Promotional Information

A good book that explains how and why airplanes can crash through descriptions of a wide variety of crashes and near-crashes followed by explanations of the science that governed those incidents. The stories of the accidents, and their explanations, read like mysteries; I found myself reading faster to get to the end of the story and find out why things happened the way they did. Bibel clearly has a love for all things aeronautical and that shines through on every page. -- John M. Henshaw, author of Does Measurement Measure Up?

Table of Contents

Preface
1. The Crash Investigation Process
2. How Planes (Often) Crash
3. In-Flight Breakup
4. Pressure, Explosive Decompression, and Burst Balloons
5. Jet Propulsion, Burst Engines, and Reliability
6. Metal Fatigue: Bending 777s and Paper Clips
7. Combustion: Fire and Explosion
8. Crash Testing
9. Human Tolerances to G Loads and Crash Forces
Notes
References
Index

About the Author

George Bibel, a former NASA summer faculty fellow, is a professor of mechanical engineering at the School of Engineering and Mines, University of North Dakota. He recently completed the Air Line Pilots Association Advanced Accident Investigation Course.

Reviews

The author does a first-rate job... The easy-to-read and engaging manner of the writing makes this an interesting historical as well as scientific text. -- Charles K. Jervis National Science Teachers Association Bibel takes the reader, chattily and with skill, through his analysis of a series of fatal accidents. -- Paul Marks New Scientist Offering insights into how aviation accident investigations are conducted, Bibel addresses the causes of such accidents, from in-flight breakup to metal fatigue and combustion, and the lessons learned. Enriched with many drawings, graphs, and equations... Highly recommended. Library Journal A fascinating book. -- Steven D. Levitt New York Times The author succeeds in both science and storytelling. Choice The easy-to-read and engaging manner of the writing makes this an interesting historical as well as scientific text. -- Charles K. Jervis NSTA Recommends Beyond the Black Box provides a behind-the-scenes look at plane crash investigations. Air Safety Week Bibel takes responsibility for his readers' understanding... using similes based on everyday events and objects. -- Don Fry Virginia Quarterly Review Terrific book. Discover