Why Planes Crash: An Accident Investigator's Fight for Safe Skies

by David Soucie, Ozzie Cheek (Contributor), Mike Chamberlain (Narrator)

Boarding an airplane strikes at least a small sense of fear into most people. Even though we all have heard that the odds of being struck by lightning are greater than the odds of perishing in a plane crash, it still doesn't feel that way. Airplane crashes might be rare, but they do happen, and theyOCOre usually fatal. David Soucie insists that most of these deaths could be prevented.

HeOCOs worked as a pilot, a mechanic, an FAA inspector, and an aviation executive. HeOCOs seen death up close and personalOCodeaths of colleagues and friends that might have been pre-vented if he had approved certain safety measures in the aircrafts they were handling. His years of experience have led Dave to become an impassioned consultant on the topic of air-line safety. This includes not only advising the Obama administration, but also taking a leading role in the congressionally funded NextGen interdepartmental initiative in regards to both the department of transportation and the departments of defense, homeland security, FBI, CIA, and others. Find out the truth about airplane safety and discover what the future holds for air travel."

Genres: Aviation, Nonfiction, Science, Travel, Business, History, Memoir

Audible Audio

First published September 14, 2011

About the author

David B Soucie is now a CNN Safety Analyst, on air throughout the day: New Day, Ashley Banfield, Newsroom, Jake Tapper Show, Piers Morgan, Anderson Cooper.

He's worked in the cockpit, on the hanger floor, crash sites, within the aviation boardroom, and inside the Washington D.C. beltway. He's seen death up close and personal. Author of "WHY PLANES CRASH" An Accident Investigator's Fight for Safe Skies a memoir of crashes and near-misses, pain and redemption by a former Federal Agent Aviation Executive and FAA Accident Inspector.

Reviews

[Judd Street · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Why Planes Crash" is a bizarrely named book, as it doesn't actually tackle the question of, well, why planes crash. Instead, it offers an autobiographical tale of David Soucie's journey through aviation, from early passion to eventual work with the FAA.

First, the good: the biggest take-away from the book is that aviation accidents are knowledge management problems. This is absolutely true and it is a worthy argument. Soucie's involvement in developing anonymous accident, near-accident, and inadvertent event reporting systems for the FAA towards the end of his career is commendable, and I frequently cite these kinds of programs when teaching about risk management professionally. If the book offered detail and quality about these, it would easily be a five-star entry.

Soucie is a little arrogant in his retelling of these stories, though, casting himself as the lone hero who created them... which just seems implausible. So, I can hardly recommend the book as an accurate history of how these systems emerged, just because of how sceptical I am of the heroic narrative he lays out.

Now, the less good. If one were to characterize how Soucie would describe his own book (or rather, his coauthored book, though Cheek's name is largely erased from this volume), it would likely be a story of a hero's redemption. Early on, a colleague of his died in a helicopter accident, and the guilt of that accident being preventable motivated a life-long dedication to improving aviation safety. Against all odds, including the unwillingness of the FAA (his employer) to do anything to actually improve safety, and at great personal sacrifice of repeatedly moving (and the loving support of his wife), our hero managed to create these systems that would ultimately make aviation safer.

Except, I'm not convinced that's actually the story he tells. Blinded by heroism and being the protagonist of his own story, I don't know if Soucie realizes the degree to which he kind of answers his own title question. Why do planes crash? Well, because of people like him.

Our hero's genesis story - the colleague who dies in a helicopter accident - dies precisely because it was Soucie who decided that it wasn't worth the money to install a readily-available system to prevent helicopters from crashing when they hit electrical wires. It's not just a lack of foresight; indeed, the pilot who died and all of his fellow pilots specifically asked Soucie to install this system, which he refused to on account of the cost.

Then, throughout the next hundred pages, we witness a feckless Soucie back down repeatedly when encountering problems with FAA enforcement, procedures, or priorities. Page after page, Soucie is happy to roll over for other pressures (pleasing bosses, making money, keeping a job) rather than speaking up about the problems as a whistleblower, or even simply holding bosses or colleagues to account.

Indeed, by late in the book we get to Soucie's recount of the day of September 11th, 2001, when he was flying back home to Denver. Eager to see his wife, rather than be weighed down by the lockdown affecting the airport he finds himself in, he describes using his FAA badges to bypass security, let himself into restricted areas, and make sure he can get out to spend time with his family. He justifies this, arguing:

What I did the morning of September 11, 2001, to get out of DIA was probably illegal. When the sky is falling, you don't worry about whose umbrella you pick up. You worry about saving your head. (p. 184)

A few lines down the page, he talks about dialling it in at work in the weeks that followed, blindly approving FAA documents without even reading them as he had "completely lost interest." (p. 184)

And that's the rub. At the end of the day, Soucie is the embodiment of all the problems he laments: the corner cutting, the prioritization of company profits over human lives, the rationalization of sloppy work because of one's own context. Why do planes crash? Soucie seems less an expert than an object lesson; an example of institutional problems promulgate.

