"The immediate human toll of this 1994 disaster was staggering: all 132 people aboard died on a Pennsylvania hillside. The subsequent investigation was a maze of politics, bizarre theories, and shrouded answers. Bill Adair, an award-winning journalist, was granted special access to the five-year inquiry by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) while its investigators tried to determine if the world's most widely used commercial jet, the Boeing 737, was really safe.". "Adair closely follows the investigation as the leader of the NTSB team explores hundreds of theories, from a rudder malfunction to a collision with a bird to a Mafia hit man. More than one hundred engineers, pilots, and mechanics worked to solve this mystery while Boeing and the Air Line Pilots Association fought over who was at fault. Adair explains the odd science of a crash investigation and reveals the legal struggle to set a dollar value on a human life.". "The findings of the exhaustive investigation have had wide-ranging effects on the airline industry, pilots, and even passengers. Adair takes readers behind the scenes to show who makes decisions about airline safety - and why."--BOOK JACKET.