
18 Part I n Information Crisis to Business Excellence
PASSENGER WEIGHT A CAUSE OF CRASH OF FLIGHT US5481
US Airways Express flight 5481 came crashing down just after take off due to
two causes. One was the inaccurate average weight of passengers was too
low, and the other was that poor maintenance of the cables that attached to
the elevator that adjusted the plane’s tail flap. As a result of these two prob-
lems, the pilots were unable to control the flight, killing all 21 people aboard.
As the American population has grown, literally, in weight, airlines must
measure their passengers’ weight and adjust the weight measurements to
ensure safety of all. The FAA issued a temporary order to add 10 pounds to
each passenger’s weight and five pounds to the weight of each bag.
10
INCORRECTLY GRADED SAT TEST SCORES LOWERED SCORES FOR 4000
Errors in software that graded the SAT exams of U.S. college applicants in
October 2005 caused 4,000 exam takers’ scores to be wrong, lower than their
actual results. In 5% of the tests, scores were 100 points lower than they should
have been. This could have caused college applicants to be denied entrance.
In another incident in Minnesota, a scoring error led to 8,000 students
being told they failed a 2000 state math test.
In 2005, 4,000 students taking an ACT Chemistry exam were given
wrong scores.
11
MISLEADING FOOD LABELS LEAD TO POOR HEALTH DECISIONS
Nutritio ...