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Air Crash Investigation

Thursday 20:00 CAT

Air Crash Investigation

Thursday 20:00 CAT

Promo

Season 22

00:15

Next trasmissions on tv

Tuesday 3 October at 11:00 CAT
Vip On Board (Season 3)
Tuesday 3 October at 18:10 CAT
Lapse In Security (Season 3)
Wednesday 4 October at 11:00 CAT
Lapse In Security (Season 3)

Synopsis

'Air Crash Investigation 22 / May Day series 23' investigates legendary aviation disasters to find out what went wrong and why.

Clips

Episodes

Deadly Exchange
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Corporate Airlines 5966 crashes mysteriously in Missouri, but investigators uncover a conversation in the cockpit that set the tone for disaster.
Mixed Signals
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Careening into a mountaintop just minutes from the runway, an American charter flight becomes the worst aviation disaster in Portuguese history.
Pressure Point
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Slamming into a mountain, Japan Airlines 123 becomes the deadliest single aircraft accident in history, and threatens to ground 747s worldwide.
Power Play
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After losing both engines, a turboprop crashes in Papua New Guinea and investigators soon uncover a deadly flaw in an aircraft used around the world.
Control Catastrophe
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A Kazakh crew manage to land an uncontrollable aircraft and investigators must determine how a freshly-serviced plane was released with a fatal flaw.
Cockpit Catastrophe
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When the cockpit window of Sichuan Airlines 8633 explodes, the crew somehow battles gale-force winds and oxygen deprivation to safely land the plane.
Dream Flight Disaster
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When a UK billionaire and his family die in an Australian seaplane crash, investigators uncover a minor maintenance issue with deadly consequences.
Deadly Deception
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The plan to save a Bulgarian airliner hinges on convincing the violent hijackers that their demands have been met before the plane runs out of fuel.
Delivery to Disaster
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An Amazon cargo plane nosedives into a swamp outside Houston, the evidence eventually leads investigators to a pilot with a long history of failures.
Mystery Over the Mediterranean
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Evidence from the disappearance of EgyptAir Flight 804 leads investigators to theorize different causes for the plane’s spiral into the Mediterranean.

Holding Pattern
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Flydubai Flight 981 nosedives into the runway at Russia’s Rostov airport. And investigators uncover one of the most lethal traps in aviation.
Peril Over Portugal
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A Martinair flight crashes in Portugal amid thunderstorms and heavy rain, and when investigators piece together the evidence the mystery only deepens.
Stealth Bomber Down
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When a two-billion-dollar Stealth Bomber crashes in Guam, it’s up to the US Air Force to investigate the most expensive aviation accident of all time.
Double Trouble
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Rocked by an explosion that rips both right wing engines off the wing, the pilots of Transair 671 manage a miraculous landing at a French military airfield.
Pacific Plunge
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When Alaska Airlines Flight 261 suddenly nosedives into the Pacific, investigators uncover a critical maintenance issue with deadly implications.
Terror Over Michigan
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After a Boeing 727’s near-fatal nosedive over Michigan, investigators risk their own lives to determine why TWA Flight 841 fell out of the sky.
Tree Strike Terror
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Facing a severe thunderstorm and a control tower shutdown, American Airlines 1572 suffers double-engine failure on final approach into Windsor Locks Airport in Connecticut.
Pitch Black
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An Illinois turboprop crashes in bad weather, and investigators eventually uncover a fatal assumption and deadly decision.
Turboprop Terror
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After a turboprop crashes in North Carolina, investigators resort to a risky test flight—and uncover an industry-wide safety problem.
Loss of a Legend
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When basketball legend Kobe Bryant is killed in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles, investigators look for clues amid a global outpouring of grief.

North Sea Nightmare
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A turboprop narrowly averts disaster after a lightning strike over the North Sea. Investigators uncover an unusual feature in the plane that plays a key role in this calamity.
Playing Catch Up
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A private jet slams into an Ohio apartment building, and the NTSB eventually uncovers an erratic descent, a puzzling delay, and a tragic perfect storm.
Tragic Takeoffs
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An early-morning flight from Lexington, Kentucky ends in disaster when a twin-engine jet careens off the tarmac.
Grounded: Boeing Max 8
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Indonesian investigators must determine why a Boeing 737 Max8-one of the best-selling new airplanes on Earth-plunged into the Java Sea.
Cabin Catastrophe
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A mid-air explosion rocks Southwest Airlines 1380. While pilots struggle to regain control, flight attendants make a horrifying discovery.
Meltdown Over Kathmandu
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Landing at one of the world's most challenging airports, a passenger plane comes in like a fighter jet, skids off the runway, and bursts into flames.
Mission Disaster
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After losing two engines near enemy territory, US Air Force pilots abort their refuelling mission and attempt to land their damaged plane.
Caught In A Jam
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A commuter turboprop slams into the side of a hill in New Zealand, and the search for answers inevitably leads to the cockpit.
Seconds from Touchdown
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Facing a cascade of failures and an engine fire, a turboprop is just seconds from the tarmac in Montreal when it flips over and crashes to the ground.
Deadly Delivery
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When a cargo plane crashes in Alabama, investigators must take an unusual approach to determine what happened on board UPS Flight 1354.

Kathmandu Descent
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A Pakistani airliner crashes in the Himalayas. And when their most vital piece of evidence fails to deliver, investigators scramble to find answers.
Impossible Pitch
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A cargo jet plummets to earth in the Swedish Arctic. And as investigators pore over the evidence, a terrifying picture of chaos and confusion emerges.
Explosive Touchdown
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After a routine landing, a Taiwanese commuter plane is rocked by a massive explosion, but investigators find no evidence of a bomb on board.
Taxiway Turmoil
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Blanketed by confusion and heavy fog, a DC-9 ends up at the wrong end of an active runway in Detroit, and directly in the path of an oncoming 727.
Runway Breakup
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Landing on a Caribbean island in a severe tropical storm, a Colombian airliner crashes short of the runway. Investigators need to find out why.
Icy Descent
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En route to Comodora, SOL Airlines Flight 5428 nosedives into a remote desert, instantly killing everyone on board. Argentinian investigators scour the scattered and scorched debris and find nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until a microscopic filament provides the first tangible clue.
Atlantic Ditching
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A helicopter carrying offshore oil workers crashes into the ocean off the coast of Newfoundland and a far-reaching investigation reveals a fatal flaw.
No Warning
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A turboprop crashes into an Indonesian mountain, and while three systems could have prevented it, investigators must figure out why none of them did.
Cockpit Killer
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When an African airliner mysteriously crashes, Namibian investigators rule out a host of possible causes before reaching a chilling conclusion.
Stormy Cockpit
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A brand-new 737 falls from the sky over West Africa during a major storm, but investigators eventually discover weather had nothing to do with it.

Deadly Descent
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En route from Indonesia to Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Flight 780 is high over the South China Sea when both of the plane's engines fail, turning the Airbus A-330 into a 200-ton glider.
Death Race
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Flying just a few hundred feet above the desert, six single-engine WW2 fighter planes get into position for the highlight event of the Reno Air Races, with 30,000 spectators watching from below.
Fatal Approach
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En route from Amsterdam to Cardiff the crew of KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 report an engine problem and head back to the airport. But just as they're about to touch down, the aircraft crashes.
Borderline Tactics
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An American cargo plane attempts a difficult landing at the US naval station at Guantanamo Bay. With the runway just a few meters from the armed border, the maneuver requires avoiding Cuban airspace.
Deadly Pitch
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En route to the Dominican Republic with more than 87,000 lbs of denim, Fine Air Cargo Flight 101 takes off from Miami. But moments later, the plane crashes to the ground and plows into a building.
Fatal Climb
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Minutes after taking off from Bucharest, Tarom Flight 371 banks sharply to the left, veers off course, and nosedives into a farmer's field. It's the deadliest air disaster in the country's history.
Runway Runoff
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Continental Airlines Flight 1404 is speeding down the runway at Denver International Airport when the aircraft suddenly careens off the runway, crashes, and bursts into flame.
Lethal Limits
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En route from Moscow to Perm, Russia, Aeroflot Nord Flight 821 is on its final approach when the plane nosedives and crashes onto the trans-Siberian railway. All that's left is charred wreckage.
Football Tragedy
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With Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team on board, LaMia Flight 2933 is on its final approach to Medellin, Columbia when the crew suddenly declares a fuel emergency.
Slam Dunk
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En route from Washington, D.C. to Columbus, Ohio, United Express Flight 6291 is on its final approach when the high-performance twin turboprop crashes just a mile from the runway.

Nuts And Bolts
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Moments after taking off from a California airport, an American cargo plane needs to make an emergency landing. The crippled plane crashes into an automobile salvage yard one mile east of the airport.
Blown Away
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After circling above the Taiwan Strait to wait out a passing cyclone, TransAsia Flight 222 crashes on the Taiwanese resort island of Penghu.
Deadly Distraction
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En route to Salt Lake City, Delta Airlines Flight 1141 crashes just moments after lifting off from Dallas-Fort Worth airport and erupts into flames.
Deadly Airspace
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A commercial airliner goes down over a warzone in eastern Ukraine. The evidence indicates the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
Deadly Display
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On a high-stakes demonstration flight in Indonesia, a Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet slams into a mountain killing everyone on board.
Deadly Mission
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In California's Mojave Desert, Virgin Galactic test pilots are at the controls of a revolutionary aircraft designed for sub-orbital flight.
Free Fall
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En route from Singapore to Perth, Qantas Airways Flight 72 takes a sudden nosedive over the Indian Ocean. Sudden G-forces are so violent passengers are lifted out of their seats.
Deadly Inclination
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On its final approach to Zurich, Alitalia Flight 404 plows into a forested hillside killing everyone on board.
Deadly Go Round
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Just minutes from touching down, China Airlines Flight 140 falls out of the sky at Japan's Nagoya Airport.
Dead of Winter
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En route to Boise, Idaho, Continental Airlines Flight 1713 is delayed on the tarmac in Denver where controllers struggle to keep departures on schedule amid heavy snow.

