The Fall Of Flight 261

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Defenders of the airline industry say the new get-tough approach is an overreaction. They say it is unfair to airlines and their employees to make minor paperwork mistakes a crime. And they argue that it may hamstring accident investigations, since pilots, mechanics and air-traffic controllers worried about jail time might refuse to cooperate. In fact, critics say, the airlines may be discouraged from doing the extra safety checks that could get them in trouble for what they uncover. Fellman says the new prosecutorial intensity has led him to recommend that his clients "rethink the detailed audits" they traditionally do on their operations, so as to avoid providing grist for prosecutors.

In the case of Flight 261, investigators have recovered a wealth of material at the crash site that may provide some vital clues to what happened. The plane's two black boxes--the flight-data recorder and cockpit voice recorder--have been found. And a robotic device located at least part of the highly suspect stabilizer on the ocean floor.