The Red Tag Affair
An independent investigator is summoned to the scene of a fatal malfunction on a private charter flight. The initial inquiry centers on a series of logistical documents, personal artifacts, and contradictory testimonies from airline staff and consultants.
Initial Crime Scene
The smell of jet fuel fumes hangs heavy, cutting through the sterile scent of mimeograph fluid. A static-laced hum emanates from a nearby intercom speaker. Your gaze lands on three points: a mahogany desk surface covered in stacks of dot-matrix printouts, a polished brass pneumatic tube station on the wall, and the dull gleam of magnetic tape reels from the FDR and CVR sitting in their padded cases.
Crime Scene Environment
The space is defined by the fluorescent buzz of overhead lighting, casting a cold, even glow. The air is dry, with a noticeable charge from analog electronics. The acoustic density is low, dominated by the turbo-prop drone of distant engines and the occasional, sharp clipboard click.
Investigation Constraints
Late 1980s/early 1990s corporate aviation. Key tech: analog flight data recorders (FDRs) with magnetic tape, pneumatic tube message systems in terminals, early electronic ticketing with barcode readers, radio telephony, mechanical luggage conveyor belts with manual tag scanners, film-based security cameras, dot-matrix printer logs, and encrypted corporate fax machines.
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