Killer Attitude
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After a routine one-hour flight from Minneapolis, Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 crashes in northern Minnesota, killing everyone on board. Investigators face intense pressure to find the cause. The cockpit voice recorder raises disturbing questions about an inexperienced pilot. But as investigators dig deeper, they uncover a troubling pattern of abuse that led to a breakdown in human cooperation.
Deadly Myth
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When a commuter flight to Detroit ends in a harrowing death spiral, it's up to investigators to determine the cause and prevent it from ever happening again. They sort through the shattered wreckage in search of clues, and a close analysis of the flight data eventually leads them to a stunning realization-What doomed Flight 3272 is a danger the industry has known about for years.
Turning Point
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Headed for South Korea's Gimhae International Airport, a Boeing 767 crashes into a hillside several miles from the runway. As the nation mourns its worst-ever air disaster, investigators face puzzling evidence: The surviving captain of Air China Flight 129 claims that everything on board was normal, but air traffic controllers testify that the crew's radio communications were anything but.
Explosive Proof
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Just minutes after taking off from New York's JFK Airport, TWA Flight 800 is ripped apart by a massive explosion. With a possible terror attack on their hands, the FBI joins investigators from the NTSB in an urgent search for answers but the investigation into TWA Flight 800 will eventually put them against one another, and will turn into one of the longest, most costly and challenging ever conducted.
Lethal Turn
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Amid thick smoke from a forest fire, Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 approaches the Medan airport on the island of Sumatra. But just minutes from the runway-and fatally off course-the Airbus A-300 crashes in the jungle. Claiming the lives of all 234 people on board, it's the country's worst-ever aviation disaster. And investigators are baffled when they realize the plane was flying away from the airport when it crashed.
Storming Out
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On its final approach to Charlotte, North Carolina, USAir Flight 1016 is suddenly engulfed in rain so intense it obstructs the view from the cockpit. The pilots abort the landing to execute a go-around, but as they do the plane falls out of the sky and crashes. Of the 52 passengers on board, 37 are dead. Somehow the pilots survive and insist severe weather is to blame. But for investigators, that's only part of the story.
Caught On Tape
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The dashcam of a passing car captures stunning footage of the final moments of TransAsia Flight 235 as it banks steeply to the left, clips an elevated highway, and nosedives into Taipei's Keelung River. Investigators at Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council face a barrage of questions. But it seems that the more clues they uncover, the greater the mystery.
Terror Over Egypt
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Twenty minutes after leaving the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh, a plane carrying Russian tourists falls out of the sky. Charred remains in the Sinai Desert are all that's left of Metrojet 9268, and an international team of investigators gathers near the crash zone. At first, a terrorist group affiliated with the Islamic State claims they shot down the plane as retaliation for Russian military attacks in Syria. But it will take clever detective work to figure out what really happened.
Deadly Discussions
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Just as LAPA Flight 3142 lifts off from a single runway airport in Buenos Aires, the 737 starts shaking violently, and moments later it crashes back to the ground. Hurtling forward at 160 knots, the plane careens past the airport perimeter, crosses a busy highway, and bursts into flames. The disaster leaves an entire nation stunned, but nothing prepares Argentinians for the staggering blunder that caused it.
The Lost Plane
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Bound for Kathmandu, Thai Airways Flight 311 is flying just above the peaks of the Himalayas when it slams into a remote rock face at 11,000 feet. The crash site is nowhere near the plane's original flight path, and there is no ATC radar to tell investigators where it might be. After a painstaking search, they discover the aircraft crashed in the mountains north of Kathmandu-a place of treacherous peaks where it never should have been. The crucial question is how did it end up there?

Deadly Silence
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En route to Dallas from Orlando, a private Learjet carrying pro golf legend Payne Stewart goes rogue. Air traffic controllers are unable to reach the crew.
9/11: The Pentagon Attack
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11 September 2001 - shortly after taking off from Washington DC, hijackers storm the cockpit of American Airlines Flight 77 and fly the plane into the Pentagon.
9/11: The Pentagon Attack
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It is September 11th, 2001, and shortly after taking off from Washington DC, hijackers storm the cockpit of American Airlines Flight 77 and fly the plane into the Pentagon. The symbol of US military might is in flames. Meanwhile in New York City, jetliners have struck the two towers of the World Trade Center. The country is under attack, nearly 3,000 people are dead, and the FBI launches the largest investigation in American history.
Disaster At Tenerife
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Pan Am Flight 1736 is on the runway at Tenerife Airport, obscured by heavy fog, when KLM Flight 4805 careens towards it, killing 583 people.
Deadly Detail
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As China Airlines Flight 120 touches down in Okinawa, Japan, it erupts in flames. There are no injuries, but troubling questions are raised.
Deadly Detour
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Proteus Airlines Flight 706 deviates from the flight path to go on a sightseeing detour. But just as they're completing a 360 around the ship, the plane suddenly explodes.
Dangerous Approach
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Shuttling passengers from Denver to Durango, Continental Express Flight 2286 crashes in the frozen wilderness just a few miles from the runway.
Murder In The Skies
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German wings Flight to Dusseldorf is flying towards the French Alps and losing altitude at an alarming rate. Investigators are faced with a sinister explanation so dark it's almost beyond belief.
River Runway
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Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 flies straight into the eye of a massive storm. The Boeing 737 is rocked with turbulence so violent the pilots nearly lose control of their plane.
Deadly Solution
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AirAsia Flight 8501 disappears from radar above the Java Sea, searchers confirm the worst. An international team of investigators joins local experts in Jakarta to determine what went wrong.
Afghan Nightmare
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Boeing 747, National Airlines Flight 102 takes off from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan with military cargo. But within seconds, the suddenly uncontrollable plane stalls and crashes to the ground.

Fatal Transmission
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Flight: United Express Flight 5925 and King Air A90 November 19, 1996 A fiery collision between United Express 5925 and a small private plane leaves investigators stumped until they learn that a mysterious missing pilot may have played an unwitting role in the tragedy.
Terror In San Francisco
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When Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashes at San Francisco Airport, investigators discover an issue that could be putting passengers at risk.
High Rise Catastrophe
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Flight: El Al Flight 1862 Boeing 747-258F cargo jet October 4th, 1992 En route to Tel Aviv, El Al Flight 1862 takes off from Amsterdams Schiphol Airport with a heavy load of cargo. But minutes later, a sudden jolt rocks the plane and it begins rolling violently to the right. The catastrophe is The Netherlands worst ever aviation disaster.
Fatal Delivery
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Shortly after taking off, a fire breaks out on UPS Flight 6. As smoke fills the cockpit, getting the plane safely back is a race against time.
Deadly Mission
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Revealing the dark truth that aviation safety improves one crash at a time, 'Air Crash Investigation 14' investigates legendary aviation disasters to find out what went wrong and why.
Edge of Disaster
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Atlantic Airways Flight 670 is shuttling a group of oil company employees to work. On a routine stop on the tiny Norwegian island of Stord, the plane careens off the runway and down a steep embankment. With almost no wreckage left to examine, a mysterious substance found on the runway may hold the key to understanding the cause of the deadly crash.
Deadly Delay
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When Spanair Flight 5022 slams into a creek and bursts into flames, killing 154 people, it is Spain's worst aviation disaster in decades.
Fatal Focus
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Flight: Garuda Flight 200, Boeing 737; March 7th, 2007. After a short flight from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, Garuda Flight 200 hits the ground in Yogyakarta so hard it bounces violently twice before careening off the end of the runway. Of the 140 people on board, 21 are killed. Investigators are under immediate pressure to find out what went wrong.
Steep Impact
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Flight: Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311; Embraer EMB-120; April 5th, 1991. When the crash of a commuter plane in Georgia kills a NASA astronaut, a former U.S. senator, and 21 others, the disaster makes headlines around the world. Investigators soon come up with a theory to explain the crash.
Carnage In Sao Paulo
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Flight: TAM Airlines Flight 402; Fokker 100; October 31st, 1996. Just seconds after lifting off from Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, TAM Airlines flight 402 slams into a residential neighborhood and bursts into flames killing all 95 people on board. Investigators from the Brazilian Air Force join forces with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board to uncover a series of events that led to a failure so rare, it seemed impossible.

