Into the Abyss

Into the Abyss, a book about a plane crash in Western Canada. The book, written by Carol Shaben reflects a startling realization with the Canadian Commuter airline industry. Carol Shaben who's father Larry Shaben, an NDP leader was a passenger on Wapiti Airlines flight 402. Shaben wasn't the only important force on board the plane. Grant Notley an NDP MLA, was also aboard the plane. The plane departed Edmonton's Municipal Airport on the night October 19, 1984. The plane, bound for Grande Prairie was scheduled to make stops in High Praire, Peace River and Fairview before arriving in Grand Prairie. Erik Vogel, the pilot had been flying for Wapiti Airlines for over a year. Wapiti Airlines was a small and insignificant airline its main destinations were Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Hinton and many other small towns in Northern Alberta. The plane was a Piper Navajo, a plane seating only 10 passengers. When the plane was descending towards its first stop of High Prairie the captain, Erik Vogel lost sight of the airport. The plane later struck the treetops of a dense forest later striking the ground killing 5 people. Larry Shaben survived the crash but will he make it out of the forest alive.

I thought the book was interesting because it revealed many secrets of the Canadian commuter airline industry. I particularly enjoyed the way Carol Shaben gave away clues before the plane left the ground. For example "the planes rudder hadn't been tested for months". She revealed the way it managed it's airplanes and how it managed it's pilots. I also thought that it was interesting because She revealed Erik (the pilot's) struggle to get a job as a pilot and many of his other struggles while flying. The book was very unpredictable, by this I mean you never knew when the plane would crash and what would happen next. The author really built up suspense. When, the surviving passengers were attempting to get out of the forest the characters discovered their purpose and how precious life was. I strongly recommend reading the book because it build up suspense and the message of the book really captured why life is such a powerful thing. I also believe that this book is good to read because it is always entertaining to read about a plane crash.