FROM THE PRESS

FROM MARIAN STATES

Mrs. Marian States, Mother of Captain Edward States
"When the media was full of the news of the crash of flight 587 I followed "US Read" on the Internet daily. The writers did a wonderful and thorough job of reporting and raising questions. Many of these questions remain unanswered to this day.
By bringing attention to the eyewitness statements, many of which the government chose to ignore, you have done more than pay tribute to the horrific waste of lives caused by the tragedy of Flight 587.
As the Mother of Captain Edward States and in the name of his Co-Pilot Sten Molin, their crew and all their passengers, I thank you for writing this book. "

FROM THE PILOTS

In 1942 George “Bud” Day was only 5’2” and weighed 116 lbs., but don’t let these dimensions sway your thinking. He has the heart of a lion and was one of the greatest F-100 jockeys in Vietnam. Before he entered pilot training in the USAF he earned his law degree which helped him fight for veterans’ rights. He forced the government to pay veterans medical expenses, known as Tricare For Life. On his 67th mission in Vietnam, his F-100 was shot down over enemy territory and he was captured. He devised a successful escape plan and lived for 3 weeks with shattered bones and nothing much to eat. He was only a few miles from the safety of friendly forces when he was recaptured and sent to the Hanoi Hilton where he endured 5 years of savage beatings & foul food. It was here that he teamed up with Lt. Commander John McCain. McCain made the following statement in his book, “There has never been a doubt in my mind that Bud Day and Norris Overly saved my life”. To this day “Bud” is the most decorated person in all of the armed services. He was a Medal of Honor recipient, and has every other medal that was out there. Brian suggests that you read Robert Coram’s great book about “Bud” called American Patriot. You won’t be able to put it down.

"Dear Brian-
The book is great, a heart grabber. Here are my latest comments - This is a fascinating first person story, about a preventable disaster. Riveting, a great read.
Col. Bud Day MOH "

Wing Commander Peter Ayerst joined the RAF in 1938. He flew Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain where he destroyed 9 German aircraft, and 2 probables. He earned the most coveted RAF medal, The DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross). He is now the only spitfire production test pilot who is still alive.
"Thank you very much for sending a copy of your book '93 Seconds To Disaster'. I have now read it and it is incredibly interesting, particularly as I have no experience on large jet aircraft. All my jet flying has been on fighter jets and therefore I was amazed at the problems the large jets have with the rudder. The amount of detail that you book covers is truly amazing and I found it extremely informative, one is never too old to learn. I send you my best wishes. Wing Commander Peter V. Ayerst."

USAF Lt. Col. Robert J. Goebel, Ret. was a great WWII fighter pilot. He flew the P-51 Mustang and scored 11 confirmed kills. Not only was he an exceptional leader, he also wrote a wonderful book entitled "Mustang Ace". Brian highly recommends this amazing book.
"Before I read ' 93 Seconds to Disaster' I felt comfortable with the notion that several government agencies staffed by the most capable people available and dedicated to maintaining the highest level of Commercial Air Transportation safety were 'minding the store' No Longer. Capt. Brian Power-Waters, through his persistent and relentless investigation, has raised serious questions about how technical requirements and administrative matters are handled today. He has shown courage in voicing these concerns,where he has found culpabilities ,even at the highest levels . We all owe him a debt of gratitude."

W.H. McDonald Jr., President of the Military Writers Society of America
"Captain Brian Power-Waters has authored many great books related to aviation and is more than qualified as a commercial pilot. So, when he presents us the facts and his conclusions in his book "93 Seconds to Disaster: The Government's Great Cover-up" he has my fullest attention. I have about two-thousand hours flying as a crew-chief in Huey helicopters and am a huge reader of aviation books. I am a retired safety manager for the federal government. I have also been personally involved in many aircraft crashes as crew member and have survived--all this gives me a unique special interest in what the author had to say in his book. This book is a fascinating read but is not something you would want to read while waiting in an airport lounge for your flight to board. But this is a book that all passengers should read and absorb his message. In the post 9/11 days there was another aircraft that crashed in the New York City area. It was the American Airlines A-300 Airbus Flight #587. It crashed shortly after take off into a neighborhood in Queens, New York on November 12, 2001. This book deals with the investigation and the possible causes of that crash and the rush to judgment made by the government which blamed the co-pilot. His book gives us an insider look at what went on and his intelligent and educated conclusions. He also adds some personal interest to the book by giving some background information on the crew so we get to know them as real people and not just a name on the investigation reports. This book is well researched and hard hitting. I think all pilots, either private or commercial, would get a great deal from this reading experience but there is something of interest for all non-pilots as well. The book is a great education on aviation accident investigations but it is also entertaining. The author gives us lots of details of the accident and what they think happened. This book is a must read book! I personally endorse it and ask you to read it."

Ronald Williams, USAirways, Ret. Captain
"Captain Power-Waters hits the mark with 93 SECONDS TO DISASTER. It is very informative and easy to read. Brian has done his research and backs all of his comments with compelling facts that he has pieced together . The data proved to be very disturbing ,especially concerning American Airlines flight 587. Having been involved in pilot flight crew certification for the past 16 years, I now feel that more research must be done on composite materials for fatigue failures, especially in the older aircraft."