Look, I'm grateful for the work Soucie did to foreground knowledge issues in aviation safety and to create frameworks for anonymous reporting. But, let's not treat someone like a hero for, after having enough blood on their hands, eventually figuring out a useful way to stop other people behaving like they do. Rather, Soucie should stand as a warning to us all: not to become complacent, but also not to require the deaths of others to be motivated to do the right things.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Soucie is one of the best informed and performing people investigating aircraft safety. His book was very informative and well written. I would recommend this one.

[David Meadows · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title “why planes crash” is quite misleading. If you're hoping for an in-depth look at aviation accidents and the process of their investigations, you'll be disappointed.

Instead, the book dives into David’s decades-long career in the aviation industry, sharing numerous personal stories. After I recentered my expectations the stories were intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages.

By the end of the book, the author's self-portrayal becomes a bit tiresome. While the book leaves you with a clear sense of David's passion for aviation, it doesn't necessarily make him a particularly likable figure.

[Bob Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Soucie uses the sirens’ call of lurid plane-crash stories to get you to read his mini-memoir and policy recommendations for improving air safety. His basic point is that if we only attempt to fix the cause of the last bad accident we will continue to be exposed to the next bad accident because the causes can be so multifarious. Instead knowledge sharing without needless barriers is the key. An intriguing idea, though my favorite part was the poor sap who survived a heart attack and a medical flight crash impact only to perish while crawling away because he was on fire.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Soucie

The book wasn't initially what I thought it was going to be, but it was a very interesting read nonetheless, especially for someone who has never flown on an airplane and is afraid to. The author's aviation experience had him landing in jobs that I wish I could do in my career. While he is no longer with the FAA (according to the book), I hope he is still able to make the skies safer!

[Selena · Rating 1 out of 5]

What am I missing? This book was very disappointing. It seemed to be more about highlighting all the ways the author was a terrible husband (although he was oblivious to that) than it was about air accident investigations. The only redeeming part of the book was that it was "nice" to see that federal agencies pretty much operate in the same archaic manner.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

When picking up a book entitled Why Planes Crash, one rather expects it to focus specifically on the causes of and investigations into airplane crashes. While yes, sure, some of that is part of the book and was interesting enough, I just wasn't particularly interested in the rest of the author's autobiography. Not quite what I expected.

[Eugene Sedletsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too much about plane crashes, more about his life.

[Wendy (bardsblond) · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Soucie worked for the FAA for many years and give an insider’s account of the workings of that agency, in addition to heaping criticism on authorities in the upper reaches of the FAA as to how it was run. In particular, he thinks that deregulation created an asymmetry in aviation wherein the FAA has a vested interest in the profitability of the industry, which is at odds with its mandate to protect public safety. Once again, if you have an interest in aviation or plane safety, this is a pretty compelling read.

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more memoir than scientific approach. In the end, planes crash because of bureaucratic inertia. Institutions are slow and get in their own way. In that vein, there are parallels here to other institutions—all of which are also resistant to change. This book pre-dates the Boing 737 Max fiasco but it sure predicted it.

[tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

if an air crash victim’s arms come off, the speed of impact was over 180mph. if their legs come off, the speed of impact was over 220mph. that is the most startling fact in this book. the other point of interest is the material on Jessica Dubroff. the rest is diverting enough, a tad self-righteous at times, and ends rather abruptly.

[Alvin Satney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educational. Enlightening. Inspiring.

thank you for this book. Everyone in every field of employment should listen or read this book. It is a reflection of the world we are in and what is wrong with it. But also shows how not to lose hope even in the worst of times

[Ryne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Aviation disasters and protocols with an interesting backstory.

[Bill · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you want to know why planes crash, don’t read this book. Your questions won’t be answered. If you want to know all about David Soucie, this is the book for you!

[Litter Bug · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't expect this to be mostly an autobiography, I was expecting more about investigations. Throughout much of this I was mostly struck by how easy it used to be to get jobs.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read as David is a fantastic narrator. Be sure to go in with an understanding that this is more of a auto-biography rather than an analysis to ease a frequent flyer’s fear of flying.

Regardless, it is a great read and David is a force to be reckoned with in crash analysis.

