Years ago airline pilots were superstars. As they walked through airports people marveled at their ability to have control of huge machines with relative ease. These days, with technological advances, planes are meant to fly by themselves. While this has made air safety much more reliable, it has also had an effect on pilots at large – their skills are declining.

Vanity Fair writer William Langewiesche explored how a series of small errors turned one flight into a horrible nightmare. 

Read the full story: The Human Factor