Terror in the Skies: The Inside Story of the World's Worst Air Crashes

Using transcripts of taped cockpit and air-ground conversations, Grayson describes and analyzes 18 international air disasters and near misses over the past 12 years. The emphasis is not on drama or human interestthough there's plenty of bothbut on the facts of each incident, from takeoff to termination. The crashes were caused by such things as an unlatched hatch, an electrical fire, weather factors, Soviet fighters (Korean Air Lines Flight 007) and, in several cases, by impatience, confusion or inattention on the part of the crew. In many of these accounts, Grayson traces the steps taken by the airline industry to prevent recurrences, with prodding or encouragement from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aeronautics Administration. The book confirms that a rear seat is the safest on a commercial airliner, but points out that the odds are about two million to one that a passenger will arrive safely at his destination. Grayson, a World War II pilot, is president of an investment firm. This is his first book. (Dec.)