[Dennis Myers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Those looking for a scientific investigation into why planes crash will be disappointed in this book. It’s more the story of a particular crash investigator and how he found a career in crash investigations. There are details about family, office politics, and bureaucracy, but not an abundance of detailed commercial aviation crash investigation details. It’s not awful, but certainly not what I expected so please be aware that the title is a bit misleading.

[Truff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am torn between liking this book and really liking this book.

The author had to deal with a lot of bureaucracy in his time (a few decades) in being an airplane mechanic, inspecting airplanes for the FAA (and all the paper pushing associated with), investigating causes of airplane crashes and working at a medical helicopter service, and he spells it all out in unflinching detail.

Basically, gives a lot of excellent information about the aviation industry - what is the line between profit and safety, especially for private airplane services. Not for the squeamish, as some of the details of airplane crashes are not pretty. Also, a lot of detail about the corporate and federal world of avaiation and regulations.

Very interesting.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

told from the perspective of Mr. Soucie and his inside experience from an airline mechanic to FAA inspector in his quest for improving safety in the skies.
from reading other books on this subject matter the common thread is how the FAA, a government agency, and it's ineptitude in facing a new era and addressing issues and willingness to update old standard regulations and embrace a modern new era of flight. The very idea that only after a catastrophic event does improvement seem possible and even then it seems more about finger pointing to save its own hide then the protection of the traveling public. again here is the $ bottom line more important then improving the safety and protection of all.

[Dustin Blanton · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Why Planes Crash' is actually an autobiography of the author, David Soucie, and his career in the aviation industry. The core premise of the book is that plane crashes are often caused by financial decisions made long before the plane pushes away from the jetway. Within the text, there are a few very interesting stories of plane crash investigation.

There are also some rather dubious claims, including the author's reference to his wife's 'psychic intuition', and a fair bit of self-aggrandizement. If you can get through the author's ego and slightly amateur writing style (the book is filled with cliches), it's an interesting read.

[Shaun Mouton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hoped for any sort of answer to the question posed in the title, and was sorely disappointed. At some times, it's posited that the fault lies early on in the process ("if they'd have fed and exercised the horse better when it was a foal, it wouldn't have blown in the race"), but there's not much discussion of the measures taken and their effect, which makes the whole thing come off as a pat denouncement of businesspeople and their greedy, safety-ignoring ways (with some choice bits about the narrator's family life and work history).

Did not want.

[Mary Latela · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Soucie, who is an excellent TV commentator when the worst happens and planes go down, has written a book whose point comes very late in the book. Otherwise, the book is mostly autobiography of his up and down career in aviation safety, with details that could have been omitted. When he finally comes to the core issue, namely, why planes crash, the book begins! Then it is taut, carefully written, accurate, based on solid experience, and technological expertise. This is what I was looking for when I purchased it.

[Read a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative description of airline maintenance, governance, and accident investigation, Soucie's work offers both a feeling of unease along with an understanding of security and training that goes behind aircraft safety. While this discussion is interesting, it takes a while to build to this point. Soucie's life story is a worthy read in its own right, but that's not what I anticipated in reading this work.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were enough redeeming qualities to this book for me to overlook the abounding conceit that the author has for his past accomplishments. In the final analysis, it would appear that he attempted to improve the image of the FAA by focusing efforts to unearth the root causes for aviation accidents.

[Arnied · Rating 3 out of 5]

The guy is a bit of an ego maniac and too much of the book is about him. However, his theories are correct and getting manufacturers and airlines to share information can stop many of these accidents. The book is also scary because it talks about the antiquated thinking inside the FAA. So now I have Southwest Airline cracks on my mind. Creepy.

[Vedat GURER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accidents do happen

Accidents do happen

although it is biography you can follow the writers' own experiences that led him till this book. if you want to go deeper on aviation and security issues, this book will provide you some point of approach. fair, honest, critical... the author and his family paid his dues for being straightforward.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight into how the FAA and NTSB look into incidents, but very light on any technical information. A good read on the industry, but lacking if you're into analyzing technical reasons for crashes themselves.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of the life of an FAA inspector. Really readable; I could've read the whole thing on a single plane ride. Gruesome in one or two places, and a little too reliant on a redemption narrative but still fascinating.

[Teresa A. Clifton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Eye opening. Examples of business as usual instead of

making, in some cases, simple changes for the sake of safety. People in charge who would rather not shake things up!

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book but poorly titled. This is about David Soucie's (interesting) life and career, and a bit about the FAA and its troubles during his time there. If you want a deeper treatment of "why planes crash" you may want to look elsewhere.