Total Engine Failure
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A loud vibration and the smell of smoke warn the pilots of British Midland Flight 92 that they have an engine fire on board. The crew shuts down the engine and tries to land at a nearby airport, but their second engine fails before they can get safely on the ground. Just meters from the runway, the 737-400 slams into an embankment beside Britain's busy M1 motorway. It seems like a rare case of dual engine failure, but investigators soon learn that a tragic misunderstanding may be the real cause of the crash.
Niki Lauda: Tragedy In The Air
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Lauda Air Flight 004 / Boeing 767-300 series / May 26th, 1991 Airline owner and Formula One racer Niki Lauda joins forces with investigators to determine why Lauda Air Flight 004 fell into a steep dive and crashed during a flight from Bangkok to Vienna. And he soon discovers a shocking design flaw that could affect passenger planes around the globe.
Vanishing Act
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Varig Flight 254 Boeing 737-200 series September 3rd, 1989 Investigators face a baffling mystery when Varig Flight 254 crash lands in a remote jungle nearly 700 miles off course. At first, investigators suspect the plane's navigation instruments may have malfunctioned. But they soon discover the crash may be the result of a shocking mistake.
Sideswiped
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Flight 201 takes off for a one-hour flight to Colombia and then disappears from radar while flying over one of the most remote jungles on Earth.
Death At Narita
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When FedEx Flight 80 bounces off the runway and bursts into flames at Tokyos Narita Airport, the catastrophe recalls an identical crash that happened more than a decade earlier.
The Death of JFK Jr.
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The celebrity son of JFK disappeared along with his plane in 1999. Invstigators soon found the wreckage, but what brought the aircraft down?
Inner City Carnage
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A Learjet 45 carrying Mexico's interior minister slams into Mexico City's financial district killing all nine people on board, as well as seven people on the ground. At first there's speculation that Mexico's powerful drug cartels brought down the plane. But the investigation takes a startling new turn after investigators listen to the cockpit voice recorder.
3rd Time Unlucky
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It's a foggy day at Ireland's Cork Airport and the pilots of Manx2 Flight 7100 are circling the airport waiting for the weather to clear. After controllers clear the turboprop commuter plane for landing, the pilots reduce their speed and descend, but the aircraft suddenly goes into a severe roll and crashes into the runway. It's the deadliest crash in Ireland in decades, and it's up to the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit to figure out what went wrong. They soon discover the fog is only part of the story, and the investigation reveals a startling gap in aviation safety that has put passengers' lives at risk.
Death In The Arctic
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Hijack? Pilot error? Mechanical failure? Aviation experts determine what went wrong and work to stop such accidents happening again.
What Happened To Malaysian 370
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Leading aviation experts are confronted with a shocking theory as they investigate one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time.
Concorde - Up In Flames
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A Concorde crashes moments after take off and three mysterious items are found on the runway. How is this collection of clues connected?

Fight To The Death
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18 June 1972 - British European Airways (BEA) Flight 548 Hawker Siddeley Trident I: investigators are challenegd when the plane crashes just moments after taking off from London's Heathrow Airport.
Speed Trap
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6 June 1971 - military investigators join forces with the NTSB to uncover the truth when a Marine Corps F-4 Phantom collides with a Hughes Airwest DC-9.
Lost In Translation
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10 July 2000 - shortly after taking off from Zurich Airport, Crossair Flight 498 banks sharply to the right and spirals to the ground, killing everyone on board.
Disaster On The Potomac
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13 January 1982 - moments after taking off from Washington National Airport, Air Florida Flight 90 plunges into the frozen Potomac River and sinks below the ice.
Queens Catastrophe
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When American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into Queens, New York after 9/11, it was considered an act of terror - until evidence proved otherwise.
Into The Eye of The Storm
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Investigators must figure out why a crew of skilled hurricane hunters were nearly killed after an engine fire crippled their aircraft mid-flight.
Massacre Over The Mediterranean
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27 June 1980 - when a flight from Italy explodes over the Mediterranean Sea, it takes 30 years to determine whether it was shot down or blown up by terrorists.
Deadly Test
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Above France, a highly trained crew puts a commercial airliner to the test. But as they prepare to land, the captain suddenly loses control.
Terror In Paradise
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When a flight to Tahiti crashes and kills everyone on board, investigators uncover an unexpected explanation for the crash.
Qantas 32: Titanic In The Sky
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It's up to investigators to figure out why the engine of of Qantas Flight 32 exploded and whether every other A380 is at risk.

Fight For Control
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Disaster seemed certain when an internal US flight lost a propeller 19,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. Could the pilots safely land the plane?
Fire In The Hold
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Revealing how 110 people lost their lives when a fire on board an aging DC-9 caused it to plummet into the Florida Everglades in 1996.
Typhoon Takeoff
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Following a fatal crash in treacherous conditions at Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek airport, investigators make a shocking discovery on the runway.
Pushed To The Limit
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Following a fatal crash 35,000 feet above the jungles of Indonesia, investigators make a disturbing discovery.
Blind Landing
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In 2005, TANS Peru Flight 204 crashed into the Amazonian jungle, leaving a trail of bodies and wreckage scattered across the rainforest.
Grand Canyon Disaster
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In 1956, a mid-air collision sends two planes crashing into the Grand Canyon killing all 128 passengers and crew on board. Armed only with the rudimentary tools of the time, investigators from the Civil Aeronautics Board must determine what caused the crash. Their conclusions will uncover a frightening problem that threatens the safety of the entire aviation system.
America's Deadliest
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Revealing how 273 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 191 lost its left engine in the deadliest aviation accident in US history.
Fatal Fixation
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After United Airlines Flight 173 crashed and killed ten people, investigators discover how a landing gear problem could have caused the accident.
Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster
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One of Russias most popular hockey teams is on its way to Minsk, Belarus, for their first game of the 2011 season. Their Soviet built Yak-42D starts down the main runway at Yaroslavls Tunoshna Airport. But instead of lifting off, the plane runs off the end of the tarmac, strikes a tower and crashes into the Volga River. Only the planes mechanic survives the disaster. Around the globe, fans mourn one of the biggest tragedies in the history of the sport. Russian President Medvedev demands answers, and investigators are under tremendous pressure to find out what went wrong.
Death of The President
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When Polish President Lech Kaczynski is killed in a plane crash, investigators discover that this was not simply a pilot error.
Heading To Disaster
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When tower controllers ask Flight 409 to head to a new heading, the pilots acknowledge the change. Moments later, the plane crashes into the sea.
28 Seconds To Survive
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When an alarm warns the pilots of Flight 518 that they are dangerously close to the ground, the aircraft suddenly smashes into a mountain.
Air France 447: Vanished
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Exploring how aviation safety improves one crash at a time, Air Crash Investigation looks into legendary aviation disasters.

Disaster Runway
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Find out how fears over Congonhas Airport’s infamous hilltop landing strip led to the fatal crash of TAM Airlines Flight 3054 in July 2007.
The Plane That Flew Too High
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160 people lost their lives when West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 came down in 2005, leading to the eventual bankruptcy of the troubled airline.
Split Decision
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The Arrow Air Flight 1285 tragedy was Canada's deadliest plane crash. Investigators blamed ice on the wings - but a minority report disagreed.
Breakup Over Texas
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Continental Express Flight 2574 came down in 1991, following a massive mid-air explosion. Could a piece of faulty paperwork explain the crash?
Munich Air Disaster
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The 1958 Munich crash was the darkest day in Manchester United's history. Pilot James Thain was initially blamed - and never flew again.
Turning Point
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Only the quick-thinking of Captain Frank Geib saved Northwest Airlines Flight 85 from disaster in 2002. What exactly went wrong?
Bad Attitude
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The crash of a Korean cargo plane outside London baffled investigators. Was the first officer more concerned with saving face than the plane?
Hiding In Plane Sight
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144 people lost their lives when two planes collided near San Diego in what was the biggest airline disaster in US history. How did it happen?
Desert Inferno
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July 11th, 1991 Preparing to take a group of African-Muslim pilgrims home to Sokoto, Nigeria, Nigerian Airways Flight #2120 takes off from Jeddah's sprawling airport in Saudi Arabia in the blistering desert heat. But once in the air, the pilots get a warning that their plane is not properly pressurizing. With their aircraft losing hydraulics the pilots struggle to turn back towards Jeddah. In the meantime, the cabin fills with heavy smoke and fire. Just two miles from the airport, Flight #2120 erupts into a fireball and plummets to the ground, killing all 261 people on board. The deadliest DC-8 crash in history and the worst accident ever for...
I'm The Problem
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En route to San Francisco from LAX, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight #1771 is cruising high above the California countryside. Apart from some mild turbulence, the routine regional flight is uneventful. That is, until the pilots hear gunshots in the cabin. They report the gunfire to the tower and moments later, the aircraft falls into a steep dive and crashes into a remote field. With 43 people dead and a possible crime on board, investigators from both the NTSB and FBI must work together to determine what happened, who had a motive and access, and who the intended victim was.
Nowhere To Land
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TACA Airlines Flight #110 Boeing 737-300 series May 24th, 1988 Flying through a violent thunderstorm, TACA Flight #110 begins its final descent towards New Orleans when both engines quit and the plane begins dropping from the sky. The pilots restart both engines but almost immediately they overheat forcing the pilots to shut them down. Without power for the second time and falling fast, they consider ditching the plane in a canal but aim instead for a narrow grass levee. With 38 passengers bracing for a crash, the pilots manage one of the most remarkable landings in the history of commercial aviation. Then it's up to investigators to determine...
The Invisible Plane
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SAS Flight #686 Boeing MD-87 October 8th, 2001 A heavy fog blankets Milan's Linate Airport as SAS Flight #686 prepares for a routine flight to Copenhagen. Facing almost zero-visibility, the pilots rely entirely on ground controllers as they navigate into position for takeoff. The plane accelerates down the runway, but as it lifts off it collides with a Cessna in its path. The Cessna erupts in flames. The MD-87 slams to the ground and slides into an baggage hangar. The plane explodes on impact. It is the worst accident in Italian aviation history and the investigation uncovers a shocking series of errors. In the aftermath, an airport is transformed...
Sioux City Fireball
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United Airlines Flight #232 DC-10 July 19th, 1989 United Airlines Flight #232 is 37,000 feet over Iowa when one of its three engines explodes. The pilots shut it down but soon discover they have a much more serious problem on their hands. The plane is in a steep right bank, and the pilots are unable to restore its flight path. The DC-10 has suffered a complete failure of all hydraulic systems, and the pilots have no way to maneuver the plane other than by alternating the power to the two remaining engines. The pilots manage to fly the crippled plane to the nearest airport but, unable to configure the wings for a normal landing, they have no choice...

