This study of air traffic safety examines topics ranging from ageing aircraft to pilot error, sabotage to weather conditions, overcrowded skies to maintenance slips and from skimping on costs to muddled communications. It cites many examples from around the world, with reconstructions of events leading to disasters - and some very near misses - and how they could or should have been avoided. The author, who also wrote "Aircrash Detective", based this investigation on more than 300 interviews with aviation experts.