Episodes

• 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.

• 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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  Thursday 11 February at 20:10 CAT

  On National Geographic

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  Next Showing

  Friday 12 February at 01:10 CAT

  On National Geographic

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• 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.

• 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.

• 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?

• 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.

• Heat of The Moment

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  When aviation decisions are made in the heat of the moment, even minor issues can have fatal consequences. A dashcam captures the horrific crash as a Taiwanese airliner nosedives into a river. Warned of a problem that doesn't exist, a KLM crew inadvertently sparks a cascade of deadly errors. And, for a revolutionary new spacecraft, a split-second decision spells a supersonic disaster.

• Instrument Confusion

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  Aviation relies on precision and accuracy. So when critical instruments in the cockpit can't be trusted, the consequences can be fatal. A Boeing 737 vanishes from radar over one of the most remote areas on earth. A Korean cargo jet slams into the English countryside just moments after takeoff. And, an inexperienced crew faces a horrific pileup of errors on a late-night flight over Russia.

• Vip On Board

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  Crashes involving high-profile passengers make international headlines and, placing investigators under tremendous pressure to come up with answers as the world looks on. A diplomat's secret mission ends with a mystery that lingers for decades. Tragedy strikes when pilots gamble with the lives of a famous Brazilian football team. And, a US Air Force jet carrying an American VIP crashes in war-torn Croatia.

• Lapse In Security

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  Traced to the breakdown of vital safety measures, three horrific air disasters provoke fundamental changes to airport security procedures around the world. A passenger plane is obliterated in the California hills and investigators find a smoking gun in the wreckage. A 747 explodes over the Atlantic. And, after a routine landing, fire engulfs a commuter plane in Taiwan.

• Mountain Impact

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  Following three horrifying crashes, investigators uncover fatal flaws in the very operations designed to prevent aircraft from plowing into mountains. Somehow flying in the wrong direction, a passenger jet crashes in the Himalayas. A Chinese airliner collides with a hillside just miles from a Korean airport. And, an Airbus crash in France reveals a deadly high-tech blind spot.

• 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. Pummeled by a storm, a DC-9 flames out and crash lands on a Georgia highway. An accelerating plane suddenly careens off the tarmac in Denver. And, a Korean jumbo jet smashes into a hilside on approach to Guam.

• 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. A thrilling day at the air show turns into a nightmare for spectators in Reno. A Learjet spirals into the heart of Mexico City and sets the financial district ablaze. And, after a catastrophic mid-air collision, a DC-9 nosedives into a Los Angeles suburb.

• Courage In The Cockpit

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  A DC-10 loses all hydraulics when an engine explodes over Iowa. The crew of Qantas Flight 32 is overwhelmed by alarms after an explosion rocks their massive A-380. And, a Northwest Airlines 747 is cruising 35,000 feet above the Bering Sea when the unthinkable happens. Devastating systems 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. A mechanic's error in judgement leads to a terrifying mid-flight disaster in Texas. Botched maintenance and a missing cotter pin leads to a life-and-death struggle for three cargo pilots. And, after a twin turboprop goes missing in the North Sea, investigators uncover a criminal empire half a world away.

• Take Off Tragedies

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  Three flights ending in tragedy, prove that minor missteps during takeoff can have disastrous consequences. With a typhoon quickly approaching, a 747 in Taiwan crashes on the tarmac. In Detroit, a DC-9 barely lifts off before leaving behind a mile-long trail of scorched debris. And, after a minor repair in Madrid, a distracted crew makes a deadly mistake.

• 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. On September 11th, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 disappears from radar and slams into Pentagon. When TWA Flight 800 explodes over Long Island, a media reports spark a four year investigation. And, when an Air France Concorde crashes in Paris just seconds after takeoff, it signals the end of the supersonic era.

• 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 hundreds of hours of training and testing, even experienced pilots can make deadly rookie errors. A botched takeoff in Buenos Aires kills 60 people and the cause stuns investigators. Just two months after 9/11, American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in Queens, New York, igniting fears that America is once again under attack. And, when Continental Airlines 3407 stalls above Buffalo, the flight crew's baffling reaction proves fatal.

• 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. In California, a massive passenger plane collides with one of the fastest fighter jets in the sky. Seven years later, another deadly collision leaves investigators puzzled and San Diego in shock. And, in India, two passenger jets collide causing the world's deadliest-ever midair collision.

• 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. An Airbus flames out en route to Hong Kong, and the crew is determined to avoid a disastrous ocean ditching. En route to Australia, a mysterious engine failure ultimately leads to a giant leap in aviation safety. And, after a terrifying ten-kilometer freefall, a captain is hailed as a hero by passengers, but the resulting investigation tells a different story.

• 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. Minutes before touching down in Portland, United Airlines 173 loses all four engines over a densely populated suburb. In Japan, a Boeing 737 lands safely, but then catches fire with all 165 passengers and crew still on board. And, nearly 700 miles off course, the crew of Varig Flight 254 are forced to make a crash landing in the Amazon jungle.

• Perilous Payload

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  Three planes fatally out of balance force investigators to question every calculation. It's a flight risk that's entirely preventable, and yet repeated disasters reconfirm the need for critical backup systems. With nearly 90,000 pounds of denim on board, a cargo plane in Miami crashes moments after lifting off. A packed commuter flight slams into a North Carolina hangar, revealing a deadly industry oversight. And, the NTSB is called in when a jumbo jet loaded with armored military vehicles pancakes to the ground in Afghanistan.

• 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. Without warning, a Delta flight crew faces a deadly storm just before touchdown in Dallas. And, tragedy strikes in San Francisco when a Boeing 777 crew lands short of the runway.

• 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. A confused John F. Kennedy Jr. disappears on the way to Martha's Vineyard. High over the Red Sea, a captain loses his bearings and crashes his passenger jet. And, off the coast of Indonesia, pilots fly their Boeing 737 into a violent storm and end up on the ocean floor.

• 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 shocking cases send investigators hunting for answers. A Greek airliner goes rogue and crashes outside Athens. A China Airlines 747 disappears from radar and the culprit is discovered on the ocean floor. And, when controllers lose contact with a private jet, fighter planes scramble to intervene.

• 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. When one of former race car driver Niki Lauda's planes nosedives into a Thai jungle, a one-in-a-million failure reveals a weak spot in every Boeing 767. A piece of the plane blows off a Turkish Airlines DC-10 causing the most catastrophic mid-air emergency of its time. And, a risky test flight is the only way to uncover the startling truth about what brought down Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311.

• Killer in the Cockpit?

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  Compared to the number of suicides in the general population, suicidal pilots are almost statistically non-existent. But when they do emerge from obscurity to unleash their horrific plans on innocent passengers, the destruction they inflict is epic. 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. A commercial jet plunges into the Florida Everglades and investigators face one of the most hazardous scenes imaginable. When a Boeing 777 crash lands at Heathrow Airport, investigators can't find anything wrong with the aircraft. And, a devastating crash shatters a Scottish village becoming the largest crime scene in the world.

• 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. When this rule is broken, the resulting distraction can be deadly. Passengers fight for their lives inside a burning plane at Dallas Fort Worth Airport. A brand new L-1011 crashes in a remote swamp in the Florida Everglades. And, during a demonstration flight, a brand new Russian Superjet slams into a mountain south of Jakarta.