Twenty-five years after the catastrophe, a dramatic and extraordinarily rare 360-degree view of the crash of a fully loaded jumbo jet.

"A richly detailed story that is equal parts heartbreaking, inspiring…and full of fascinating science…masterful." —San Francisco Chronicle As hundreds of rescue workers waited on the ground, United Airlines Flight 232 wallowed drunkenly over the bluffs northwest of Sioux City. The plane slammed onto the runway and burst into a vast fireball. The rescuers didn't move at first: nobody could possibly survive that crash. And then people began emerging from the summer corn that lined the runways. Miraculously, 184 of 296 passengers lived. No one has ever attempted the complete reconstruction of a crash of this magnitude. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of survivors, crew, and airport and rescue personnel, Laurence Gonzales, a commercial pilot himself, captures, minute by minute, the harrowing journey of pilots flying a plane with no controls and flight attendants keeping their calm in the face of certain death. He plumbs the hearts and minds of passengers as they pray, bargain with God, plot their strategies for survival, and sacrifice themselves to save others. Ultimately he takes us, step by step, through the gripping scientific detective work in super-secret labs to dive into the heart of a flaw smaller than a grain of rice that shows what brought the aircraft down. An unforgettable drama of the triumph of heroism over tragedy and human ingenuity over technological breakdown, Flight 232 is a masterpiece in the tradition of the greatest aviation stories ever told.

Margo Siple was a passenger in seat 19C on the infamous flight of United Airlines Flight 232, flying from Denver to Chicago on July 19, 1989. One hour and seven minutes into the flight, the number 2 engine on the DC-10 exploded, causing complete hydraulic failure. Hydraulics in an aircraft is like the blood in your body--it is essential to have in order to stay alive and function. After forty minutes of trying to fly an uncontrollable jumbo jet, using just manual engine thrust, the cockpit crew maneuvered the aircraft to within inches of a possible landing in Sioux City, Iowa. It was not to be. At the last minute, the plane slammed into the runway, then cartwheeling, as it was engulfed in flames, it seemed to explode with large pieces of the aircraft breaking off and being strewn along the runway. The cockpit and the tail section of the aircraft had completely separated from the main fuselage, while part of the main fuselage continued to tumble and travel at least 3/4 mile before coming to a stop upside down in the cornfield. With 296 souls on board, which included the flight crew, Margo was one of a very few who survived the crash without a scratch on her, while others were horribly injured or perished. Passenger 19C is the story of Margo Siple's experience on the crippled aircraft, her survival, and the aftermath that changed her life, as well as other significant events that happened to her before and after the airline crash in which the adversity she faced challenged her and her faith numerous times. It is a book about surviving the multitude of adversities that we are all faced with during our lives so that we can apply our life lessons to each and every day that we are blessed with. There was no other person in Margo's shoes on Flight 232, in seat 19C, just as there is no other person in the world that can tell your personal story. We are all significant and unique. 158

This book discusses the multiple systems that make commercial jet travel safe and convenient. The author starts by tracing the evolution of commercial jets from the Boeing 707 to the double decker Airbus A380. The next 7 chapters discuss flight controls, along with the high lift surfaces (flaps and slats) that are essential to allow high speed, low drag aircraft to take-off and land. The other systems include Engines/Nacelles, Cabin Pressurization and Air Conditioning systems, Landing Gear and brakes, Fuel Systems, Instruments/Sensors, and finally Deicing systems for the wings, nacelles and external air speed sensors. Case studies describe a significant accident that arose from a failure in the various systems described. The final chapter summarizes the past 60 years of jet travel and describe how these systems have created a cheaper, safer mode of travel than any other.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Negroni is a talented aviation journalist who clearly understands the critically important part the human factor plays in aviation safety.” —Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, pilot of US Airways 1549, the Miracle on the Hudson A fascinating exploration of how humans and machines fail—leading to air disasters from Amelia Earhart to MH370—and how the lessons learned from these accidents have made flying safer. In The Crash Detectives, veteran aviation journalist and air safety investigator Christine Negroni takes us inside crash investigations from the early days of the jet age to the present, including the search for answers about what happened to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. As Negroni dissects what happened and why, she explores their common themes and, most important, what has been learned from them to make planes safer. Indeed, as Negroni shows, virtually every aspect of modern pilot training, airline operation, and airplane design has been shaped by lessons learned from disaster. Along the way, she also details some miraculous saves, when quick-thinking pilots averted catastrophe and kept hundreds of people alive. Tying in aviation science, performance psychology, and extensive interviews with pilots, engineers, human factors specialists, crash survivors, and others involved in accidents all over the world, The Crash Detectives is an alternately terrifying and inspiring book that might just cure your fear of flying, and will definitely make you a more informed passenger. “Christine Negroni combines her investigative reporting skills with an understanding of the complexities of air accident investigations to bring to life some of history’s most intriguing and heartbreaking cases.” —Bob Woodruff, ABC News

Practical Airport Operations, Safety, and Emergency Management: Protocols for Today and the Future focuses on the airport itself, not the aircraft, manufacturers, designers, or even the pilots. The book explores the safety of what's been called 'the most expensive piece of pavement in any city'— the facility that operates, maintains, and ensures the safety of millions of air passengers every year. The book is organized into three helpful sections, each focusing on one of the sectors described in the title. Section One: Airport Safety, explores the airport environment, then delves into safety management systems. Section Two: Airport Operations, continues the conversation on safety management systems before outlining airside and landside operations in depth, while Section Three: Airport Emergency Management, is a careful, detailed exploration of the topic, ending with a chapter on the operational challenges airport operations managers can expect to face in the future. Written by trusted experts in the field, users will find this book to be a vital resource that provides airport operations managers and students with the information, protocols, and strategies they need to meet the unique challenges associated with running an airport. - Addresses the four areas of airport management: safety, operations, emergency management, and future challenges together in one book - Written by leading professionals in the field with extensive training, teaching, and practical experience in airport operations - Includes section on future challenges, including spaceport, unmanned aerial vehicles, and integrated incident command - Ancillary materials for readers to reinforce concepts and instructors teaching operations courses - Focuses on the topics of safety, operations, emergency management, and what personnel and students studying the topic can expect to face in the future

Improve your company's ability to avoid or manage crises Managing the Unexpected, Third Edition is a thoroughly revised text that offers an updated look at the groundbreaking ideas explored in the first and second editions. Revised to reflect events emblematic of the unique challenges that organizations have faced in recent years, including bank failures, intelligence failures, quality failures, and other organizational misfortunes, often sparked by organizational actions, this critical book focuses on why some organizations are better able to sustain high performance in the face of unanticipated change. High reliability organizations (HROs), including commercial aviation, emergency rooms, aircraft carrier flight operations, and firefighting units, are looked to as models of exceptional organizational preparedness. This essential text explains the development of unexpected events and guides you in improving your organization for more reliable performance. "Expect the unexpected" is a popular mantra for a reason: it's rooted in experience. Since the dawn of civilization, organizations have been rocked by natural disasters, civil unrest, international conflict, and other unexpected crises that impact their ability to function. Understanding how to maintain function when catastrophe strikes is key to keeping your organization afloat. Explore the many different kinds of unexpected events that your organization may face Consider updated case studies and research Discuss how highly reliable organizations are able to maintain control during unexpected events Discover tactics that may bolster your organization's ability to face the unexpected with confidence Managing the Unexpected, Third Edition offers updated, valuable content to professionals who want to strengthen the preparedness of their organizations—and confidently face unexpected challenges.