I also want to thank the NTSB public affairs staff, past and present, including Mike Benson, Pat Cariseo, Ted Lopatkiewicz, and Alan Pollock. They granted me special access to the investigators on the condition that I not publish anything until the report was complete. The agency’s public affairs office initially rejected my proposal for a behind-the-scenes look at the investigation, but Hall and Goelz agreed because they believed they had a positive story to tell. I am grateful for the cooperation of the chairman of the NTSB, Jim Hall, and the managing director, Peter Goelz. I also appreciate the help I received from Trisha Dedik and Jean Cox, who discussed how the investigation affected their husbands. I thank them for their patience and their willingness to open their lives to thousands of readers. They endured my frequent visits, telephone calls, and repetitive questions. For six years, they shared their private thoughts about the investigation and how the crash had changed their lives. Tom Haueter, John Cox, and Brett Van Bortel made this book possible because of their candor.

The Mystery of Flight 427 by Bill Adair