Cockpit Failure
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Making a routine journey from Berlin, Crossair Flight #3597 is on its final approach to Zurich. It is one of the last planes scheduled to land. But just minutes before landing the pilots cannot find the runway. They decide to abort the maneuver and apply full power to all four engines in order to get their jet to climb. But they are too late. The aircraft clips the treetops below and crashes into a hillside. Investigators comb through the wreckage, and the data from the plane's black boxes. But they would only solve the riddle of Crossair Flight 3597 by digging into the past.
The Heathrow Enigma
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January 17th, 2008. Approaching the end of its ten-and a half hour journey from Beijing, British Airways Flight #38 is preparing to land in Heathrow. But just as the first officer takes over the controls, and only two minutes before it touches down, the aircraft is inexplicably crippled by double engine failure. Quickly falling out of the sky and with just seconds to react, the captain raises the plane's flaps to reduce drag. And while the plane narrowly misses the buildings and radio antennas in its path, it crashes just short of the runway, ripping off the engines and landing gear. Incredibly, all 152 people on board survive. But can investigators...
Pilot Betrayed
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December 27th, 1991 -- Scandinavian Airlines Flight #751 is negotiating snow and slush on the tarmac at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. The DC-9 has been de-iced twice to ensure it's safe for take-off. Despite the winter conditions, the aircraft takes off smoothly. But within seconds, the engines begin emitting a series of rapid-fire booming noises, smoke begins filtering through the cabin, and less than two minutes later, both engines fail. As the pilots try restarting them, the left engine erupts in flames. 3,200 feet above the ground, the plane has lost all power and is falling quickly and silently from the sky. The plane hits the ground, breaking...
Dead Tired
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February 12th, 2009 - Two hours behind schedule and nearing the end of its 53-minute trip from Newark, New Jersey, Continental Connections Flight #3407 is approaching Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. Flying through snow and strong winds, the pilots can see the lights of the city below, but as they extend the flaps to slow the plane, the control column suddenly starts to shake. It's a warning that the plane is about to stall. The captain struggles to keep the plane flying but the out-of-control aircraft suddenly plummets towards the ground and crashes into a suburban home. It is the worst US crash in more than 7 years, but with a raging fire...
Hudson River Runway
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January 15th, 2009 - Less than two minutes after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, US Airways Flight #1549 collides with a flock of birds. Both engines suddenly lose all thrust, and the Airbus A-320 begins falling from the sky. The crew desperately tries to restart their engines, but can't. With New York on one side and New Jersey on the other, Captain Chesley Sullenberger is running out of options. Searching desperately for a place to land, Sullenberger warns passengers and crew to brace for impact and tells the control tower that he will be ditching the plane in the icy waters of the Hudson River. Amazingly, all 155 people on board...
Who's In Control?
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February 25th, 2009 - Arriving from Istanbul, Turkish Airlines Flight #1951 is on its final approach to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The crew is following instructions from the control tower that will line up their Boeing 737 with the runway. In the final moments of the flight, however, the plane suddenly falls from the sky and crashes into a muddy field just north of the airport. Of the 135 people on board, nine die, and investigators begin pouring through the wreckage to determine what brought down one of the world's most popular passenger jets. Can they figure out what went wrong in time to prevent another similar catastrophe?

Panic On The Runway
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August 22nd, 1985 British Airtours Flight #28 is taking off from Manchester Airport for the Greek Island of Corfu. As the aircraft is accelerating, a loud thud emanates from the fuselage, and the pilots abandon takeoff. They believe a tire has blown, but passengers on the left side of the plane see the real problem one of the engines is on fire. Soon, thick black smoke fills the cabin, panicked passengers struggle to escape, and just minutes later, the aircraft is completely ravaged by fire. 55 people die. Can investigators determine how a minor emergency turned into one of the worst disasters in British aviation history?
Cockpit Chaos
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August 16th, 1987 Northwest Airlines Flight #255 is on the tarmac at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The pilots are bound for Phoenix, Arizona, but first they have to find their runway. Controllers have given them a last minute change and the pilots are having a hard time locating the entrance to their runway. Finally, 45 minutes behind schedule, the pilots taxi the DC-9 into position. The airplane is soon roaring down the runway at 95 miles an hour (150 kilometers and hour). Captain John Maus pulls back on his control column, but the plane barely manages to get off the ground before it hits a light pole, slams into a building, and disintegrates...
Pilot Vs Plane
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Air France Flight #296 (Airbus A320) June 26th, 1988 The Airbus A-320 the worlds most sophisticated passenger jet takes off for its maiden passenger flight and first-ever public demonstration. The plane is headed for the Habsheim Air Show where the pilots are planning a breathtaking, low-altitude fly-over. But after getting into position over the tiny airfield the exhibition turns to disaster. The plane plows into a forest and is consumed by flames. It is a horrible tragedy, and a public relations nightmare for Airbus. With such a huge investment on the line, there is enormous pressure on investigators to determine whether the pilot or the plane...
Cleared For Disaster
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US Air Flight #1493 (Boeing 737-300) & Skywest Flight #5569 (Fairchild Metroliner) February 1st, 1991 Its a busy night at Los Angeles International Airport, and US Air Flight #1493 is on its final approach. The pilots configure the 737 for landing and although they repeatedly radio the tower for instructions, their calls go unanswered. They finally get clearance just moments before landing, but within seconds of touching down, the aircraft erupts in flames and crashes into an abandoned building. Rescue workers rush to the scene, and as survivors emerge from the inferno, firefighters make a horrifying discovery... Can investigators determine what...
Target Is Destroyed
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September 1, 1983 Korean Air Lines Flight #007 is high above the Sea of Japan with 269 people on board. Hoping to save fuel during the last leg of its marathon flight from New York to Seoul, it requests permission to fly at a higher altitude. When the aircraft reaches its new altitude, however, it is rocked by rapid decompression, spirals out of control and crashes into the sea. An international controversy erupts, and within days, Soviet officials admit to shooting down the passenger plane. With Cold War tensions at an all-time high, its up to international investigators to keep two superpowers at bay. But can they prevent an all-out armed conflict,...
Cold Case
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March 10th, 1989 Bound for Winnipeg, Air Ontario Flight #1363 prepares for takeoff after a brief layover at a remote Northern airport. Already an hour behind schedule, the pilots fear the heavy snowfall will further delay their departure, and after refueling, they taxi into position and accelerate. The jet reaches takeoff speed but struggles to get airborne, and although it clears the trees at the end of the runway, starts shaking violently and less than a minute later crashes into the woods. It takes months for investigators to determine what went wrong. And tragically, their findings come too late to prevent an icy killer from striking again.
Doomed To Fail
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January 20th, 1992 High over Frances mountainous Alsace region, Air Inter Flight #148 starts its descent towards Strasbourg airport. An Airbus A320, the aircraft is the worlds first to rely mainly on computerized commands to control it, and while its autopilot had been programmed to land on a specific runway, high winds and poor winter weather mean the pilots must take over the controls to land on another runway. Slightly off course, a controller guides the pilots as they prepare to make a visual landing. But as they descend through the clouds, the aircraft suddenly rips through the treetops below and slams into the side of a mountain. Can rescuers...
Miami Mystery
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Chalks Ocean Airways Flight #101 Grumman Turbo Mallard (sea plane) December 19th, 2005 Destined for the Bahamas, Chalks Ocean Airways Flight #101 is preparing for takeoff in the waters off Miami Beach, Florida. Part plane, part speedboat, the twin turbo-prop taxis through one of the worlds busiest ports, and after a smooth takeoff, climbs towards the clouds. A minute later, however, just as the plane is climbing through 500 feet, it is suddenly rocked by an explosion and, from the beach, a tourist films the aircrafts catastrophic plunge into the ocean. Lifeguards immediately race to the crash site but there are no survivors. Eyewitness reports...

