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May 2, 2002
 
NTSB and CVR's
by Glen Schulze
 
Jack Murphy has his son's last 31 minutes of his life carefully and prominently placed on his fireplace mantle in the form of the actual CVR accident tape from his son's last flight. And, Mr. Murphy has had it copied so he can safely replay it on his son's birthday.
 
The NTSB in 1995 said Capt. John Murphy and his co-pilot had become disoriented and then flew their Beech 1900C into the waters off Block Island, Rhode Island, killing all three United Express pilots, all 29 years of age. Jack Murphy said "NO WAY was this pilot error" and hired a Philadelphia Lawyer, Arthur Wolk, who litigated the actual CVR tape out of the hands of the NTSB and got it to Professor Ron Stearman (of the Stearman Bi-Plane family) at the University of Texas in Austin.
Professor Stearmann proved to a US District Court that the CVR tape contained airframe vibrations indicative of the engine mount and airframe disintegrating in the air at 2000 ft.
 
These vibrations went right by the NTSB "experts" without so much as glance. And, the CVR tape shows Capt. John Murphy was in complete control of all his senses right up to the airframe sudden disintegration at 2000 ft. That's what Jack Murphy needed to hear!
 
The Airline Pilots Association and the NTSB and the FBI, all who want to have secrecy of accident CVR tape contents have got to earn that privilege. But not one of them has come close to convincing us they have earned that right, over the public's right to know everything contained on the CVR tape.
 
Glen H. Schulze
Expert CVR witness on the 1995 Murphy Vs Beech litigation
Colorado
 
Glen's work history includes NASA in Tape Recording and Telemetry Systems Engineering

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