This case wasn't an accident. An employee of PSA had just been fired. He smuggled a pistol aboard the commuter flight, shot his boss, then killed the other crew members before pushing the airplane over into a steep power dive and hitting the ground at thousands of Gs in a California field.
The incident took place in the late 1980s and the murder weapon was a .44 magnum. "Dirty Harry" was released in 1971 and the emphasis on .44 caliber magnums ("the most powerful handgun in the world") must have impacted public taste because the awesome weapon seemed to become more popular. As an anthropologist I lived with the Tlingit Indians on Chichagoff Island in Alaska and every once in a while came across the empty cartridge case of a .44 magnum. It was depressing to think that the fad had reached so far into the wilderness -- until I happened to witness a monstrous Kodiak bear and her cubs and realized that a powerful handgun had its place.
The series continues to impress me. It seems more carefully constructed than many of the true crime series now available on television. This particular episode involves murder but the majority don't. Instead of dwelling on the emotions involved, the series treat each accident dispassionately, as Sherlock Holmes might. The emphasis is on technology as well as behavior, and the details of each are laid out clearly.
Anyone who likes dramatic detective stories should find this interesting.
The incident took place in the late 1980s and the murder weapon was a .44 magnum. "Dirty Harry" was released in 1971 and the emphasis on .44 caliber magnums ("the most powerful handgun in the world") must have impacted public taste because the awesome weapon seemed to become more popular. As an anthropologist I lived with the Tlingit Indians on Chichagoff Island in Alaska and every once in a while came across the empty cartridge case of a .44 magnum. It was depressing to think that the fad had reached so far into the wilderness -- until I happened to witness a monstrous Kodiak bear and her cubs and realized that a powerful handgun had its place.
The series continues to impress me. It seems more carefully constructed than many of the true crime series now available on television. This particular episode involves murder but the majority don't. Instead of dwelling on the emotions involved, the series treat each accident dispassionately, as Sherlock Holmes might. The emphasis is on technology as well as behavior, and the details of each are laid out clearly.
Anyone who likes dramatic detective stories should find this interesting.
