Beyond the Black Box: The Forensics of Airplane Crashes

by George Bibel

Overview

The black box is orange—and there are actually two of them. They house the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, instruments vital to airplane crash analyses.

But accident investigators cannot rely on the black boxes alone. Beginning with the 1931 Fokker F-10A crash that killed legendary football coach Knute Rockne, this fascinating book provides a behind-the-scenes look at plane wreck investigations. Professor George Bibel shows how forensic experts, scientists, and engineers analyze factors like impact, debris, loading, fire patterns, metallurgy, fracture, crash testing, and human tolerances to determine why planes fall from the sky—and how the information gleaned from accident reconstruction is incorporated into aircraft design and operation to keep commercial aviation as safe as possible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801886317
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	01/31/2008
Pages:	408
Sales rank:	781,685
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

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. He is the author of Plane Crash: The Forensics of Aviation Disasters and Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters.

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

What People are Saying About This

John M. Henshaw

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?

From the Publisher

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?

Editorial 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

From the Publisher

Terrific book.

Discover

Bibel takes responsibility for his readers' understanding . . . using similes based on everyday events and objects.

Virginia Quarterly Review - Don Fry

Beyond the Black Box provides a behind-the-scenes look at plane crash investigations.

Air Safety Week

The author succeeds in both science and storytelling.

Choice

Bibel takes the reader, chattily and with skill, through his analysis of a series of fatal accidents.

New Scientist - Paul Marks

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.

National Science Teachers Association - Charles K. Jervis

A fascinating book.

New York Times - Steven D. Levitt

Bibel takes responsibility for his readers' understanding... using similes based on everyday events and objects.

— Don Fry

Virginia Quarterly Review

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

A fascinating book.

— Steven D. Levitt

New York Times

Bibel takes the reader, chattily and with skill, through his analysis of a series of fatal accidents.

— Paul Marks

New Scientist

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