Flight 427: Anatomy of an Air Disaster | 
 enlarge | Author: Gerry Byrne
Publisher: Springer
Category: Book
List Price: $27.50
Buy New: $20.54
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 724251
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 038795256X
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.12465
EAN: 9780387952567
ASIN: 038795256X
Publication Date: July 10, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: New book; 100% satisfaction guaranteed; ships next business day; may have shelf wear
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 One of the best books on air crash investigation September 5, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The 737's rudder design defect brought to the fore.
This book is a perfect combination of story telling and technical analysis. It's thoroughly researched, technical information is accurate, the narrative is comprehensive as well as comprehensible. I do have to admit the point made about the lack of diagrams is valid. I had to look elsewhere for illustrations to guide me along the way. Other than that though, Flight 427 is one of the best books on air crash investigation around. Don't miss it if you are even remotely interested in aviation.
Excellent Account Of The 737 Rudder Accidents And Issues August 23, 2005
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
"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.
Clear and concise account April 26, 2004
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
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.
 Enjoyable but technical June 9, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
Good, but lacking January 1, 2003
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
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.
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