The airplane crash
Instead of viewing the airplane crash as concrete imagery along, it is helpful to imagine that the airplane imagery is a methodical exposition which represents something. What is the abstract quality of this novel's treatment of downfall? It is a conversation about human fate. This is clear from the presence of death in the story; when death is involved in a use of imagery, that tends to mean that the conflict is a portrait of fate. Scott is fated to survive, but only in a painful and agonizing way, to then be scorned for his survival.
Salvation imagery
The most undeniable quality of Scott's character is that he is a true savior. He not only survives the crash (receiving 'salvation' from fate, so to speak), but then also offers salvation to another person, a small boy who cannot swim to shore alone. Scott swims on a broken shoulder for miles to save the boy's life, and what is the thanks he gets? He gets crucified by the media before managing to attain a glorious rebirth when the truth of his sacrifice is finally honored by the public. Truth is an obvious component of this motif.
Human evil
The obvious Biblical influence of this book continues from the savior motif to the motif of human evil. Although there are certainly nice rich people, this plane was not full of those. This plane was full of money laundering criminals who are so rich they feel above the law. It turns out they are not insulated from fate; they die just as any man (Psalm 82 is a nice parallel to this motif). Bill Cunningham is a symbol for deceit and manipulation, and we see in his character what would motivate someone to betray the public in the way the mass media betrays the public: money.
Truth and the black box
The quest for truth is seen in the concrete imagery of the government's investigation of the crash. There is a recording device which is virtually indestructible and which is always recording so that when planes crash, the government can discern precisely what the causes were. That is an important detail in the courts. However, to attain the truth box is a difficult quest which must be undertaken with patience and scrutiny. They comb the ocean for this device, and when they find it, truth is associated with miraculous changes in fate; Scott is redeemed publicly and finally receives the honor he is due.
