Reviewed by Joan Connor
Posted on: May 13, 2025
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You know the ending! The subtitle of 26 Seconds, Grief and Blame in the Aftermath of Losing My Brother in a Plane Crash, tells it all. So I asked, and you may be thinking also, “What could Rossana D’Antonio possibly write to create a tension-filled story when I know the ending? What climax is there to a story when we already know the tragic demise of her beloved little brother?”
Put all your doubts behind you and begin reading this well-structured, emotionally-laden, image-filled, 248-page story of how, within twenty-six seconds, an airplane went from touching down to causing the death of five people, including two university students on the ground.
Mid-landing at “0.17 The landing is smooth. The passengers applaud.”
It happened! There is no fiction in this story. Only “in some cases, names and characteristics were modified to protect the privacy of others.” That disclaimer begins this detailed and fascinating account of one plane crash that should not have happened.
This book is not one to read a chapter here, read a few pages later, read another chapter, the way you can with some stories. You will not put it down. You will want to know exactly how this author, Cesare’s sister, an educated infrastructural engineer and emergency management advocate, pursues her mission. Can she bring her brother’s legacy to be acknowledged as a hero, exposing the truth by documenting the actual circumstances surrounding the crash of TACA 390?
The airline was approaching Toncontin Airport, Tegucigalpa, Honduras on May 30, 2008. It crashed into the embankment on its approach to one of the deadliest airports in the world.
“Take care of your little brother. Always take care of your little brother,” were words spoken to the author by her dying father. Rossana took this final edict seriously. Throughout her storyline these haunting words erupt again and again. Was there guilt on her conscience? What could she possibly have done to protect Captain Cesare D’Antonio from his death? Would he be the scapegoat for this crash? What was her role in protecting him? What is her role now in protecting him?
Rossana commits and writes, “I decided to unearth every last detail I could about what happened the day my extremely competent, highly focused, and expertly trained pilot brother had died in a plane crash.”
And she does. You may not be interested in Boeing’s Airbus or Honduras politics or airport design or close calls, but you will be fascinated by how she extrapolates the truth, the “smoking gun,” the corporate greed, while simultaneously sharing with the reader her spiritual maturing as she copes with her grief.
“As Cesare’s older sibling, I’d always assumed I should be the one to lead the way. But as it turned out, my little brother, both with his life and his death, has served as a guide for me. He’s taught me not to sacrifice joy for fear of “what if.” He’s taught me that accepting risks and uncertainties is part of a fully lived life. He will forever be a gift.”
