The Mammoth Book of Air Disasters and Near Misses

by Paul Simpson

An incredible 30,000 flights – at least – arrive safely at their destinations every day. But a handful don’t, while some come terrifyingly close to crashing. When even the smallest thing does go wrong at 35,000 feet, the result is nearly always a fast-unfolding tragedy. This extensive collection of compelling real-life accounts of air disasters and near-disasters provides a sobering, alternative history of the just over 105 years that passengers have been travelling by air, from the very earliest fatality to recent calamities.But there are incredible stories of heroism against the odds, too, such as that of Captain Chesley Sullenberger who successfully landed his aircraft with both engines gone on the Hudson River in New York, saving the lives of everyone aboard, and of the American Airlines crew who prevented terrorist Richard Reid from exploding a bomb hidden in his shoe three months after 9/11.The book also details the often ingenious, always painstaking work done by air-accident investigators, while a glossary helps to clarify the occasional, inevitable bits of jargon.

Genres: Nonfiction, Aviation

547 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 17, 2014

Reviews

[Sherwyn Drucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of these stories, because they are factual and I have always been interested in aviation. While this book covered a lot of ground, at times I found it tedious and either too brief or too much in many cases. However, it was well organized and the author's writing skill was good. Overall, it was a good read, not great. To become great, it needed some maps of routes, and photos of the crash scene.

[Valerie Gazelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned about some lesser known air incidents which was pretty cool, but there were also points in this book that... Really could have used some editing? Like talking about an incident involving a 727 and on the same page referring to the aircraft as a 707, or mixing up two similar events? Informative but there's definitely a need for fine tuning.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without going into a lot of detail, this book summarizes several major and minor accidents that have occurred since the inception of commercial aviation. Some I am only aware of thanks to documentaries and shows like 'Why Planes Crash'.
While I hope that we have continued to learn from our past mistakes, I sincerely hope that recent events aren't a repeat of past mistakes.

[Michael Marchin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Aircraft book I’ve ever read

This book has my highest recommendation. It is remarkably well written. There is so much information and it is presented in a manner that is easily understandable and compelling to read. It is a gem of a book.

[Kerry Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of details about various accidents and disasters across the years of aviation.
A fascinating read and it really shows how aviation has developed and taken these disasters to make flying safer. Short entries for many of the cases including the well known ones and more obscure.

[Nathan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in my school library and thought heck why not. This book condenses each flight crash justly and doesn't go into superfluous details that an average person wouldn't understand anyway. Thank you Paul, I enjoyed reading.

[Merle Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super comprehensive

This work is a complete and well researched compilation of what seems like every known mishap of flights, both accidental and criminal as well as suicidal.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy the TV show Air Disasters you'll like this book. Not recommended for in flight reading.

[As_Above_So_Belovv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, especially if you're suffering from fear of flying. Recommended only when there's a possibility to intoxicate yourself before boarding!

[R.J. Southworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive, well-structured collection of air disasters that even fans of Mayday/Air Crash Investigation like myself should learn a great deal from, particularly with regard to older incidents.

[Vrushali · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a intriguing read! Loved it!

[Studvet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly fascinating and authoritative. Extremely well-written and explained.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book, short chapters, well wrote. very informative

[CavyNomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I prefer my aviation disaster reads to be more detailed than this book. General info about most famous crashes and some not so famous ones, divided by accident type (runway incursion, midair collision, decompression etc). Does not cover CFIT accidents at all.