“Normal Accidents” is extraordinary and the recent book about United Airlines Flight 232 is great. The latter was actually an example of incredible piloting in the face of utter disaster, I don’t think they’ve ever landed the plane intact in simulators. https://twitter.com/k_atanasoff/status/1307362426409619460

All three independent hydraulic systems were destroyed by a fan disk disintegration and when they called for help ATC was like “we just didn’t think that could happen so we have no plan.”

One of the passengers happened to be a DC-10 flight instructor and came up to the cockpit.

And he and the crew somehow managed to save about half the passengers, despite cartwheeling on landing. Incredible.

Fan disks are submerged in a special liquid on a regular basis and any weak spots or tiny cracks show up in a bright color and a technician is supposed to clear each one. The airline, when a farmer eventually found the fan disk in their field, found out which tech missed it.

And they told HIM (he was obviously totally emotionally destroyed) but never ever released his identity to anyone else and I think that was a kindness.

Canada’s closest analog was the famous Gimli Glider. The fuel gauges weren’t working (known issue) and when they stopped to refuel, they fucked up the metric conversion and loaded only 22,300lbs (10,100 kilograms) rather than 22,300 kg. So they literally ran out of fuel halfway.

It was a 767 with suddenly zero engines and no fuel and by the grace of God the pilot was also an experienced glider pilot and somehow landed the massive plane on a DRAG STRIP for car racing, resulting in a busted nose cone and literally zero serious injuries to anyone.

And then they demoted the pilot as suspended the first officer (the ground crew were the ones who futzed the math) bc they were mad about the nose cone, while everyone else was giving him awards for the impossible landing, so Air Canada had to apologize and reinstate them.

And after that everyone freaking learned about the metric system.

I always wear natural fiber clothing on flights and sneakers and long sleeves and long pants and sit on the aisle bc I read too much. Flying is very safe! Cars are wildly more dangerous! I just like to be prepared.

Danny’s number one fear is dying in a plane crash and mine is dying in a fire so we have an utterly impossible pact to switch places so that he would die in the fire and I would die in the plane crash, provided there was no fire involved in the plane crash.

I won’t discuss the Germanwings disaster bc it’s too horrifying to contemplate but one of Langewiesche’s best pieces is on Air France 447 which is all about cascading tiny errors: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2014/10/air-france-flight-447-crash

If I do somehow die in a plane crash (without being burned) please know it’s how I have always wanted to go out (that or a rogue wave on a ship) and pls mourn me but be thankful I died doing what I loved: knowing too much about air disasters.

Well, sharing all this morbid information I have autistically collected my entire life has made ME feel better, please return to your day and seek comfort as best you can.