Seasons & episodes
S12 · E1Fight for Control (Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8) 2012-08-03 · 45 min
On 8 June 1983, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8's propeller separates from the aircraft over Cold Bay, Alaska, causing an explosive decompression and loss of control. The pilots manage to land the aircraft safely at Anchorage, Alaska. The propeller fell into the sea, and the cause of the separation is undetermined.
S12 · E2Fire in the Hold (ValuJet Flight 592) 2012-08-10 · 45 min
On 11 May 1996, 10 minutes after takeoff, ValuJet Flight 592 crashes into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. The cause was an in-flight fire which was started by the accidental triggering of a chemical oxygen generator improperly shipped as cargo.
S12 · E3Caution to the Wind (Singapore Airlines Flight 006) 2012-08-17 · 45 min
On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei while attempting to take off on the wrong runway in a typhoon. 83 of the 179 passengers and crew members perish. Investigators concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash.
S12 · E4Pushed to the Limit (SilkAir Flight 185) 2012-08-24 · 45 min
On 19 December 1997, SilkAir Flight 185, en route to Singapore, crashes into the Musi River in Indonesia after abruptly diving from its cruise altitude, killing all 104 passengers and crew members on board. The cause of the crash was disputed: a US investigation concluded that it was an act of murder–suicide by the captain; however, the Indonesian investigators were undetermined, and the Los Angeles Court concluded that it was a servo valve failure.
S12 · E5Blind Landing (TANS Perú Flight 204) 2012-08-31 · 45 min
On 23 August 2005, TANS Perú Flight 204 attempts to make a landing at Pucallpa Airport, Peru, in a severe thunderstorm, but crashes into a muddy swamp four miles (6.4 km) away. The cause was the pilots not following visual flight rules that could have prevented the crash while the aircraft was being pushed by a downdraft.
S12 · E6Grand Canyon Disaster (United Airlines 718 and Trans World Airlines 2) 2013-01-24 · 45 min
On 30 June 1956, United Airlines Flight 718 collides with Trans World Airlines Flight 2 over the Grand Canyon in Arizona. All 128 occupants on both flights are killed. At the time, it was the deadliest airline crash in history, and would lead to sweeping changes in the regulation of flight operations over the US.
S12 · E7Death of the President (2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154) 2013-01-27 · 45 min
On 10 April 2010, a Polish Air Force VIP aircraft carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński, his wife Maria Kaczyńska and other top officials, crashes short of the runway in a wooded area while on final approach to Smolensk North Airport in heavy fog and low visibility. All 96 passengers and crew members on board are killed.
S12 · E8Catastrophe at OHare (American Airlines Flight 191) 2013-02-25 · 45 min
On 25 May 1979, the left engine of American Airlines Flight 191 falls off moments after takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The aircraft crashes into an open field shortly thereafter, killing all 271 people on board and two people on the ground. The engine fell off because the pylon attaching it to the wing had suffered damage caused by improper maintenance procedures.
S12 · E9Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster (2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Air Disaster) 2013-03-04 · 45 min
On 7 September 2011, an aircraft carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team crashes shortly after takeoff at Yaroslavl, Russia, killing all but one of the 45 occupants. The investigation found that the pilots were not properly trained on the aircraft type and mishandled the aircraft during the takeoff.
S12 · E10Focused on Failure (United Airlines Flight 173) 2013-03-11 · 45 min
On 28 December 1978, the crew of United Airlines Flight 173 is preoccupied with a landing gear problem as the aircraft circles in a holding pattern in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon. It runs out of fuel and crashes in a sparsely populated area, killing 10 and seriously injuring 24 of the 189 on board. According to the NTSB, the pilot failed to acknowledge the warnings of the remaining crew regarding the aircraft's fuel state, while the remaining crew failed to adequately communicate the situation. The NTSB recommendation from this event led to the industry-wide implementation of Crew resource management (CRM) protocols.
S12 · E11Heading to Disaster (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409) 2013-03-25 · 45 min
On 25 January 2010, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, en route to Addis Ababa, plunges into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport during a thunderstorm, killing all 90 people on board.
S12 · E1228 Seconds to Survive (Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518) 2013-04-01 · 45 min
On 21 February 2008, Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518, en route from Mérida, Venezuela, to Caracas, veers off course and flies into the side of a mountain shortly after takeoff. All 46 passengers and crew members on board die. Investigators determined that the aircraft took off with inoperative navigation equipment due to the pilots' failure to do their pre-flight checklist.
S12 · E13Vanished (Air France Flight 447) 2013-04-15 · 45 min
On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447, a scheduled flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, stalls and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying through a thunderstorm, killing all 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The causes of the crash were incorrect airspeed readings due to ice blockage of the aircraft's pitot tubes, inappropriate control inputs and the pilots not taking recovery action until it was too late.
