26 Seconds: Grief and Blame in the Aftermath of Losing My Brother in a Plane Crash

(Paperback)

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Much as Eric SchollsbergsFast Food Nationmade people think about the way we eat,this provocative memoir and expos challenges readers to question why, given its long history ofcover-ups and systemic safety gaps, we continue to trust the aviation industry.

On a stormy late May morning in 2008, TACA Airlines Flight 390 crashes at one of the most dangerous airports in the world, Hondurass Toncontin International Airport. Five people die in the crashamong them Rossana DAntonios brother, pilot Cesare DAntonio. Suspecting Cesare will be made a scapegoat for the accident, as so often happens to pilots, Rossana decides to leverage her decades of experience as an engineer and set out in search of the truth.

Part memoir, part expos, 26 Seconds interweaves Rossanas research regarding other parallel accidents with her own story. Six months after the TACA crash, Captain Sully Sullenberger lands his plane on the Hudson River. Although authorities call his landing a miracle, they also blame him for its necessity. One year after the TACA 390 tragedy, Air France 447 falls from the sky. Again, pilot error.

As Rossana digs deeper, she exposes a culture that is too quick to conclude pilot error and an industry that experiences systemic weaknesses, chooses profits over safety, lies to its customers, and is willing to risk lives to get its planes back up in the sky. Ultimately, she uncovers the smoking gun shes been looking forrevealing the truth about TACA 390, exposing aviation cover-ups, and challenging us all to question the very systems weve been told we can trust with our lives.

Reviews

Where others see only human error, and learn nothing of value, Rossana takes us by the hand and shows us what there is to learn and love instead. Speakingforthe dead speaks as loudly for Cesare as it does for everyone who could have been in his shoes. It speaks for the past as much as for the futureourfuture, and the future of Cesares legacy.Dr. Sidney Dekker author ofThe Field Guide to Understanding Human Error

26 Secondsis at once a searing portrait of grief and a damning investigation of an industry that puts profit over safety at every turn. With an engineer'sexactitude, Rossana D'Antonio exposes how blaming "pilot-error" is often a cover for corporate greed and systemic failures. Like so many plane crashes, the flight that killed D'Antonio's brother was not an accident -- and this powerful book is an affectingguide to understanding why.Jessie Singer author ofThere Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and DisasterWho Profits and Who Pays the Price

D'Antonio takes you on a journeyof discovery.26 Secondsis a story that blends the humanity following an aviation disaster, an obsessive quest for answers, finding purpose beyond tragedy, and a scathing rebuke on the weaknesses in our aviation industry. Heartbreaking and so timely.Gloria Feldt author ofNo Excusesand Co-Founder & President of Take the Lead

26 Secondsis impossible to put down. You will read it in one sitting. I happily lost a nights sleep as my heart raced, tears stinging my eyes. Turning page-after-page, I couldnt read fast enough to see if Rossanas heroic search to find the smoking gun that would ultimately clear her brothers name would be uncovered by her ceaseless efforts to research each detail of the disaster.Monica Holloway author ofDriving with Dead People

This story will move you to tears and move you to actionwhich is to say that it does what a great memoir must do.With the heart of a sister, Rossana takes us inside the life of a brother who loved to fly and died doing it. With the mind of an activistandan engineer,she takes us inside the aviation industry that is far too quick to lay blame on the pilot in the cockpit rather than examine its own shortcomings.A riveting readand an important one for anyone who steps on a plane.Jennie Nash,CEO, Author Accelerator

Rossanas passion for public safety is an impressive legacy that honors not only her brother but also herself.A profound, and well-written journey of healing from a very personal tragedy.Bonnie Comfort, author ofStaying Married is the Hardest Part: A Memoir of Passion, Secrets and Sacrifice

26 Secondsis a deeply moving memoir about loss, resilience, and the search for truth. When Rossana's beloved brother is tragically killed in a devastating plane crash, her world shatters in an instantjust 26 seconds of chaos altering the course of her life forever. This important story illustrates how unimaginable pain can lead to purposeand the power to make a difference. Somewhere up there Cesare is smiling.Deb Miller, author ofForget the Fairy Take and Find Your Happiness

26 Secondspulls you into a deep personal family crisis on a personal level, where the reader has an unquenchable thirst to get to the truth themselves.It also highlights the authors defining moment, when she will not let governments and large, influential businesses hide the inconvenient truth by placing blame on pilot error. Because of her valor, she will have saved countless other lives, while also reframing her brothers death as a hero who saved 130 lives. My hats off to Rossana for telling this important story!Maria Lehman, PE Director, US Infrastructure at GHD and 2023 ASCE President

A very personal, heart wrenching story.I came away so inspired by grief transformed into a positive mission.Marsha Anderson Bomar, Ph.D. Commissioner Emeritus Atlanta Department of Transportation

Rossana has woven a deeply personal narrative of loss. This is a compelling book with an important message for all of us to be catalysts for change. A powerful book!Dr. Feniosky Pea-Mora, 2025 ASCE President & Dean of Engineering and Sciences Tecnologico de Monterrey

26 Secondstook me on an emotional journey and challenged me to look at the airline industry with critical eyes the same way Id critically review other transportation systems and infrastructure I rely on every day. If a system results in prioritization of profits over people will future disasters claim someone elses brother If we heed Rossanas warning, we can avoid someone elses grief.Carol Haddock, PE Former Director Houston Public Works

26 Secondsis both a memoir and a compelling examination of the decisions airlines, manufacturers, and oversight agencies make regarding traveler safety. DAntonio highlights instances where safety concerns were identified but, for various reasons, went unaddressed. The book underscores the need for strong leadership and the courage to make difficult decisions when balancing competing priorities. While centered on air travel, its lessons extend far beyond aviation, prompting readers to reflect on where they might be compromising safety for convenience, comfort, or cost.Kristina Swallow, PE 2018 ASCE President

Author Bio

Rossana DAntoniois a licensed engineer with expertise in infrastructure design and emergency management and a strong advocate for infrastructure investments, including the Federal Aviation Authority Reauthorization. Shaped by her Italian and Salvadoran parents, DAntonio is deeply committed to family and understands the value of creating an environment in which everyone feels safe and protected. She finds peace in Malibu, California, where she resides with her husband, Freddie, and puppy, Luna.