Chapter 18 - "Tragedy and Escape - There is a Degree of Mercy Beyond Which Any Man is Rude to Inquire" Summary and Analysis

After World War II, the aviation industry enjoyed a huge increase in profitability and prestige. Many small companies were established and many quickly failed; the safety of many of the smaller companies was questionable. Within one five month period, seventeen pilots and co-pilots were killed in accidents.

On one flight, Gann was piloting a DC-4A, bound from Honolulu to Burbank. Over the course of several hours, the aircraft suffers a series of strange but not ominous vibrations. Grimes, the intelligent and attentive stewardess, complains of a bizarre shaking motion in the tail section. Gann and his crew investigate but eventually...