Shattered In Seconds
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Twenty minutes after taking off from Taipei, Taiwan a China Airlines 747 suddenly disappears from radar. A massive rescue mission is launched, ut all 225 passengers and crew are dead. After ruling out both a bomb and a gas tank explosion, investigators are stumped. They examine hundreds of pieces of wreckage until they discover a single piece of the hull that solves the riddle. Tragically, the crash of Flight 611 began with a problem that began twenty-two years earlier.
Lockerbie
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December 21, 1988. Shortly after taking off from London's Heathrow Airport, Pan Am Flight 103 suddenly explodes in the skies above Lockerbie, Scotland. As the wreckage rains down on the small town below, homes are vaporized and fires break out across the countryside. All 259 people on board are killed. Eleven more in the tiny town also die. The wreckage is scattered over 2,000 square kilometers, and when investigators find proof the aircraft was the victim of a bomb, the area becomes the largest crime scene in the world. Who brought down Flight 103?
Silent Killer
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September 8, 1989 - On a charter trip from Oslo to Hamburg, Partnair Flight 94 is cruising at 22,000 feet -- when it suddenly begins diving toward the sea. The aging propeller plane crashes into the water. All 55 people on board are killed. It is the biggest airline disaster in Norwegian history. As investigators piece together what happened, they uncover a problem so serious, it sends shock waves through the industry. How had a single bolt caused the plane to fall out of the sky? And why is it a potential problem for every passenger plane in the world?
Crash Course
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November 12th, 1996 - Shortly after take off from New Delhi, Saudi Airways Flight 763 levels off at 14,000 feet. As the crew waits for clearance to climb to their cruising altitude, the plane is hit by a Kazakhstan Airlines jet. The collision cripples both planes. They spiral violently to the ground, killing all 349 people on board. It's the worst mid-air collision in the history of aviation. The two wreckage fields are five miles apart. As investigators comb through the charred debris for evidence, they try and answer troubling questions: Why did the two planes collide? Who's responsible? And can they stop it before it happens again?
Operation Babylift
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April 4, 1975. In the final, chaotic days of the Vietnam War, US President Gerald Ford orders an urgent mission of mercy called 'Operation Babylift'. Its goal: to rescue Vietnamese orphans from the chaos of the war and take them back to the safety of the US. Nearly 250 Vietnamese babies and children are loaded onto an Air Force C5A Galaxy, one of the world's largest planes. But after a steep and rapid ascent to get out of missile range, the aircraft's cargo door is violently blown off and the plane crashes to the ground. What caused the tragic accident? And can investigators find out before they have to flee the country?
Ditch The Plane
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It's August 6th, 2005. Tuninter Flight 1153 is flying to the Tunisian resort island of Djerba. It's high above the Mediterranean when suddenly, its right engine fails. As the pilots begin an emergency descent, their situation gets much worse. Their second engine also stops working -- the plane begins falling towards the sea. Despite numerous attempts, the crew can't restart their engines. They make a desperate choice - to attempt a landing at sea. Twenty people survive - but fourteen of the 34 passengers are killed. Investigators discover a shocking mistake - that could effect one of the most popular turb-prop passenger planes in the world.
The Plane That Vanished
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January 1st, 2007 - After taking off from Indonesia's Suribaya airport, Adam Air Flight 574 settles in for the two-hour trip to Manado. The Boeing 737 is loaded with New Year's travelers taking advantage of the country's recent discount travel boom. But somewhere over the Java Sea, the plane hits turbulence, and air traffic controllers notice the jet is hundreds of miles off course…and headed for a major storm. Air traffic controllers get in touch with the lost plane - and try guiding it back on course. But the jet's navigational systems aren't working. And the bad weather is closing in. The crew struggle to find their way - when suddenly, flight...
Frozen In Flight
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October 31, 1994 - It's a frigid Halloween night in the skies above Chicago. Bad weather is delaying dozens of flights, including American Eagle 41-84. Suddenly - the plane spins wildly out of control. The pilots fight desperately to right their plane - but can't. It smashes into a cornfield. All 68 people on board are killed instantly. Investigators eventually discover the cause is a rare weather phenomena - and a fatal design flaw.

War Zone
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Mistaken identity and hostile fire over enemy territory are among the many risks that pilots face in war zones around the world.
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Tuesday 24 October at 18:10 CAT
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Wednesday 25 October at 11:00 CAT
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Slammed To The Ground
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By the time the crew of Delta Airlines Flight 191 reached the threshold of Dallas Fort Worth Airport, they'd already diverted around 2 separate storms. They see rain and lightning up ahead, but fly on. Inside the storm, their plane is hit by powerful winds that slam the plane to the ground. 136 people die. The crash helps scientists overcome a notorious danger to airplanes, the microburst.
Miracle Flight
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Its a calm summer evening, when an inexplicable failure strikes, causing the loss of two engines on a brand new passenger jet midway between Montreal and Edmonton. Powerless at 26-thousand feet, the pilot needs all his skill, and a little bit of luck, to get his plane to the airport. But his saga doesnt end there because the runway he thought was abandoned is anything but.
Time Critical
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In a rush to complete their flights, three different flight crews skip key procedures, ignore signs of danger, and make deadly decisions.
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Thursday 5 October at 20:00 CAT
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Friday 6 October at 01:10 CAT
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Ticking Time Bomb
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From corrosion and metal fatigue to faulty repairs, three doomed airlines are brought down by gradually deteriorating parts.
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Thursday 26 October at 18:10 CAT
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Friday 27 October at 11:00 CAT
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Behind Closed Doors
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An explosion rips a gaping hole in the cabin of a brand-new DC-10. Investigators discover a serious problem with the design of the planes rear cargo door, and recommend ways to fix it. Two years later, another DC-10 takes off on a routine flight only to suffer the exact same problem, with deadly consequences. The accident could have and should have been prevented. But why wasnt it?
Mystery Fire
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In November 1987, a 747 on a flight to Johannesburg crashes into the Indian Ocean. A blaze in the cargo hold was the suspected cause, but rumours persist that the aircraft was illegally carrying arms.
Accidents in the Air
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A passenger is sucked out of a plane's window after a mid-air explosion. Flying over Hawaii, the cabin of a Boeing 737 is blown wide open. An Air Canada Flight erupts in flames seconds after landing.
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Friday 27 October at 18:10 CAT
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Monday 30 October at 11:00 CAT
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Impossible Landings
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With zero margin for error, three catastrophes are narrowly averted by pilots who manage to land their damaged planes—against all odds.
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Monday 30 October at 18:10 CAT
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Dead Weight
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A small commuter plane begins a short flight when disaster strikes. Moments after takeoff, the nose of the aircraft pitches up dramatically. The flight crew struggles for control. The plane is just 350 meters in the air when it stalls, rolls to the left, and plummets to the ground. It slams into a packed hangar, killing everyone on board. Combing through the wreckage, investigators find a single clue that leads them to uncover a string of errors and faulty assumptions that have been putting millions of passengers at risk for years.
Southern Storm
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April 4, 1977. Southern Airways flight 242 is en-route from Huntsville, Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia. Ten minutes into the flight the crew notices a menacing storm in their path. Their radar shows them a "hole" in the middle of the storm, the crew believes that "hole" is an area of better weather, and decides to fly towards it. Suddenly the plane is in the midst of a punishing rain and hailstorm. The hail is so severe that it cracks the cockpit windshield, and visibility is nonexistent. They crew has lost power to many of their instruments, and one by one theyve lost both of their engines. Theyre now trying to glide to a safe landing. The tower...
Trained to Fail
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Pilots are prepared to cope with a range of emergency scenarios, but failures in training can lead to catastrophe in the cockpit.
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Thursday 19 October at 20:00 CAT
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Friday 20 October at 01:10 CAT
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Deadly Data
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With hidden flaws buried in their navigation systems, three planes suffer catastrophic computer errors that force investigators to dig deep for clues.
Explosive Evidence
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In 1985, an Air India flight vanishes off the coast of Ireland. The rescue mission discovers that the crew had no warning before the jet was ripped apart. Investigators are alerted to a bag checked in without the passenger boarding. Another explosion on the same day at Tokyos Airport is soon linked to this incident. The bomb builder is traced and sent to jail but the person who checked the bag onto the plane has never been caught.
Poor Piloting
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Facing fatigue, fog, and inadequate training, the crews of three doomed aircraft make catastrophic blunders that lead to full-scale disaster.
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Thursday 12 October at 20:00 CAT
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Friday 13 October at 01:10 CAT
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The Plane That Wouldn't Talk
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In 1996, on departure of a Birgenair Flight, the pilot ignores vital information given by a junior crew member before smashing into the ocean. The data recorder reveals the confusing sound of multiple alarms. The plane was giving conflicting information as tubes that measured airspeed had been blocked by insect nests. But disaster could have been averted if the crew had heeded warning signs even before the plane lifted off.
Fatal Distraction
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December 29, 1972. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 is coming in for a landing in Miami. On the crews instrument panel, one of the three green lights confirming the planes landing gear is down and locked remains unlit. Captain Robert Loft decides to have the auto pilot fly the plane in a holding pattern while he and his crew work to fix the problem. Flying at 2,000 feet all four men in the cockpit focus their attention on the troublesome bulb. None of them notice that the plane is slowly descending to the ground, until its too late. The brand new L-1011 slams into the remote swampland of the Florida Everglades. Miraculously 77 people survive the initial...
Dangerous Winds
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Three planes fall prey to deadly winds, and it’s up to investigators to find out why.
Sabotage
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From delusional hijackers to suicidal pilots, three flights fall victim to astonishing acts of sabotage.
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Thursday 26 October at 20:00 CAT
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Friday 27 October at 01:10 CAT
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Phantom Strike
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In September 2006, a newly built business jet takes off from Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil with seven people on board. Meanwhile, a passenger jet carrying 154 people takes off from Manaus in northern Brazil. The business jet never receives confirmation from Air Traffic Control to lower its altitude over Brasilia according to the flight plan. From this point on the two planes are on a collision course. Both jets are clipped at the wing. The smaller jet miraculously lands with no injuries but the passenger jet nosedives into the Amazon rainforest. Find out how this disaster resulted in the improvement of on board collision avoidance systems.

