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Flight Failure: Investigating the Nuts and Bolts of Air Disasters and Aviation Safety
A former aircraft engineer exposes the dangerous breakdown in airline safety due to lapses in maintenance and quality control. This book chronicles maintenance-related accidents caused by individual, corporate, or governmental negligence and brings the industry's current state of affairs into sharp focus. The author, a former aviation engineer, examines how failures of the smallest of parts have brought down airliners, explaining sometimes esoteric mechanical issues for readers with no technical background. Vividly describing the terror of accidents and close calls, the author then follows the painstaking investigations to determine causes. He focuses on maintenance errors, which rank as one of the top three causes of airline accidents, and points to the factors that have led to an alarming situation-- continued reduction of licensed mechanics, the shutting down of maintenance bases in the United States, and the outsourcing of maintenance to lowballing contractors. Outsourcing has forced thousands of licensed mechanics into retirement or different careers. For those mechanics still employed in the United States, the ever-present threat to their jobs does nothing to cultivate loyalty to an employer and devotion to a task. The Federal Aviation Administration, which should be overseeing quality control, is caught in a conflicted dual role--charged with regulating safety on the one hand and assuring the fiscal stability of airlines on the other. This disturbing wakeup call for improved airline safety standards highlights the critical importance of attention to detail. Porter recommends that the numbers and job security of airline mechanics be increased and that they be vested with an authority level akin to medical professionals.
- GenresAviationNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published April 14, 2020
13 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 4, 2020
“There are dozens of accidents, some old, some new - many fatal -, all caused by missing bolts and pins.”
Well there’s a sentence to cause sleepless nights and nightmares, no need for fictitious horror movies or books. As a student pilot, maybe it was not such a good idea to dive right into this endless pit of accident reports but I could not hold myself.
This book investigates the aircraft incidents and accidents resulted from mechanical failures, missing bolts, cotter pins, tiny connection pieces that bear vital importance for aircrafts. This crucial aspect of accidents is especially horrific because once the aircraft is airborne with a missing part, there is nothing that even an experienced and skilled pilot can do. And every part of aviation, from ground handling to cargo loading, to maintenance requires upmost care and attention. A simple mistake can be catastrophic.
I both loved and hated this book. It triggered a lot of emotions, that’s for sure. I especially appreciated the detailed first chapter on Boeing 737 Max aircrafts. This was the hot topic of last year. The reason why the internally flawed Boeing 737max aircrafts were recalled and what really happened is very well explained. I enjoyed the narration, the technical explanations and insights, this was an enlightening read and recommended for all professionals and aviation enthusiasts.
(I received a advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Well there’s a sentence to cause sleepless nights and nightmares, no need for fictitious horror movies or books. As a student pilot, maybe it was not such a good idea to dive right into this endless pit of accident reports but I could not hold myself.
This book investigates the aircraft incidents and accidents resulted from mechanical failures, missing bolts, cotter pins, tiny connection pieces that bear vital importance for aircrafts. This crucial aspect of accidents is especially horrific because once the aircraft is airborne with a missing part, there is nothing that even an experienced and skilled pilot can do. And every part of aviation, from ground handling to cargo loading, to maintenance requires upmost care and attention. A simple mistake can be catastrophic.
I both loved and hated this book. It triggered a lot of emotions, that’s for sure. I especially appreciated the detailed first chapter on Boeing 737 Max aircrafts. This was the hot topic of last year. The reason why the internally flawed Boeing 737max aircrafts were recalled and what really happened is very well explained. I enjoyed the narration, the technical explanations and insights, this was an enlightening read and recommended for all professionals and aviation enthusiasts.
(I received a advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
October 8, 2025
Flight Failure by Donald J. Porter is an exceptionally interesting and educational book that offers a thorough exploration into the causes of air disasters and the continuous evolution of aviation safety. Porter skillfully combines detailed investigative insights with clear explanations, making complex aviation concepts and accident investigations accessible and engaging for readers without a technical background.
What I appreciated most about this book is how it balances technical detail with storytelling. Each chapter dives into real-world air disasters, breaking down the factors involved—whether mechanical failure, human error, or environmental conditions—and showing how these incidents have shaped modern aviation safety protocols. It’s fascinating to see the behind-the-scenes work of investigators and engineers who meticulously piece together the “nuts and bolts” of what went wrong.
Porter’s writing is clear and straightforward, making the sometimes dense subject matter approachable without oversimplifying. The book not only educates readers on how and why accidents happen but also highlights the improvements and innovations that arise from these tragic events, underscoring the aviation industry’s commitment to learning and preventing future failures.
If you have any interest in aviation, engineering, or safety, Flight Failure offers a captivating mix of history, science, and investigative drama. The only minor drawback is that at times, the technical explanations can feel a bit heavy, which might slow the pace for casual readers. Still, the book’s overall informative nature and engaging stories make it well worth the read.
