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

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

By: Malcolm Macpherson  

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Average Customer Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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.

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks

Release Date: 1998-07-22

Customer Review: 3 out of 5
Nothing new - 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.

Customer Review: 1 out of 5
PLAGIARISM - 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.[...]

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Compelling Reading - 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.

Customer Review: 2 out of 5
It helps to know about the crash before you read this book - 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.

Customer Review: 2 out of 5
The "Wrong Stuff" - Having read many different variations of these books, it is my humble opinion that this particular edition tends to treat the reader as a layman, rather than as a pilot, or at least someone versed in the aviation lingo. The author also includes unhealthy doses of vulgarity in the transcripts, which does occur in cockpits from time to time, but I wouldn't want the pilot's next of kin to know their loved-one's 'salty' mode of speech is being read by total strangers. There are better, more informational offerings of this type. "Aftermath", published by the editors of Flying Magazine, is a good example. "Air Disasters" by Stanley Stewart is a very thorough, technically precise treatise on several major aircraft accidents. Mr. Stewart is an actual aircraft accident investigator, and his personal knowledge of the field greatly enhances the accuracy of his published mishap investigations and findings. "Black Box" is entertaining, and the inclusion of the Space Shuttle Challenger voice transcripts is a welcome addition to the considerable list of entries. Nevertheless, the salient theme of this volume is to relate aviation data to the non-flying public.

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