Nation: Debacle of the DC-10

Disturbing long-range questions about the worst air disaster in U.S. history

We are a little uneasy. We have no handle on this one yet. Was it aging metal in a high-time machine? Was it stress? And what kind of stress? Was it quality control of the metal? And if we find out, what kind of fix can we ask to have made? We don't know.

Those worried—and worrisome —comments came last week from a member of a band of experts who normally know all the answers: the National Transportation Safety Board's "go teams" of...