Scapegoat: A Flight Crew's Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption
On April 4, 1979, a Boeing 727 with 82 passengers and a crew of 7 rolled over and plummeted from an altitude of 39,000 feet to within seconds of crashing were it not for the crew’s actions to save the plane. The cause of the unexplained dive was the subject of one of the longest NTSB investigations at that time.

While the crew’s efforts to save TWA 841 were initially hailed as heroic, that all changed when safety inspectors found twenty-one minutes of the thirty-minute cockpit voice recorder tape blank. The captain of the flight, Harvey “Hoot” Gibson, subsequently came under suspicion for deliberately erasing the tape in an effort to hide incriminating evidence. The voice recorder was never evaluated for any deficiencies.

From that moment on, the investigation was focused on the crew to the exclusion of all other evidence. It was an investigation based on rumors, innuendos, and speculation. Eventually the NTSB, despite sworn testimony to the contrary, blamed the crew for the incident by having improperly manipulated the controls; leading to the dive. This is the story of a NTSB investigation gone awry and one pilot’s decade-long battle to clear his name.
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Scapegoat: A Flight Crew's Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption
On April 4, 1979, a Boeing 727 with 82 passengers and a crew of 7 rolled over and plummeted from an altitude of 39,000 feet to within seconds of crashing were it not for the crew’s actions to save the plane. The cause of the unexplained dive was the subject of one of the longest NTSB investigations at that time.

While the crew’s efforts to save TWA 841 were initially hailed as heroic, that all changed when safety inspectors found twenty-one minutes of the thirty-minute cockpit voice recorder tape blank. The captain of the flight, Harvey “Hoot” Gibson, subsequently came under suspicion for deliberately erasing the tape in an effort to hide incriminating evidence. The voice recorder was never evaluated for any deficiencies.

From that moment on, the investigation was focused on the crew to the exclusion of all other evidence. It was an investigation based on rumors, innuendos, and speculation. Eventually the NTSB, despite sworn testimony to the contrary, blamed the crew for the incident by having improperly manipulated the controls; leading to the dive. This is the story of a NTSB investigation gone awry and one pilot’s decade-long battle to clear his name.
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Scapegoat: A Flight Crew's Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption

Scapegoat: A Flight Crew's Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption

by Emilio Corsetti III
Scapegoat: A Flight Crew's Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption

Scapegoat: A Flight Crew's Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption

by Emilio Corsetti III

Hardcover(None ed.)

$17.95 
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Overview

On April 4, 1979, a Boeing 727 with 82 passengers and a crew of 7 rolled over and plummeted from an altitude of 39,000 feet to within seconds of crashing were it not for the crew’s actions to save the plane. The cause of the unexplained dive was the subject of one of the longest NTSB investigations at that time.

While the crew’s efforts to save TWA 841 were initially hailed as heroic, that all changed when safety inspectors found twenty-one minutes of the thirty-minute cockpit voice recorder tape blank. The captain of the flight, Harvey “Hoot” Gibson, subsequently came under suspicion for deliberately erasing the tape in an effort to hide incriminating evidence. The voice recorder was never evaluated for any deficiencies.

From that moment on, the investigation was focused on the crew to the exclusion of all other evidence. It was an investigation based on rumors, innuendos, and speculation. Eventually the NTSB, despite sworn testimony to the contrary, blamed the crew for the incident by having improperly manipulated the controls; leading to the dive. This is the story of a NTSB investigation gone awry and one pilot’s decade-long battle to clear his name.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780997242102
Publisher: Odyssey Publishing, LLC
Publication date: 08/01/2016
Edition description: None ed.
Pages: 472
Product dimensions: 6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Emilio Corsetti III is a professional pilot and author whose work has appeared in publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Multimedia Producer, and Professional Pilot magazine. He is the author of 35 Miles from Shore. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

Table of Contents

Author's Note ix

Illustrations xi

N840TW Seating Diagram xi

TWA 841 FDR Readout xii

TWA 841 FDR Readout Close xii

Boeing 727-100 Flight Controls xiii

Boeing 727-100 Flight Controls Deployed xiii

Chapter 1 Headwinds 1

Chapter 2 We've had a Slight Problem 11

Chapter 3 Roller Coaster 27

Chapter 4 Hero for a Day 43

Chapter 5 An Inquisition 55

Chapter 6 Shifting Winds 73

Chapter 7 Fear of Flying 79

Chapter 8 Born to Fly 87

Chapter 9 A Fly on the Wall 98

Chapter 10 Miss Piggy 110

Chapter 11 Putting the Pieces Back Together 118

Chapter 12 The Boeing Scenario 130

Chapter 13 Libel 142

Chapter 14 Preliminary Findings 148

Chapter 15 Where Was the Flight Engineer? 163

Chapter 16 Fabricating Evidence 173

Chapter 17 Eye of the Storm 193

Chapter 18 Circumnavigation 204

Chapter 19 An Improbable Probable Cause 215

Chapter 20 Turbulence 231

Chapter 21 Questioning the Investigators 243

Chapter 22 Costa Rica 252

Chapter 23 Lawsuits, Lawyers, and Liability 256

Chapter 24 Challenge and Response 277

Chapter 25 Weight & Balance 291

Chapter 26 Breaking Point 308

Chapter 27 A Cold Case Gets a Second Look 315

Chapter 28 Rudder Hardover 331

Chapter 29 What Really Happened? 356

Epilogue 385

Acknowledgements 399

About the Author 401

Appendix 403

NTSB Response to Hoot's Petition for Reconsideration 403

Holly Wicker's Written Statement 413

Passenger List 414

Illustrations and Photo Credits 416

Select Sources and Bibliography 418

Endnotes 429

Index 445

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