On 13 Jun 2005 14:13:27 -0700, "Bucky" wrote in
.com::

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/plane_crash_investigation


Of course, the pilots should not have experimented around,

You sound like this spokesman from the Air Travelers Association:

David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said
the issue may be reckless pilots rather than inadequate training
or improper recovery procedures.

"This is more a story of pilots having time on their hands and
playing with things in the cockpit that they shouldn't," he said.

Flying, he said, is as boring as truck driving most of the time.

"This was boredom and experimentation, these guys experimenting
with things they had no business doing," Stempler said.

but is it dangerous to take a plane to its max altitude?

If the FAA certified the aircraft for a 'service ceiling' of 41,000',
it should operate nominally at that altitude.

When the engineers specify a maximum altitude, doesn't it still have
to be safe at that altitude?

Without a specific definition of the meaning of 'maximum altitude' in
this case it's difficult to know.