Aloha Flight 243

Aloha Flight 243 by Henry S. Arii is an important book with an important message: the world’s airways are not safe. This detailed narrative describes the infamous flight two decades ago, in which one flight attendant lost her life and an industry should have begun taking notice of a dangerous development and trend in air safety. Written matter-of-factly, and as straightforward as the clues from a black box, the maintenance investigator turned author provides a professional critique of the National Transportation Safety Board and their decision-making process during the investigation and hearing of the 1988 incident. With chapter titles like “A Benevolent God” and “Typical Lap Joint Cross Section of Rivet and Skin,” this fully annotated and at times highly technical nonfiction transcends politics and bureaucratic hierarchies to show readers exactly what happened and how it was mishandled by authorities and how, if the status quo continues, more lives will be at risk.