Dead of Night
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Confused, flying blind and lost in the dark, three crews lose site of the horizon and fall into the same deadly trap.
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Tuesday 10 October at 18:10 CAT
On National Geographic
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Wednesday 11 October at 11:00 CAT
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Miracle Escape
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August 2, 2005 - In a raging thunderstorm, after a difficult landing, Air France 358 skids off the runway in Toronto. As it crashes, the left engine catches fire. More than 300 passengers and crew have only seconds to escape. With some of the emergency exits blocked by fire, frantic passengers fight through flames and thickening smoke. In less than three minutes, the plane is completely engulfed by fire. Barefoot, without luggage, survivors emerge by the side of Torontos busiest highway, and catch rides back to the airport from bewildered rush hour commuters. When all are accounted for, miraculously, all on board escape the crash. The investigation...
Engine Gone
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Three crews experience the same devastating event, but with radically different outcomes when an engine falls off their commercial airplane.
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Wednesday 11 October at 18:10 CAT
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Thursday 12 October at 11:00 CAT
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Falling From The Sky
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June 24, 1982 - On a clear summer night, during a seemingly calm trip to Australia, the impossible happens to British Airways Flight 009. Smoke starts filling the cabin. The engines catch fire then stop working. The flight crew witness a bizarre shower of brilliant sparks striking the windshield of the aircraft. The entire plane is surrounded by a shimmering white glow. Without power, the plane begins falling from the sky. Passengers are terrified. The crew have no idea why their engines have quit or how to get them working again. As they fall through the night the captain faces a difficult choice return to the nearest airport and risk crashing...
Fire Fight
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In June of 1983, a small mechanical problem in the back of an Air Canada DC-9 quickly turned into an all-out emergency 10 kilometers in the air. The aircraft was travelling to Toronto from Dallas when passengers noticed smoke coming from the rear washroom. As the smoke grows thicker, the crew has no choice but attempt to land the plane. For fifteen hellish minutes, passengers and crew struggle to deal with the thick toxic smoke. When the plane finally hits the runway in Cincinnati, all on board struggle to exit the burning plane as quickly as possible. Ninety seconds after touching the ground, the plane is engulfed in a ball of fire. Twenty-three...
Fire Fight
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In June of 1983, a small mechanical problem in the back of an Air Canada DC-9 quickly turned into an all-out emergency 10 kilometers in the air. The aircraft was travelling to Toronto from Dallas when passengers noticed smoke coming from the rear washroom. As the smoke grows thicker, the crew has no choice but attempt to land the plane. For fifteen hellish minutes, passengers and crew struggle to deal with the thick toxic smoke. When the plane finally hits the runway in Cincinnati, all on board struggle to exit the burning plane as quickly as possible. Ninety seconds after touching the ground, the plane is engulfed in a ball of fire. Twenty-three...
Lethal Choices
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Faced with a mid-air crisis, pilots must make life-and-death decisions, but the wrong approach can trigger a far more serious problem.
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Thursday 12 October at 18:10 CAT
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Friday 13 October at 11:00 CAT
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Risky Runways
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In Sao Paolo, the Himalayas, and on the Norwegian coast, three flight crews are pushed to the limit by the toughest landings on earth.
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Friday 13 October at 18:10 CAT
On National Geographic
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Monday 16 October at 11:00 CAT
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Missed Approach
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August 6, 1997. Korean Air Flight 801 is flying to Guam International Airport from Seoul, when it runs into bad weather. Turbulence bounces passengers and crew but much worse is to come. Fighting rain and inoperative navigational equipment, the crew struggle to find the airport. But just as they see the lights of Guam, the rain closes in again. As the plane flies closer and closer to the ground, warning sirens fill the cockpit. But still the crew, hampered by clouds and pelting rain, is flying blind. Flight 801 crashes five kilometres short of Agana airport, scattered down Nimitz Hill. While many passengers survive the crash, they cant escape...
Hidden Danger
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Around the globe, the Boeing 737 is the backbone of the aviation industry. But in 1991, something happened onboard a 737 that sent shudders through the world of aviation. Moments from landing, United Airlines 585 starts spinning out of control and falls out of the sky at 350 kilometers per hour. Everyone on board is killed. In ten violent seconds, the crash has become one of the most mysterious air disasters in aviation history. Almost two years after the crash, the NTSB had studied the crew, the weather, the rudder, and thousands of other pieces of evidence but they cant solve the mystery. For only the fourth time in its history, the NTSB release...
Landings Gone Wrong
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Relying on instinct rather than the rule book, three flights end in tragedy when crews improvise on their final approach.
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Monday 16 October at 18:10 CAT
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Tuesday 17 October at 11:00 CAT
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Frozen Wings
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Three planes are brought down by ice, and it's up to investigators to determine how modern aircraft could possibly end up with frozen wings.
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Tuesday 17 October at 18:10 CAT
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Wednesday 18 October at 11:00 CAT
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Panic Over The Pacific
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February 19, 1985. China Airlines Flight 006 is nearing the California coastline when disaster strikes. A series of small problems beginning with the failure of the jets fourth engine snowballs into an all-out emergency. The plane stalls, and begins tumbling toward the Pacific Ocean. As it twists and turns, the strong G-forces make the ride hellish for the crew and passengers who are pinned to their seats. The wings buckle, the doors to the landing gear are ripped off, and parts of the tail break away. Precious hydraulic fuel essential for landing is lost. Spinning wildly in thick clouds, the crew cant tell up from down. In just two minutes the...
Runway Collisions
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Three catastrophic runway collisions raise the same pressing question: How could two planes end up on the same runway at the same time?
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Wednesday 18 October at 18:10 CAT
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Thursday 19 October at 11:00 CAT
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Out of Sight
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August 31, 1986. A calm Labor Day weekend is shattered by a horrifying tragedy. A Los Angeles neighborhood is devastated and more than 80 lives are lost when two planes fall from the sky. An Aeromexico DC-9 is preparing to land at Los Angeles International Airport one of the busiest in the world when it collides with a much smaller private plane, a Piper Cherokee. The Cherokee slices off the tail of the DC-9, causing it to spiral out of control and crash. The smaller plane also crashes into the quiet suburb. The devastation is horrific: all onboard perish and at least fifteen houses are destroyed. The entire area is ablaze. Investigators must...
Inbound
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April, 1996. American government officials and high-powered U.S. business executives are on a trade mission to Bosnia and Croatia. The first day of their demanding three-day trip takes them from Zagreb to Tuzla to Dubrovnik. Among those aboard the flight is US Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, a close friend and political ally of President Clinton. Their aircraft is a specially outfitted 737 military jet and the crew are all experienced military personnel. As they near the airport in Dubrovnik, rain and clouds make the journey increasingly difficult. A plane that had landed an hour before them gets in touch, warning the crew that conditions are at...
Cockpit Breakdown
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Illustrating the deadly consequences of a mismatched crew, three flights end in tragedy, leaving investigators to unravel what went wrong.
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Thursday 19 October at 18:10 CAT
On National Geographic
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Friday 20 October at 11:00 CAT
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Splash Down
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Three last-resort water landings-all handled differently-yet each one crucial to improving the outcomes of ditching on open water.
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Friday 20 October at 18:10 CAT
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Monday 23 October at 11:00 CAT
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Desperate Dive
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On 3 January, 2004 in the darkness before dawn, Flash Airlines flight 604 takes off from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, heading to Paris. Sharm is a popular resort destination for many Europeans, and the flight is filled with families returning home. Just minutes after take off, the Boeing 737 crashes into the Red Sea, shatters upon impact and sinks. All 148 passengers on board are killed. With the wreckage lying in deep, uncharted water, there are tremendous obstacles for accident investigators. After weeks of work, the planes two black boxes are recovered, telling a terrifying tale. The experienced pilot seems to be totally unaware when the plane turns...
Ghost Plane
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Sunday, August 14, 2005. Larnaca Airport, in Cyprus. It's 9:00am and low cost airline Helios Airways Flight 522 is scheduled to fly to the Greek capital, Athens, before continuing its route to Prague, in the Czech Republic. Captain Hans Mertens, the 58-year-old German pilot and his Greek co-pilot, 40-year-old Bambos Charalambous, begin the take-off. At 09.11am, as the plane climbs through 12,000 feet, a warning buzzer sounds in the cockpit. Mertens radios Air Traffic Control to report he has a minor air-conditioning problem. Five minutes later, he requests permission to climb to 34,000 feet. Thirty minutes later, the plane enters Greek airspace....
Northern Extremes
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Faced with the extreme conditions of the far North, three flights fall out of the sky leaving investigators to uncover the cause.
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Monday 23 October at 18:10 CAT
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Tuesday 24 October at 11:00 CAT
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Hanging By A Thread
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Aloha Flight 243 - April, 1988 A short island hop from Maui to Honolulu quickly turns into a nightmare for the crew and passengers aboard Flight 243. Shortly after take off, a loud bang is heard. A huge chunk of the plane's roof and walls is missing, right down to the passengers' feet. They are flying in a convertible! Against all the odds, the plane gets down safely. But why did this happen?
Heat of The Moment
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Failsafes are built into every aspect of aviation, but in the heat of the moment pilots can make fateful decisions that lead to tragedy.
Attack Over Baghdad
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November 22, 2003 - It was supposed to be a routine "mail drop" for the DHL cargo plane in Baghdad, Iraq. With a war raging below, the three civilian pilots aboard the DHL Airbus 300 are simply trying to complete a routine delivery of soldiers letters. Meanwhile, on the ground, a French journalist is horrified to realize that the Iraqi terrorist she is interviewing just ordered ground-to-air missiles aimed at an aircraft. She watches in shock as the DHL plane becomes the first civilian plane to be struck with a surface-to-air missile since the war in Iraq began. The planes left wing is engulfed in flames and its steering system is completely destroyed...
Instrument Confusion
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Safe flying requires precision, and when critical instruments in the cockpit can't be trusted, the consequences can be fatal.
Out of Control
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Twelve minutes after takeoff on August 12, 1985, a thunderous bang echoes through JAL flight 123. The pilots are stunned to realize that the steering system is completely unresponsive. Crippled by the low oxygen levels, they struggle to control a plane that lunges wildly through the sky, headed directly into the mountains around Mt. Fuji (Japans largest mountain). After 30 minutes of wrestling with the wind, the pilots remain helpless as the plane crashes into the side of Mt. Osutaka. An American spots the smoking wreckage and initiates a rescue operation. Tragically, it is called off by Japanese authorities who believe that no one survived the...
Vip On Board
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Airplane crashes involving high-profile passengers make international headlines, placing investigators under tremendous pressure to come up with answers.
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Tuesday 3 October at 11:00 CAT
On National Geographic
Suicide Attack
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On April 7, 1994, FedEx flight 705 is just finishing its climb out of Memphis, U.S. when an off-duty FedEx flight engineer suddenly storms the cockpit. Bashing in the crew members skulls with a hammer and armed with a spear gun, the crazed attacker seems intent on killing the crew and taking over the plane. The stunned co-pilot, with his skull fractured and right arm paralyzed, must fight the attacker using his only remaining weaponthe plane itself. To throw the hijacker off balance, the pilot hurls the heavy cargo plane into risky but cunning aerobatic maneuvers, traveling at speeds so high they dont even register on the planes gauge! Yet so...
Lapse In Security
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Traced to a breakdown of vital safety measures, three horrific disasters provoke fundamental changes to airport security procedures around the world.
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Tuesday 3 October at 18:10 CAT
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Wednesday 4 October at 11:00 CAT
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Bomb On Board
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On December 11, 1994, an international terrorist sneaks bomb ingredients past airport security and assembles them inside the bathroom of PAL flight 434. He calculates to make sure that his seat lies directly over the planes fuel tank, and plants the bomb under his seat before disembarking at a stopover in the Philippines. The plane takes off a second time and is headed toward Tokyo when an explosion jolts the plane, creating panicked chaos as the blast kills one, injures ten, and leaves a gaping hole in the planes floor. Not knowing the extent of the damage, 292 terrified passengers pin their hopes of survival on their captain, who expertly manipulates...
Mountain Impact
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Following three horrifying crashes, investigators uncover fatal flaws in the very operations designed to prevent aircraft from flying into mountains.
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Mistaken Identity
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During a sea battle, a military radar operator stationed on a war ship equipped with a highly sophisticated weapons system, mistakenly identifies an approaching civilian aircraft as a hostile F-14. The plane is shot down and all 290 people on board are killed. The ensuing investigation shows how fear led to a chain of errors, and a catastrophic blunder. LONG or PAGE DESCRIPTION ALSO APPROVED July 3, 1988 - Captain Will Rogers III of the USS Vincennes is stationed in the Persian Gulf. His ship carries one of the smartest weapons system ever designed: the billion dollar Aegis system, which can track every aircraft and missile within 200 miles up...
Survivors
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From the wreckage of three airplane crashes, survivors emerge to tell harrowing tales and provide critical data about what to do in an emergency.
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Helicopter Down
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To tap the precious oil reserves in the North Sea, workers must travel hundreds of kilometres by helicopter over treacherous waters to reach their remote drilling platforms. The region is notorious for its turbulent weather, so the pilots of Super Puma helicopter are not surprised when a storm develops during a routine worker transport on January 19, 1995. Already pelted with icy rain, the pilots are struggling to navigate their way through the blinding storm when the unthinkable happens: their helicopter is struck by lightning. The controls shudder and fail, and the pilots are finally forced to ditch into the icy water . They hit the stormy sea...
Death From Above
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Mid-air tragedies are particularly horrifying when they occur over a community, and rain terror on the people below.
Egyptair 990
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October 31, 1999- The night sky is calm when the captain leaves his copilot in command of the Boeing 767 during a bathroom break on the long flight from New York to Cairo. The copilot is alone in the cockpit as the plane suddenly begins to dive , so fast that it creates weightlessness within the passengers cabin. The floating captain claws his way back to his seat in the cockpit, and grapples with the steering system to force the plane back up from 4,800 metres to 7,300 metres. But the aircraft soon plunges into yet another dive, this one irreversible. At 1:52 a.m., Egypt Air flight 990 disappears from radar, vanishing into the Atlantic around...
Courage In The Cockpit
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Devastating failures in the air put pilots to the test, and shine a light on three astonishing feats of flying.
Maintenance Mistakes
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A trio of crashes reveal that when the nuts and bolts of maintenance go unchecked, it can spell catastrophe.
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Kid In The Cockpit
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Newly equipped with a fleet of Airbus jets, the Russian company Aeroflot inaugurates a new nonstop route from Moscow to Hong Kong. A little over a year later on March 22, 1994 the elite reserve captain of the now routine flight is also a proud father, inviting his son and daughter to visit the cockpit and even allowing the children a few minutes in the captains seat. " May I turn this?" asks the boy. Moments later, the plane is tilting at a deadly 45 degree angle, and being thrown into a corkscrew dive. The plane is flying so fast that the force of gravity inside the plane first doubles, then quadruples, making it impossible for the captain to...
Greek Ferry Disaster
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Outside the small Greek island of Paros, a landmark rock formation called the Gates of Paros towers above the sea, topped with a navigation light. Ships normally travel at least 740 metres left of the rocks, but on the night of September 26, 2000, the Samina Express speeds directly toward the treacherous rocks. The boat grinds against the jagged rocks, gouging open the side of the ship. As the ferry sinks in the midst of a raging storm, frantic passengers scramble to find life jackets and emergency rafts on the under-equipped boat. Many of the 533 who were on board are left thrashing in the two-metre waves, fighting to be rescued by local fishing...
Take Off Tragedies
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Three flights ending in tragedy, prove that minor missteps during takeoff can have disastrous consequences.
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Train Collision
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February 8, 1986 Four kilometers before the double track narrows to a single railway outside the town of Hinton, Alberta, Canada, a 12 million-kilogram, 2 kilometer-long freight train on the upper track approaches a yellow caution light alerting it to slow down. Meanwhile, a Super Continental passenger train on the single railway speeds toward the same intersection from the opposite direction with permission to continue onto the lower track. Ignoring warnings, the freight train races by the yellow lights and picks up speed to 96 kph as it flies past red lights telling it to stop before it reaches the shared railway. The freight train slams through...
Runaway Train
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Before a Southern Pacific Railroad freight train leaves the station on May 12, 1989, workers load the cars with some 2700 tonnes more weight that the conductor expects. The conductor is never informed of the increase, and becomes aware of the uncontrollable weight of his train only while speeding down a mountain outside San Bernadino, U.S. Overloaded and with half his brakes inoperable, the conductor is unable to stop the train from derailing at the base of the mountain and roaring into the small town. The train ploughs through a quaint residential street, demolishing seven homes, and killing both residents and drivers. The town struggles to come...
African Hijack
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On November 23, 1996, three men storm the cockpit of Ethiopian Airlines flight 961. The men shout that they are hijacking the plane and have a bomb. Armed with an axe and a fire extinguisher, they beat the copilot, and then demand that the pilot chart a course for Australia. The pilot tries to explain that the plane doesnt have enough fuel to travel that far, but when he cant convince them of the truth, he decides to trick them instead. Rather than flying east across the Indian Ocean, he flies south along the African coast, hoping to stay close to land and any airport along the way. But soon, the fuel supply dwindles, both engines lose power,...
Falling From The Sky
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Headline News
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Three devastating crashes make front page news around the globe, and the media frenzy puts intense pressure on investigators to uncover the true cause of these deadly disasters.
Blowout
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Within minutes of take off, the crew and passengers aboard British Airways Flight 111, know something is terribly wrong. A loud bang is heard from the cockpit. The windshield has popped off and the captain has been sucked out through the opening. His body is plastered to the side of the plane and the plane is diving quickly. The co-pilot is in a desperate situation, he's never flown the plane before, the sound of the wind is deafening and he can't hear the replies from air traffic controllers who are trying to help him gain control of the plane. Against all odds, the co-pilot successfully lands the plane and miraculously the captain survives....
Rookie Errors
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The simplest mistakes are at the heart of some of the worst airline accidents, and while commercial pilots undergo hours of training and testing, even experienced pilots can make deadly rookie errors.
Wounded Bird
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On August 21, 1995, Flight ASA 529 took off from Atlanta, Georgia, headed for Gulfport, Mississippi. Shortly after take-off there was a loud thud, followed by a continual thumping noise. The 26 Passengers on board could see that one of the four propeller blades was now just a stub and the mangled mass of the engine was glued to the left wing. The plane was now effectively flying on one wing! The flight crew desperately tried to keep the plane airborne, but was forced to make a crash landing. Miraculously, all the passengers and crew survived the crash. But within seconds, a raging fire broke out, forcing the passengers to run through searing flames....
Collision Course
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Facing deadly tragedies that could have been avoided, investigators comb through the wreckage of three separate midair collisions in a race to prevent another fatal impact.
Hijacked
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In Algiers on Christmas Eve in 1994, an Air France Airbus carrying 239 people was hijacked by four Algerian terrorists just before take off. They demanded the release from prison of Muslim leaders held by the Algerian authorities. 63 passengers were released, but the Algerian politicians refused to meet the hijackers' demands. In retaliation, the hijackers killed a passenger and dumped the body. The Algerians leadership was unmoved. A second passenger was killed and then a third. As a result of pressure exerted by the French government, the plane took off for Marseilles. 39 hours have passed. Once in Marseilles, the French authorities conducted...
Engines Out
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When an aircraft loses total engine power, a pilot's training can make all the difference in the world, but it's still up to investigators to determine what went wrong.
Mid-Air Collision
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A party of Russian school children is on board a Tupolev 154 on its way to a holiday in Spain. A DHL courier plane is flying from Italy to Belgium. Their paths cross on the German/Swiss border. Back at the traffic control room, a lone controller is left to supervise two screens a meter apart. The planes head toward each other and pilots radio the controller. Unfortunately, he is at the other screen and doesn't hear them until it's too late. The two planes descend into each other and 71 people die, most of them children. The TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) could have saved them - what went wrong?
Fuel Trouble
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Three mysterious accidents send investigators hunting for clues. In the end, all three trails lead back to the same source-the fuel tank.
Crash On The Mountain
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American Airlines Flight 965 from Miami, USA to Cali, Colombia is one of the many delayed flights during the peak holiday season. In an effort to recover lost time, the pilots push the Boeing 757 full speed to the last. Flown by two experienced pilots, the passenger jet is equipped with every computerized navigation aid. The system goes awry just as the pilots intend to land. Rushing a landing, they find themselves disoriented and headed into a mountainside. As they struggle to pull the plane back into a climb, it stalls. Four survivors, the air traffic control in Cali and one flight recorder serve as guides for investigators to reconstruct the...
Perilous Payload
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Three planes fatally out of balance force investigators to question every calculation. It's a flight risk preventable, and yet repeated disasters reconfirm the need for critical backup systems.
Deadly Delay
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A layer of fog blankets New York City causing flight delays up to three hours long. As air traffic controllers at JFK manage numerous planes in the face of a coming storm, Avianca Flight 052 with 158 crew and passengers has been circling the sky for over 77 minutes running down to the last few dregs of fuel. Despite urgent messages from the crew, the air traffic control tower has not given the plane permission to land. At last, clearance is given, but it's too late. The plane crashes into a Long Island hillside killing 73 people. What the ensuing investigation uncovers leaves many wondering if the crash could have even been avoided.
Runway In Sight
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If pilots aren't prepared when the runway is in sight, a landing can quickly become a tragedy. On its final approach, an Indonesian passenger jet smashes down at a catastrophically high speed.
Deadly Confusion
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Spatial disorientation is one of the leading causes of all air accidents. Even the most experienced pilots are susceptible to its subtle yet deadly effects.
Radio Silence
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Radio silence between pilots and air traffic controllers can mean many different things, but only the physical evidence can reveal the true story. Three cases send investigators hunting for answers.
Design Flaws
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Drawing the attention of the entire world, three fatal design flaws put air crash investigators in a storm of controversy.

