The following item is from the New York Times 24 Aug 96...

COMPUTER INTERFACE CONTRIBUTES TO PLANE CRASH
The crash of a Cali-bound American Airlines jet last December in Colombia,
S.A., occurred because the plane's captain entered an incomplete command
into the onboard computer -- and the default action taken by the software
pointed the plane in the wrong direction. The beacons at the Cali and
Bogota airports both begin with the letter R, which is the only character
the pilot typed; instead of proceeding toward Cali, the plane turned in 
the opposite direction (toward Bogata) and crashed into a mountain.

There was the cartoon showing two people fighting over a cow. One was 
pulling the cow by the tail; the other was pulling on the horns. 
Underneath was a lawyer milking the cow. 

As a younger man, I was in great shape. As an airline pilot , I was 
required to have a Flight physical every six months. 
The nurse took the basic data, weight, height, and blood pressure. My 
pressure was good, but the heart rate was below 40 beats per minute. 
"I cannot put that number down. You'll be denied a physical.",she said. 
"What can I do?", I replied. 
She held my hand and winked,saying, "Just think about that for a minute!" 
Retaking my blood pressure and heart rate, she stated, "53 will be OK,
but you really know how to hurt a girl!" 

Floyd Coons, (retired) Northwest Airlines 

Sent by Robert