Air Accident Investigation

Following the history of air accidents, their causes and the techniques used to examine them, David Owen describes the current status of air accident investigation and the problems practitioners face with increasingly crowded skies.

---

Flying as an airline passenger is statistically one of the safest forms of travel. For every accident, from trivial mishap to a major disaster, there are millions of flights that are safe and uneventful. But aviation safety is no accident and improving this record is due largely to the painstaking detective work of air accident investigators following a disaster. Author David Owen looks at each major cause, which is illustrated by means of crucial incidents, some of which initially puzzled the investigators. Of the incidents described in detail, some were highly publicised by the media at the time. The book explains the painstaking work of reconstructing the precise sequence of events that brought about a disaster and how clues are found that throw light on what actually happened. He concludes with an examination of the present-day state of aviation safety along with the challenges facing the future of a rapidly expanding industry. Also included here are details of the investigation into the Concorde crash at Paris in 2000.