What I appreciated most about this book is how it balances technical detail with storytelling. Each chapter dives into real-world air disasters, breaking down the factors involved—whether mechanical failure, human error, or environmental conditions—and showing how these incidents have shaped modern aviation safety protocols. It’s fascinating to see the behind-the-scenes work of investigators and engineers who meticulously piece together the “nuts and bolts” of what went wrong.
Porter’s writing is clear and straightforward, making the sometimes dense subject matter approachable without oversimplifying. The book not only educates readers on how and why accidents happen but also highlights the improvements and innovations that arise from these tragic events, underscoring the aviation industry’s commitment to learning and preventing future failures.
If you have any interest in aviation, engineering, or safety, Flight Failure offers a captivating mix of history, science, and investigative drama. The only minor drawback is that at times, the technical explanations can feel a bit heavy, which might slow the pace for casual readers. Still, the book’s overall informative nature and engaging stories make it well worth the read.
April 3, 2021
The stories behind air accidents and incidents are very intriguing to me so I found this book extremely interesting and rather eye-opening. Airplanes are supposed to have redundancies built into them so a fault in one part doesn't bring the whole plane down. Unfortunately, as this book shows there are some parts that are absolutely intergal and if they fail the results can be disastrous.
Definitely a book for those who want to learn more about how maintenance can go wrong with airplanes and the devestating effects it can have.
Definitely a book for those who want to learn more about how maintenance can go wrong with airplanes and the devestating effects it can have.
June 4, 2023
It's OK but there is nothing new, keeps banging on about FAA being irresponsible and deliquent (which they historically have been due to political influence) but there is no real new stuff. Most accidents have been thoroughly examined and are just repeated here. There are better books...
June 21, 2022
It wasn't as involved as I thought it would be and seemed to repeat the same plane crash multiple times
April 26, 2023
It’s bit of a technical read, but is very thorough in regards to how a budget cut or oversight can bright down a large aircraft.
July 15, 2023
Both informative and a bit scary. Good to know the improvements we’ve made in the industry.
May 17, 2024
Solid book for aviation enthusiasts.
March 11, 2021
I received a free ebook from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Flight Failure takes a deep look into multiple airplane incidents from the beginning of regular commercial air travel to the still ongoing investigation of the Boeing 737 MAX. The common threads through the book are the role of maintenance errors and oversight in incidents or accidents and the failure or negligence of the FAA to ensure flight safety. Every couple of chapters explores a new incident caused by a seemingly minor thing like a missing pin around a screw that led to tragedy.
As a fan of the show Mayday/Air Disasters/Air Crash Investigations, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author relies on reports and eyewitness testimony to construct the incidents and does not imagine what the victims could have been thinking, which I always appreciate. I was familiar with many of these incidents and accidents from the show but some were new to me and others presented details that hadn’t been covered in the show. The best written section of the book is, without question, Emery Worldwide 17. I found myself trying to hide from the book while reading it (obviously that did not work out well).
However, I felt that the 737 MAX didn’t quite fit with the maintenance theme of the rest of the book and that it seemed to have been added last minute to pull on the headlines. I also would have really appreciated diagrams or other illustrations for some of the more mechanical descriptions. I frequently had to break the flow of reading to look up images of what was being described so I could understand what was going on.
This isn’t a book for everyone. Some people dislike reading about airplane crashes and that’s understandable. I, however, have been known to read books about hijackings while flying. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read and learn about disasters or airplanes.
Flight Failure takes a deep look into multiple airplane incidents from the beginning of regular commercial air travel to the still ongoing investigation of the Boeing 737 MAX. The common threads through the book are the role of maintenance errors and oversight in incidents or accidents and the failure or negligence of the FAA to ensure flight safety. Every couple of chapters explores a new incident caused by a seemingly minor thing like a missing pin around a screw that led to tragedy.
As a fan of the show Mayday/Air Disasters/Air Crash Investigations, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author relies on reports and eyewitness testimony to construct the incidents and does not imagine what the victims could have been thinking, which I always appreciate. I was familiar with many of these incidents and accidents from the show but some were new to me and others presented details that hadn’t been covered in the show. The best written section of the book is, without question, Emery Worldwide 17. I found myself trying to hide from the book while reading it (obviously that did not work out well).
However, I felt that the 737 MAX didn’t quite fit with the maintenance theme of the rest of the book and that it seemed to have been added last minute to pull on the headlines. I also would have really appreciated diagrams or other illustrations for some of the more mechanical descriptions. I frequently had to break the flow of reading to look up images of what was being described so I could understand what was going on.
This isn’t a book for everyone. Some people dislike reading about airplane crashes and that’s understandable. I, however, have been known to read books about hijackings while flying. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read and learn about disasters or airplanes.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews