History of corruption-related airline disasters.

<body> Partial List of Airliner Disasters Related to Known Safety Problems and Misconduct The book, Unfriendly Skies: 20th and 21st Centuries, by former federal aviation safety agent Rodney Stich, is based upon government documents and what the author−a federal investigator holding key oversight responsibilities at United Airlines−and other inspectors, discovered. The documented pattern of hard-core misconduct within the FAA played a role in encouraging and insuring the success of the four groups of terrorist hijackers. The corrupt culture within the FAA was accompanied by refusal to order the simply changes reported by federal air safety inspectors that would have prevented the September 11 hijackings, and those for the prior 40 years, taking control of the aircraft. As a result of documented arrogance, corruption, and criminal acts, over 4,000 men, women, and children, were killed in a brutal manner, and brought about catastrophic financial and personal consequences, plus enormous threats to national security. The following fatal crashes were directly involved with the pattern of arrogance and documented air safety and criminal misconduct within the FAA (and for many years, at United Airlines). These corrupt acts, some of which are detailed and documented in the third edition of Unfriendly Skies, played a major causative and permissive role in the following crashes, among others: United Airlines Crash into New York City United Airlines DC-8 crash into the heart of New York City. This was the world's worst air disaster at that time, and for pain and suffering of the victims, it surely ranks at the top for gore and human suffering. Direct cause of the crash was the pilot's incredibly poor performance, which arose from the documented refusal by United Airlines personnel to provide legally required training and competency checks to its crewmembers, falsification of its safety records, threats upon federal air safety inspectors who sought report and take corrective actions on these matters. And much more. By pressuring FAA management to ignore these major safety violations, United Airlines management personnel played key roles in a 20-year-pattern of fatal crashes associated with these problems, and played a key role in the FAA culture. This culture resulted in FAA refusal to order the simple corrective actions that would have prevented many fatal airline crashes, including the September 11, 2001, terrorist hijackings that would have been prevented by ordering two simple corrective measures. The danger of fatal hijackings was obvious from their repetitive happenings, and as reported by federal air safety inspectors--including Rodney Stich--along with the simple corrective actions that by law FAA management were required to order. The NTSB (CAB office of aviation safety at that time) covered up for the serious problems at United Airlines and the corrupt activities within the FAA that kept the professional federal safety personnel from performing their duties. DOJ officials covered up for the misconduct at United Airlines, relieving the airline of much of the financial liability for that great air disaster. United Airlines Crash at the Denver airport The crash was preceded by a hydraulic failure, which was then followed by the crew's failure to activate a high-pressure air backup to keep the reversing mechanism in place during the engine reverse procedures upon landing. This failure to perform a basic procedure resulted in two engines on one side putting out reverse thrust and two engines on the other side putting out forward thrust. This resulted in loss of directional control, a crash, poor evacuation of the passengers by the crew, and many passengers being cremated alive. The behind the scene causes of the crash arose from the airline's refusal to perform legally required training and competency checks, falsification of federally required safety records, threats against inspectors by United Airlines and FAA management personnel, and other problems. That crash was made possible by the continued cover-up by the NTSB and others. United Airlines Crash at Salt Lake City United Airlines Boeing 727 crash at Salt Lake City crash and 43 people cremated alive. Caused by dangerous approach technique by the captain; poor performance by the flight engineer after the crash, and poor evacuation of the passengers by the flight crew. Prior to the crash, FAA inspector Rodney Stich had: Reported the dangerous high-sink-rate approach technique of the captain and that he needed corrective training (that FAA refused to order). The flight engineer’s failure to turn off the fuel booster pumps and fuel valves after the landing gear ripped off the aircraft and it slid on its belly for half mile, resulting in fire caused by broken fuel lines (Stich had repeatedly reported the airline’s engineer training program and competency checks as the worst he had seen in his flying career, and was ridiculed for making the reports. Poor evacuation of the passengers was the result of the airline’s refusal to provide the legally required emergency evacuation training every year and felony falsification of the government required records to falsely indicate the training had been done on a yearly basis (which had been reported three times in writing by FAA inspector Stich, followed by inaction and retaliation by FAA management). The NTSB covered up for the serious problems and misconduct that led to this disaster. Stich had notified the NTSB prior to the crash of the serious problems at United Airlines, and of the even more serious problems within the FAA, which caused Stich to act as an independent prosecutor. The NTSB's cover-up made this crash and others possible. These early NTSB cover-ups and deadly crashes set the stage to where the NTSB could never report the culture and corruption within the FAA. United Airlines Crash Near Salt Lake City Poor pilot competency resulted in the aircraft entering the holding pattern in the wrong direction, causing the aircraft to crash into the mountains. Same underlying problems that continued for years, resulting in many crashes and many deaths. All the same problems as before. United Airlines Crash after Takeoff from Los Angeles Same problems, combined with ignoring prior warnings that the failure by United Airlines to have a backup-power for flight instruments would result in the total loss of an aircraft, and the illegal departure with a non-functioning generator, combined with prior cover-ups involving the FAA Administrator and the NTSB board members. United Airlines Boeing 727 crash at Los Angeles with the deaths of over 100 people. The cause was the illegal dispatching of a three-engine aircraft with one generator inoperative; the refusal of United Airlines to have a backup powered attitude indicator in the event of total electrical failure (that frequently occurred), and the unsatisfactory training of flight engineers. FAA inspector Rodney Stich had reported the absence of a backup powered attitude indicator as extremely dangerous; reported the flight engineer program as a farce, and United Airlines’ widespread violation of federal air safety requirements. Repeat of prior cover-ups by FAA and NTSB. United Airlines Crash at Portland, Oregon United Airlines DC-8 crash into outskirts of Portland, Oregon. Caused by the crew’s poor understanding of a basic landing gear system. Over a dozen people killed. As the aircraft prepared to land, one of the three landing gear down-and-locked lights did not illuminate. The problem could be a switch failure. Within five minutes the crew could make a visual examination to determine that the landing gear was down and locked and have landed. Instead, the crew did not understand this simple procedure, compounded by the captain's decision to circle for one hour--even though the aircraft arrived over Portland with only one hour reserve fuel. As expected, all four engines ran out of fuel while circling, and crashed into the outskirts of Portland, killing the flight engineer and some of the passengers. The political NTSB board members, who had been covering up for the serious problems at United Airlines and within the FAA, refused to conduct a hearing. Instead, it issued its official accident report, again omitting the major information about the serious and deadly problems at United Airlines and within the FAA. United Airlines crash at Midway Airport in Chicago Same problems with training and competency checks. United Airlines crash into Lake Michigan Caused by lack of altitude awareness that inspector Stich had previously reported and working on corrective actions, which were barred by FAA management who claimed there was no such problem. Same type of crash-causing problem as affecting American Airlines as it crashed during a night approach to Louisville, Kentucky during this same time period. Numerous other crashes of United Airlines aircraft due to the air safety problems and corruption at United Airlines and within the Federal Aviation Administration, detailed in the Unfriendly Skies: 20th and 21st Centuries. Major United Airlines 747 Disaster Avoided by a "Hair" In 1998, a United Airlines Boeing 747 came within 100 feet of ramming into Mount Bruno during a takeoff from San Francisco. The near-disaster, which would have been the worst single-aircraft disaster in the nation's history, was due to low experience level and in competency for that position. A Wall Street Journal investigative report indicated that this near-disaster had been preceded by several others. This indicates that the problems resulting in many prior fatal crashes at United Airlines still exists. It also didn't say much for the competency level of some of the pilots. Scandals Associated with DC-10 Crashes DC-10 crashes, one of which killed several hundred people, were preceded by numerous reports of major design problems relating to cargo doors, week flooring, and absence of backup for the hydraulic powered flight controls. Several disasters occurred involving DC-10s, one of which killed over 400 people as it dove into the ground at over 350 miles per hour. Alaskan Airlines DC-9 crash off the coast at Los Angeles. FAA inspectors had repeatedly warned of the unsafe maintenance practices and attitude at Alaskan Airlines, followed by harassment of the reporting inspectors. Valuejet crash into the Florida Everglades, enabled to occur by the FAA decision to eliminate fire warning and fire-fighting equipment in the cargo compartment of that type of aircraft. Boeing 737 crash during takeoff from Washington, D.C. due to extremely poor knowledge by the pilots of simple instrument indications, resulting in the aircraft taking off, in icing conditions, with only partial engine power. Numerous Other Airline Disasters Associated with FAA-NTSB Corruption In the book, Unfriendly Skies: 20th and 21st Centuries, there are numerous other airline disasters described that resulted from the misconduct within the FAA and NTSB political board members. These same problems were responsible for the conditions that made possible four airline disasters on September 11, 2001. Theses were the conditions that Stich faced as he tried to carry out the assignment given to him to correct the conditions resulting in the worst series of airline disasters in the nation's history. The heavy death toll justified taking the unusual and repeated steps that he subsequently took. Almost every major airline disaster of the prior 50 years were preceded by federal professional air safety agents reporting the problems, and FAA management blocking corrective actions. Taking these steps resulted in discovering corruption in other government operations, that demanded he be persistent in trying to circumvent the massive cover-ups that are standard cultures in the United States. Examples of the Deadly Culture in the FAA FAA managers telling federal air safety inspectors told not to report unsafe or illegal matters (as it would make the FAA managers look bad when accidents occur). FAA managers returning official reports of air safety problems. FAA managers removing and destroying official reports on major air safety problems and violations involving politically powerful airlines or airlines with whom they were seeking employment. (Revolving door syndrome) FAA managers retaliating against federal air safety inspectors who either continues to make reports of air safety problems or who take the authorized and legally required corrective actions. The retaliation includes unsatisfactory performance reports; denial of promotions; denial of additional training seminars; assignment to undesirable duties. High Washington officials in the FAA who aided and abetted--or dictated these practices. These practices were further compounded, with specific criminal acts, when FAA safety inspector Rodney Stich exercised the law in such a way that he acted as an independent prosecutor for four months, conducting hearings before an administrative judge from the staff of the FAA administrator. Politics and Elimination of Safety Equipment Due to the politics of air safety, the revolving door syndrome, personal rewards, a number of previously required safety equipment has been eliminated, with the expected heavy loss of life. For instance: The elimination by FAA management personnel of the requirement for smoke detectors and fire extinguishing equipment in the cargo compartments of narrow-body jets such as the DC-8 and Boeing737 was done despite the fact that hazardous cargo always will be put in such compartments. Hazardous cargo is placed in such compartments either by accident or deliberately. Further, fires occur in such cargo compartments repeatedly on a world-wide basis. There have been numerous near-disasters from this elimination, but Valuejet is the most memorable example. The story behind the elimination of that safeguard and the reasons for that unsafe act is not known to anyone except insiders who know the culture in the FAA. The elimination by FAA management personnel of the previously required hard backup for flight controls such as the horizontal stabilizer, required on such aircraft as the DC-8, Boeing 707, Lockheed 1011, has already resulted in over 1,000 deaths, and threatens anyone who flies. Hundreds of others came close to suffering the same fate as all but one hydraulic system failed. Elimination of the professional flight engineer, which facilitated some of the prior airline crashes and near-crashes. The elimination of the flight engineer on complex aircraft with hundreds of people on board reduces safety, places a greater load on the pilots, reduces the technical knowledge possessed by a competent flight engineer to detect, take corrective actions, and reduce the chance of a disaster. Examples of the Enabling Role Played By NTSB Political Board Members Before Stich appeared on the scene as an FAA air safety inspector with the assignment to correct the conditions that existed within the FAA and at United Airlines, other federal inspectors had contacted the NTSB board members describing the problems and the deadly consequences. As usual, the board members covered up. By doing this, they enabled the culture and corruption to continue, knowing that airline crashes and deaths would follow. After Stich made a record of the NTSB board members conduct, it then became necessary for them to continue the cover-ups so as to protect themselves. This scenario continues to this day, and has continued to result in major air disasters--the most recent and catastrophic being the four hijackings on September 11, 2001. America's Universal Culture of Cover-Up Cover-up is a deeply engrained culture in government, and the books written by government insiders describe this deadly practice. In addition to the cover-ups within the FAA and NTSB as it relates to the history of preventable airline disasters, records show the involvement of the following−all of whom made possible the fraud-related airline disasters in the nation's history−including those of 9/11−and those that will follow: Members of Congress, who were made aware of the problems, and who covered up for them. FBI and other members of the Department of Justice, who were made aware of corrupt and criminal activities, including those occurring during an FAA hearing in which Stich acted as an independent prosecutor. The investigative arm of Congress, the General Accountability Office, that was made aware of the corruption and resulting tragedies. Much of the broadcast and print media, who were repeatedly made aware of these corrupt activities associated with major air disasters. Federal judges, who blocked the reporting of these criminal activities that were reported to federal courts under the federal crime reporting statute, and who blocked the actions filed under the statute that permits anyone to seek a court order requiring a federal official to perform his duty and to halt unlawful conduct. The legal profession, whose documented obstruction of justice for the past 30 years are detailed in various books, starting with the third edition of Unfriendly Skies. The public, including relatives of the dead in fraud related crashes. Since 1978, books and radio and television appearances detailed and documented these matters, making the public aware of the misconduct threatening their lives while in the air. None ever provided any help or showed any concern. Most Recent Airline Disasters Made Possible By the Same Culture and Cover-Ups: 9/11 Throughout the world, for 50 years, airliners have been hijacked. This safety problem was, obviously known, and certainly known to the people in the government's aviation safety offices that had the responsibility to order the preventative measures to halt the hijackings. FAA inspectors, including Rodney Stich, had made recommendations years earlier on the need to implement the simple and inexpensive means to prevent hijackings. As with every other safety recommendation made by Stich and other inspectors, these measures were blocked by aviation-ignorant and politically-sensitive management personnel. The two most easily accomplished preventative measures were (a) keep the cockpit door locked throughout the flight; and (b) remove the cockpit door keys from the cabin flight attendants. It is highly probable that the terrorists overpowered the flight attendants and seized the keys to the cockpit doors. If they did not have these keys, and had tried to break down the cockpit doors, most pilots would have put the aircraft into an unusual attitude that would have prevented the terrorists from concentrating on forcing open the cockpit door. For months prior to 9/11, the FAA administrator, with no meaningful background in aviation safety, ignored the repeated warnings that U.S. airliners were to be hijacked and flown into building. As a result of the culture in the FAA, and the cover-ups by every other check and balance, terrorists were able to hijack four airliners in a single day, kill 3,000 people, and set in motion events that would kill even more people. Corruption Related to Secondary Areas of Blame for 9/11 Congress, and the 9/11 Commission, "wisely" steered away from addressing the areas of primary blame for 9/11−the government's aviation safety offices. Their focus was on the innocent intelligence failures and failures to act on known intelligence in the FBI and CIA. Even here they engaged in cover-ups. They covered up for the corrupt cultures in the FBI and CIA that constituted crimes against the United States, that were obviously not compatible with the culture required to protect the country. In the FBI, as described in the books, FBI agents engaged in decades of murders with organized crime figures, and known to FBI-DOJ officials in Washington. FBI and other DOJ personnel repeatedly knew of and repeatedly blocked Stich's attempts to expose the corruption in the government's aviation safety offices and the corruption in the CIA. Within the CIA, as also described in the books, CIA agents engaged in drug smuggling, financial frauds, and other criminal activities that inflicted decades of harm upon the United States. Over the years, former federal aviation safety agent Rodney Stich filed various legal actions seeking to circumvent the cover-ups to report the continuing corruption in the government's aviation safety offices that continued to play prominent roles in airline disastersincluding those of 9/11. Each of these were blocked. Primer on Cause and Effect To help understand how the hijackings of four airliners on 911 occurred and the relationship to the problems former federal safety agent Rodney Stich discovered and tried to report and correct, consider the following: Four groups of terrorists were able to hijack four airliners on 9/11 because the known procedures for preventing hijackings were not implemented. Remember, if these were put in place, 3,000 people would not have been brutally killed on that date, and the reason for such peripheral effects such as the U.S. invasion of Iraq would not have occurred. If this is important to you, read on! Why weren't the preventative measures in place? The same reason why many other preventative measures were not taken that allowed decades of preventable airline disasters to occur: the corruption within the FAA that is a matter of records in the possession of former federal agent Stich, and described in the book, Unfriendly Skies: 20th & 21st Centuries. What people were involved in covering up for this corruption? The people involved in covering up for the corruption and even criminal activities include, among others, the following: Members of Congress, who for years were informed by letters of the deadly corruption affecting airline safety (as well as criminal activities elsewhere that affected national security). From 1964 to the present date, letters were sent to members of Congress on all of these matters, offering to provide testimony and evidence. Stich even filed lawsuits against members of Congress on the basis of the cover-ups, in an attempt to make a judicial record of their obstruction of justice activities. The corruption in Congress that was publicized in the latter half of 2006 were just the tip of the iceberg. Federal judges, through legal filings seeking to report the federal crimes to a federal judge, as specifically provided by the federal crime reporting statute. Federal judges responded by (a) blocking the reports; (b) issuing unlawful and unconstitutional orders permanently barring Stich from filing any papers in any federal court; (c) charging Stich with criminal contempt of court for attempting to report ongoing criminal activities. These judicial acts were obstruction of justice felonies and retaliation felonies. Media people. Starting while Stich was a federal agent attempting to get publicity to the corruption so as to bring it to a halt, Stich repeatedly notified in writing media people, stressing deaths and the great harm resulting to national security, and offering to provide the testimony of himself and numerous other former government agents. None responded, which made possible many of the nation's worst tragedies. Reasons for the non-response would include (a) those who are secretly receiving money from the CIA and other government offices; (b) not wishing to offend their sources high in government; (c) laziness, among other reasons. Department of Justice officials. Starting while Stich was still a federal employee seeking to report the criminal activities that he discovered during his official duties, people in the various divisions of the Department of Justice were repeatedly notified of the criminal activities affecting national security. Instead of acting on the corruption, they charged Stich with criminal contempt of court in collaboration with federal judges at Sacramento, California, among other things. They all made possible the conditions resulting in 3,000 deaths on 9/11, which were only one-day's consequences in only one of the areas involved in the corruption. Oh, one other group: the members of the public who knew of these charges, knew of the cover-ups, knew of the retaliation against the former federal agent, and who were too lazy to help! Tragedies Made Possible by Various Enablers All forms of human tragedies have been inflicted upon the people of the United States from the corruption discovered by the people behind this site−and made possible by enablers in and out of government. The below pictures are only a sampling of the consequences from the documented corruption that are able to be portrayed graphically. The tragedies in other areas resulting from the corruption, cover-ups, and public indifference, are not shown here. United Airlines crash into New York City, the world's worst at that time. Withheld from the Amererica public were the reports by federal safety inspectors-investigators showing a continuing pattern of corruption, fraud, criminal alteration of major government required records−and the standard abuse of those few inspectors attempting to require the airline management to comply with industry standards and clear requirements of federal aviation safety requirements−and FAA management to require compliance. None of the guilty, the enablers, to these and the continuing fraud-related crashes ever were held accountable for the hundreds of deaths that they enabled to occur. These few examples of the horrors associated with airline disasters enabled to occur by documented corruption withheld from the American people. The standard culture of cover-ups in the United States enabled the corruption, cover-ups, to mutate into different areas. In the aviation area, although the continuing series of airline disasters eventually came to a halt for other reasons, the culture continued, and enabled to occur a number of easily preventable airline disasters. The inbred culture created the conditions that enabled four groups of terrorists to easily hijack four airliners within a few hours of each other and kill nearly 3,000 people. In criminal law, people are accomplices, and guilty, if they know of a criminal act and fail to report it to proper authorities and also to take efforts within their capability to halt their continuation. And there are endless numbers of accomplices that are complicit in these crimes and enablers of the consequences. Forewarned downing of TWA Flight 800 (and U.S. Embassies in Africa, as detailed in the book, Crimes of the FBI-DOJ, and the Mafia). Several of the Not-For-Profit Books Related To Widespread Internal Corruption All of the books are available at amazon.com, in print and on the Kindle, and at many other Internet sites. They bring together the various pieces of the puzzle to better understand the overall picture, and why the same conditions continue year after year. Information on the books by former government agent Rodney Stich Sampling of early books reviews Sampling of complimentary letters/faxes to author/activist Rodney Stich. Consider making your purchases from amazon.com through the following links, which help fund the cost of maintaining this site. There is no extra charge for ordering in this manner. Return to: www.defraudingamerica.com www.druggingamerica.com www.unfriendlyskies.com www.defraudingamericablog.com </body>