S13 · E1Fight to the Death (British European Airways Flight 548) 2013-12-16 · 45 min
On 18 June 1972, British European Airways Flight 548 stalls and crashes in a field near Staines-upon-Thames shortly after takeoff from London Heathrow Airport, killing all 118 people on board. The crash was attributed to the pilot retracting the aircraft's droops at too low an airspeed and failing to recognise the stall warnings.
S13 · E2Disaster on the Potomac (Air Florida Flight 90) 2013-12-23 · 45 min
On 13 January 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 takes off from a snowy runway in Washington D.C, stalls at 300 feet altitude, strikes a road bridge and crashes into the Potomac River, killing a total of 78 people. The causes were ice on the wings and the pilots' failure to turn on the engines' anti-freeze system, causing erroneous engine instrument readings.
S13 · E3Speed Trap (Hughes Airwest Flight 706) 2013-12-30 · 45 min
On 6 June 1971, Hughes Airwest Flight 706 collides with a United States Marine Corps (USMC) jet fighter above the San Gabriel Mountains. A total of 50 people from the two aircraft are killed, with the backseat crewman of the USMC aircraft the only survivor.
S13 · E4Queens Catastrophe (American Airlines Flight 587) 2014-01-06 · 45 min
On 12 November 2001, just two months after the September 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 587 spirals out of control after taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport. Shortly after, the aircraft crashes into the suburb of Queens, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground. The vertical stabilizer had detached from the aircraft because of improper rudder use by the first officer, after encountering wake turbulence from a Boeing 747-400 that had taken off minutes earlier.
S13 · E5Lost in Translation (Crossair Flight 498) 2014-01-13 · 45 min
On 10 January 2000, Crossair Flight 498 crashes just two minutes after takeoff from Zurich, Switzerland, while heading for Dresden, Germany, killing all 10 people on board. The investigation found that the pilots had suffered spatial disorientation.
S13 · E6Massacre Over the Mediterranean (Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870) 2014-01-20 · 45 min
On 27 June 1980, Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 crashes into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica, Italy. All 81 people on board are killed. The top Italian criminal court eventually ruled on 23 January 2013 that a missile strike brought down the aircraft,[7] but controversy remains; some experts dispute this conclusion, arguing that an on-board bomb in the rear toilet was the cause. No definitive accident report was published.
S13 · E7Terror in Paradise (Air Moorea Flight 1121) 2014-01-27 · 45 min
On 9 August 2007, Air Moorea Flight 1121 crashes shortly after taking off from Moorea Airport in French Polynesia. All 19 passengers and the pilot died. The cause was a badly worn and partly broken elevator control cable failing completely in flight. It was put under more strain than it could handle as the force on the elevators changed with flap retraction. The situation was likely aggravated by the aircraft being repeatedly buffeted by jet exhaust while parked, stressing the cables further.
S13 · E8Imperfect Pitch (XL Airways Germany Flight 888T) 2014-02-03 · 45 min
On 27 November 2008, an aircraft on a post-maintenance test flight operating as XL Airways Germany Flight 888T crashes into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of France, killing all seven people on board. The investigators determined that improper maintenance work allowed water to enter the aircraft's angle of attack (AOA) sensors. The water then froze during flight, causing the sensors to stop working. The crew tried to test the stall warning system during flight, and the aircraft entered a low-speed stall.
S13 · E9Into the Eye of the Storm (Hurricane Hunters NOAA42) 2014-02-10 · 45 min
On 15 September 1989, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aircraft tasked with intercepting Hurricane Hugo over the Caribbean islands is jolted by strong winds, causing an engine to catch fire and fail. The pilots of the aircraft manage to make a safe emergency landing.
S13 · E10Titanic in the Sky (Qantas Flight 32) 2014-02-17 · 45 min
On 4 November 2010, Qantas Flight 32, en route to Sydney Airport in Australia, suffers an uncontained engine failure in its number two engine and serious damage to its left wing shortly after takeoff from Singapore. The crew members overcome a number of resulting failures and make a safe emergency landing back at Singapore with no injuries among the 469 passengers and crew members. Investigators found that a manufacturing fault in an oil pipe caused the engine failure.
S14 · E1Choosing Sides (British Midland Flight 92) 2015-01-05 · 45 min
On 8 January 1989, British Midland Flight 92 crashes onto the embankment of the M1 motorway near Kegworth, Leicestershire, UK. The aircraft was attempting to conduct an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport. Of the 126 people aboard, 47 died and 74, including seven members of the flight crew, sustained serious injuries.