one the slight edge for the average reader or the person most interested in how the NTSB "Party System" functions at a major aviation accident.
Byrne carefully weaves the story of flight 427 in with the earlier United 585 accident (same cause) and the later Eastwind 517 incident (also the same cause) skillfully and with generally quite good technical accuracy (there are a couple of very minor technical errors, but they are inconsequential and would not be noticed by most people.) What I really appreciate about the book is Byrne's breadth of sources in reporting on not only well known and understood matters, but also on very obscure, but important background information like all the early Frontier 737 rudder malfunctions, which few are familiar with.
The real story here is of the frustrating experience of investigating such a complex and politically charged investigation. There is no question that Boeing comes off looking bad by the end of the book, and I have to admit, deservedly so.
The only weakness in the book is the total lack of illustrations. This is a topic that could really use illustrations, particularly when Byrne starts discussing things like the interior functions of the dual-concentric servo valve, which was ultimately the problem here.
This is a great book, and I highly recommend it.
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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.
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