Tin Kickers

Tin Kickers: Thinking Like an Aircraft Crash Investigator Accidents aren’t mysteries - they’re puzzles waiting to be solved. In this compelling work, John Pritchett takes readers inside the disciplined world of aviation safety. Known as 'tin kickers,' investigators walk through wreckage not to assign blame, but to uncover truth and prevent future tragedy.Through case studies such as Tenerife’s runway collision, British Airways Flight 38, and Sioux City’s DC‑10, Pritchett reveals how investigators resist bias, apply systems thinking, and construct narratives that turn chaos into clarity. Readers gain insight into practical tools like Fault Tree Analysis and Event Tree Analysis, as well as the human factors that shape every outcome.More than a technical manual, Tin Kickers is a mindset - a way of seeing accidents as solvable puzzles and applying investigative discipline wherever lives are at stake. Clear, respectful, and deeply informed, this book honors those who serve in silence and invites professionals, students, and safety engineers to think like investigators: disciplined, systemic, and committed to prevention.