The Black Box: All-New Cockpit Voice Recorder Accounts Of In-flight Accidents

Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0688158927
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
Release Date: 1998-07-22
Average Customer Review: (From 32 total reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description:
Readers join desperate pilots in the cockpit as they fight gravity and time in a plane that’s falling out of the sky.

Anyone who watches the news knows about the “black box.” Officially called the cockpit voice recorder, the black box (which is actually Day-glo orange) records the final moments of any in-flight accident. Often it provides the only explanation of a crash — inevitably, it provides a heart-breaking, second-by-second account of intense fear tempered by unyielding professionalism.

This 1984 Quill title has been completely updated to include twenty-eight new incidents occurring between 1978 and 1996. Some are famous, like the 1996 Valujet crash in the Everglades and the ill-fated launch of the space shuttle Challenger; other disasters range from commuter prop aircraft to jumbo airliners and a pair of Air Force planes. Few have ever been revealed in their entirety, each, without exception, is absolutely gripping.

In this new edition, editor Malcolm MacPherson has, wherever possible, added weather notes and descriptions of events in the cockpit and cabin, heightening our vivid sense of being there during the final moments. Provided by the National Transportation Safety Board and vetted by an experienced airline captain, these are unforgettable case studies in ultimate emergency — authentic, immediate, filled with drama, terror, human frailty and error, and unquenchable courage.

Customer Reviews

Nothing new by D. Morris
If you spent any time reviewing CVRs, then there is nothing new in this book. Although there are several inaccuracies/mistakes, the worst part of the book is that it gives almost zero insight into what happened in each case. A short one page write-up at the end of each CVR would really help this book.

PLAGIARISM by John R. Pomerville
This collection of CVR transcripts from air crashes and near misses is a huge waste of money. MacPherson just reproduces excerpts from the transcripts that can be found on the internet at the NTSB website and many other sites. In their complete form and for free. His short paragraphs of explanations of the incidents involved add nothing to the book because it is obvious that the author knows nothing of aviation. If you are a true student of air crashes, look up the complete accident reports on the NTSB website or avsaf.org or a number of other sites. These are free and much more informative. Black Box is a cheap excuse for jounalism. I’d actually give it less than 1 star if I could.[…]

Compelling Reading by R. Winter
I suspect the reviewers who were looking for excruciating details are more of the anorak/spotter/enthusiast persuasion than certificated fliers. Personally I found many of the transcripts contained lessons that will certainly follow me into the cockpit. The CVR transcripts also show a level of professionalism and skill that I think the flying public is by and large oblivious of.

It helps to know about the crash before you read this book by C. Haggerty
Unfortunately, there is nothing new in this book. For the most part everything in the book, except for the few comments provided by the author, is available on line and most sites include much more detail. The CVR in and of itself does not tell the whole story and a little more background on each of these disiasters would have helped to make this a much better book. If you are not familiar with the accidents in question this book will do more to confuse and create questions than to provide you with insight and information.

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