Airframe

January 13, 2008 in Thriller, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: Michael Crichton

Genre: Thriller

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Summary:

Airframe is about a fictional passenger jet accident, and the investigation and media frenzy that follow. It begins when Chinese operated Trans Pacific Airways Flight 545 suddenly and without warning goes from steady, level cruise flight to “porpoising,” making a series of steep climbs and dives. The passengers are hurled around the cabin like toys, sustaining serious injuries, some of which are fatal. Upon regaining control, the aircraft makes an emergency landing in Los Angeles, and the crew members are quietly spirited out of the country by the airline.

Casey Singleton, a recently divorced mother, and a vice president of Quality Assurance for Norton Aircraft, the company that built Flight 545, and is assigned to the “Incident Review Team.” The investigation is hampered by conflicting accounts: the pilot attributes the accident to “unexpected turbulence,” while a hospitalized flight attendant claims the captain said he had to fight the autopilot for control. Casey’s team is operating under enormous time pressure, because Norton Aircraft is finalizing an agreement to sell aircraft to another Chinese airline, and losing the sale could mean bankruptcy for the company.

At the same time, the union assembly line workers are becoming disgruntled due to rumors that Norton is planning to outsource production of the wing, which is the most complex part of the aircraft. As their discontent reaches dangerous levels, “accidents” begin to happen in the plant, and angry workers try to intimidate Casey.

Eventually, a TV news program learns about Flight 545’s accident. Casey is assigned to deal with a team of reporters that is unwilling to understand the complexities of the situation, and is less interested in the truth than in a sensational story. As the media pressure mounts, Casey is caught up in company politics. Realizing that she is being set up as a scapegoat, she scrambles to find out what happened to Flight 545, so she can save both her company’s reputation, and her own job.

My Thoughts:

Airframe fought an uphill battle to keep my attention. As a male twenty-something with no children, I have a hard time relating to stories that lack strong male characters. Also, the beginning is a bit slow once the initial excitement of the accident passes. Crichton spends a lot of time introducing Casey Singleton, including dwelling on details I didn’t particularly care about.

In spite of the initial slowness, Airframe turned into a rewarding read. The ending is both gripping and satisfying, with instances of poetic justice that caused me to laugh out loud. This one fought past the obstacles and hooked my attention.