Communication Breakdown
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Some of the deadliest air crashes in history have been caused by simple misunderstandings, and it's a tiny error in the cockpit that brought tragedy to Quincy Airport in Illinois.
Communication Breakdown
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Some of the deadliest air crashes in history have been caused by simple misunderstandings, and it's a tiny error in the cockpit that brought tragedy to Quincy Airport in Illinois.
Air Crash Investigation 1, Unlocking Disaster
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Unlocking Disaster Just out of Honolulu the cargo door of United Airlines Flight 811 opens , ripping a huge hole in the 747 taking out five rows of seats -and nine passengers - with it. Mayday investigates how delays in fixing known design faults can have tragic consequences.
Bad Attitude
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When BEA Flight 548 crashes just moments after takeoff, investigators unravel a tragic combination of human factors centered around the captain.
Air Crash Investigation 1, Racing The Storm
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Flight 1420, an American Airlines MD-82, leaves Dallas-Fort Worth for Little Rock two hours late due to thunderstorms. To keep the airline schedules on track, the American Airlines dispatcher tells the crew to "expedite their arrival" to beat the storms to the Little Rock airfield. It's a short hop and radar weather data shows a clear corridor, or a "bowling alley," as the dispatcher calls it, through which Flight 1420 should be able to fly to its destination. Captain Richard Buschmann and co-pilot Michael Origel prepare to beat the storm. One hundred miles from Little Rock, as 1420 begins its descent, severe thunderstorms close in on the airfield,...
Bad Attitude
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When BEA Flight 548 crashes just moments after takeoff, investigators unravel a tragic combination of human factors centered around the captain.
Air Crash Investigation 1, Fire On Board
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The pilot of Swissair Flight 111 smells smoke in the cockpit less than an hour after take-off. It's a race against time to dump fuel and land. Minutes later fire and complete electrical failure cause the MD11 to crash into the Atlantic killing all 229 passengers and crew on board. Mayday searches for the cause of the fire and asks why it spread so destructively so quickly.
Hero Pilots
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An airliner is crippled after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, and the courageous captain pulls off an amphibious landing in the Hudson River.
Hero Pilots
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An airliner is crippled after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, and the courageous captain pulls off an amphibious landing in the Hudson River.
Plane Versus Pilot
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During a routine test flight, one of the world's most advanced planes nosedives into the Mediterranean.
Air Crash Investigation 1, Cutting Corners
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Shortly after Air Alaska Flight 261 takes off from Puerto Vallarta, the horizontal stabilizer - which controls the angle of the plane in flight - malfunctions. The pilots struggle to control the nose-diving plane but it rolls and dives into the ocean. The eighty-eight passengers and crew on board die. Mayday tells the story of how maintenance errors lead to a fatal crash.
Plane Versus Pilot
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During a routine test flight, one of the world's most advanced planes nosedives into the Mediterranean.
Explosive Evidence
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Innocent lives are lost when civilian planes inadvertently become targets, but each incident teaches us vital lessons about how to better protect commercial airliners from the heat of war.
Air Crash Investigation 1, Flying Blind
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As Aeroperu Flight 603 takes off from Lima at night its airspeed and altitude indicators seem to be malfunctioning.The flight crew is flying blind and headed for disaster. The Air Traffic Control tower is getting false readings from the plane's computer. The 757 crashes into the Pacific, killing all 70 on board. Mayday traces the cause of the computer malfunction and charts its tragic consequences.
Explosive Evidence
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Innocent lives are lost when civilian planes inadvertently become targets, but each incident teaches us vital lessons about how to better protect commercial airliners from the heat of war.
Killer in the Cockpit?
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A 737 cruising above an Indonesian jungle suddenly plummets from the sky. An Airbus A-320 crashes into the French Alps. And, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 vanishes over the South China Sea, and remains one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time.
Air Crash Investigation 1, Flying On Empty
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On a warm evening an Airbus A-330 passenger jet operated by an experienced Air Transat flight crew leaves Toronto for Lisbon, Portugal. This flight will never arrive at its destination. To large commercial jets, running out of fuel is a critical problem. When it occurs 85 nautical miles from the nearest land, it can end in catastrophe. Flying on Empty reveals how such a situation can arise, despite the safeguards modern airliners have to prevent them from running out of fuel.
Killer in the Cockpit?
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A 737 cruising above an Indonesian jungle suddenly plummets from the sky. An Airbus A-320 crashes into the French Alps. And, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 vanishes over the South China Sea, and remains one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time.
Missing Pieces
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Three horrifying accidents capture the world's attention, and in order to solve these deadly mysteries, hero investigators are pushed to the limit to uncover the hidden clues.
Missing Pieces
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Three horrifying accidents capture the world's attention, and in order to solve these deadly mysteries, hero investigators are pushed to the limit to uncover the hidden clues.
Controversial Crashes
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Safety in the sky depends on the outcome of air crash investigations. But sometimes investigators disagree, and the pressure intensifies when the victims are famous.
Controversial Crashes
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Safety in the sky depends on the outcome of air crash investigations. But sometimes investigators disagree, and the pressure intensifies when the victims are famous.
Deadly Distractions
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In 1981, the Federal Aviation Administration established the sterile cockpit rule requiring pilots to refrain from non-essential activities during critical phases of flight.
Deadly Distractions
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In 1981, the Federal Aviation Administration established the sterile cockpit rule requiring pilots to refrain from non-essential activities during critical phases of flight.
Fire On Board
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One of aviation's worst nightmares, a fire on board can have disastrous consequences. And though these epic tragedies have exacted a terrible human cost, they've also lead the way towards safer skies.
Fire On Board
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One of aviation's worst nightmares, a fire on board can have disastrous consequences. And though these epic tragedies have exacted a terrible human cost, they've also lead the way towards safer skies.

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