R. St. Amour, Retired ATCS 1964/2004
I have read every one of Captain Brian Power-Waters books. This in my opnion is his second best effort. Safety Last ( his first book ) was ahead of it's time in discussing aviation mishaps. I had personal knowledge of one of the accidents described in that book. His latest book attempts to make a little more sense of a terrible loss of life that could have been prevented. The rush to attribute blame and cause by the NTSB and the FAA is nothing new. I was an Air Traffic Controller in New York at the time of this crash. One of my best friends was the last controller to talk/give instructions to the doomed pilots. Anyone who is interested in commercial airline safety should seriously consider this book. Brian all I can say is " well done "....

Dan Corsello , American Airlines, Ret. Captain and former Journeyman Air Traffic Controller
"I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As both a retired American Airlines Captain on Boeing 767's and a former Journeyman Air Traffic Controller at Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 93 SECONDS to DISASTER. It is a well researched book that is written in a manner that creates a deep emotion in the reader whether that person is an experienced commercial airline pilot, a student pilot, or simply has a love for aviation. Unfortunately, those of us familiar with the lax attitudes regarding aviation safety of both the FAA and NTSB continue to realize their long-time and continued method of 'Preventative Maintenance' is what I refer to as 'THE AUTOPSY METHOD'. In the writing of the book, [Captain Brian Power-Waters] developed the situation initially in 'aviation speak' familiar to those of us in the industry and then referred to the situation in language that those who are not in the industry would understand the end result objective [he] had in mind. Very well done, Captain! I congratulate you for your fine work in telling the world that the Government agencies involved, the manufacturer airline training procedures all need to be improved to have one common goal: safety of the flying public. Everyone employed in the aformentioned needs to remember that a passenger flying at any given moment is probably someone they love more than anyone - a Wife, Husband, Son, Daughter, Mother or Father! The capital letters show the importance of each. Thank you so for the writing of this book and I know all who read it will be impacted by its content. Even though I could write much more of what the book meant to me, I should now sign off."

Carl T. Butterworth, Senior Captain, American Airlines, Ret. Brig. Gen. (ANG)
"If you think your airline captain is trained to recover from any position that the airplane might encounter, you'd be wrong."

Andrew I. Michalak , American Airlines, Ret. Captain
"Thanks for writing your excellent book concerning the tragedy of American Airlines Flight 587. In it, you have raised questions that need to be addressed, and, in doing so, you have helped make the rest of the world aware of these questions."

AVweb's Kevin Lane-Cummings
"The job of the FAA is to promote aviation safety and to encourage and develop civilian aeronautics -- an "economic" influence that some say interferes with its safety duties. The NTSB, on the other hand, is all about safety: investigating accidents and promoting ways to reduce them. But government watchdogs question the independence of even that organization.

When American Airlines Flight 587 crashed just after departing JFK airport in November, 2001, the accident investigation teams jumped to work as they always do. The conclusion from the NTSB was that the probable cause of the accident was, "The in-flight separation of the vertical stabilizer as a result of the loads beyond ultimate design that were created by the first officer's unnecessary and excessive rudder pedal inputs."

Captain Brian Power-Waters has assembled an extensive evaluation of the accident and the investigation into its causes, and is convinced that undue blame has been placed on Flight 587's first officer.

Captain Brian Power-Waters' new book, 93 Seconds to Disaster, has chapters covering the chronology of the pilots and the lfight, information about large-aircraft upsets, an evaluation of use of composites for aircraft, pilot training and a review of the abilities and pressures put on NTSB investigators.

Using a mixture of official reports and his own interviews and eyewitness accounts, Captain Power-Waters has created a very readable book that puts a new perspective on the accident that, he says, should have changed how airliners are made and how pilots are trained."

Randal L Long, a pilot since 1993, is educated in Professional Aeronautics, focusing on Safety Investigations with over 20 years analyzing accident reports and working toward improving the growing technologies in Aviation.  

"93 Seconds to Disaster is a must for anyone’s collection on the growing improvements and problems of today’s Aviation industry.  Captain Brian Power-Waters XIII has completely captured the issues that our government’s agencies appear to neglect.  By removing all the clutter that so often fills accident reports, Captain Power-Waters focuses the reader’s attention on what are the obvious and in most cases irrefutable facts.  What kind of professional design causes a vertical stabilizer to simply snap off in air while a pilot attempts to control the “properly designed” rudder pedals?   What are we doing flying the public around in aircraft made of composite materials made from carbon and glass fibers that have not gone through the years of rigorous testing and knowledge comprised by the military?  How can the FAA just sit calmly aside stating that such aircraft are fine and need only a visionary check?  Who will force the FAA to make airlines conduct testing that would show fatigue problems hiding below what the human eyes can observe?  Must more innocent people die before someone takes action?  Captain Brian Power-Waters has taken the facts and broken them down into easily understandable issues that prove this was no accident caused by human error, but a poor design that can still be fixed before more human tragedies."