Air Disasters

Cracks in the System

Chalk's Ocean Airways flight 101 crashes just after take-off from Watson Island in Miami.

Target is Destroyed

Korean Airlines Flight 007 is shot down by a fighter jet when it enters Soviet airspace.

Cruel Skies

The importance of weather forecasting to the aviation industry.

Panic on the Runway

In August, 1985, an airplane's engine catches fire as it accelerates.

Alarming Silence

Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes shortly after take-off in Detroit.

Cold Case

A design flaw on the Fokker F28 causes two similar plane crashes in Ontario and New York.

Pilot vs. Plane

Air France Flight 296 fails to regain altitude after performing a flyby during an air show.

System Breakdown

Five aviation disasters and the changes they have forced air-traffic controllers to make.

The Final Blow

An Air Inter flight crashes into the Vosges Mountains while attempting to land.

Cleared for Disaster

An air traffic controller's mistake causes two planes to collide on the runway.

The Plane That Flew Too High

The West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crash ultimately leads to bankruptcy of the troubled airline.

Deadly Reputation

AM Airlines Flight 3054 slides off a runway and crashes into a warehouse next to a petrol station.

Blind Spot

In 1978, passengers and seven people on the ground die when a PSA flight crashed into a Cessna.

Mayday Munich

Manchester United football team's plane crashes while returning from Yugoslavia, killing 23 aboard.

I'm the Problem

Moments before a Pacific Southwest flight crashes in California, gunshots are heard in the cabin.

Impossible Landing

United Airlines Flight 232 crashes into Sioux City's runway in 1989.

Turning Point

A Northwest Airlines flight above the Bering Sea must make an emergency landing in Anchorage.

Breakup Over Texas

Continental Express Flight 2574 suffers wing damage and goes into a dive falling out of the sky.

Under Pressure

A burst tire creates an in-flight fire on flight 2120 which causes passengers and crew to perish.

The Invisible Plane

Moments after take-off, SAS Flight 686 collides with a Cessna on the runway.

Bad Attitude

A Korean Air Cargo flight crashes in a field moments after takeoff from England's Stansted Airport.

Split Decision

Arrow Air Flight 1285 with 248 American soldiers on board crashes after refueling in Newfoundland.

Nowhere to Land

An emergency landing during a violent storm kills the engines of a 737.

Fight for Control

The emergency landing of a Reeve Aleutian Airlines plane over the Pacific Ocean.

Fire in the Hold

A plane crash into the alligator-infested Florida Everglades.

Caution to the Wind

As a typhoon bears down on Taiwan, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 hurtles down the runway through high winds and rain. Bu

Pushed to the Limit

It's a clear and calm December day in 1997 when a Boeing 737 suddenly plummets from the sky into an Indonesian jungle at

Blind Landing

Just three miles from its destination and assaulted by severe weather, TANS Peru Flight 204, crashes in Peru's Amazon ju

Grand Canyon

Two commercial airliners go missing over the Arizona desert, and are later found in pieces, scattered along the Grand Ca

Catastrophe at O'Hare

It was the deadliest aviation disaster in U.S. history of its time. The 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191 terri

Focused on Failure

Just minutes before touching down in Portland International Airport, all four engines of a DC-8 mysteriously flame out.

Hockey Team Tragedy

A Russian passenger jet crashes into the Volga River, killing almost everyone on board. The incident turns into a nation

Death of the President

It was an air disaster that crippled a country, heightened tensions between two nations, and ignited conspiracy theories

Subtle Incapacitation

Five minutes into Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, something goes wrong. The pilots lose control of their aircraft, and be

Seconds to Survive

Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518 is about to embark on a difficult, but common, trip from Merida, Venezuela to Caracas.

Vanished

On June 1, 2009, a modern Airbus A330, traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, vanished somewhere over the Atlantic. The

Fight to the Death

Can a generation gap actually cause a catastrophic air disaster? Witness the story of BEA Flight 548, a scheduled passen

Speed Trap

On June 6, 1971, Hughes Airwest Flight 706, a Douglas DC-9-31, enroute from Los Angeles, California, to Salt Lake City,

Lost in Translation

In January 2000, Crossair Flight 498, a Saab 340 commuter flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Dresden, Germany, crashed

Tragedy on the Potomac

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737-222, crashed into the 14th Street Bridge and plunged through th

Queens Catastrophe

On November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587, enroute from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to the

Into the Eye of the Storm

In September of 1989, NOAA 42 “Kermit” flew a research mission into Hurricane Hugo, east of Barbados. On approach, t

Massacre Over the Mediterranean

In June of 1980, Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 that left Guglielmo Marconi airport in Bolo

Imperfect Pitch

In November of 2008, XL Airways Germany Flight 888T crashed at high speed into the Mediterranean Sea killing all 7 on bo

Getting Out Alive

Did you know 80% of all air accidents are survivable? See how the aviation industry is working to raise that number as s

Terror in Paradise

In August 2007, what should have been a seven-minute island-hop from Moorea to Tahiti, in French Polynesia, ended in dis

Titanic in the Sky

The world's largest commercial airliner is coming apart in midair. Fortunately, the pilots are keeping it all together.

Hanging by a Thread

The 1988 flight of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, which saw the top of its fuselage torn off due to an explosive decompressi

Attack Over Baghdad

A surface-to-air missile cripples a cargo plane just after it leaves Baghdad International Airport.

Out of Control

Japan Airlines Flight 123, the worst single-plane crash in history and the simple error made years earlier that caused i

Fight for Your Life

FedEx employees fend off an attack by a coworker.

Bomb on Board

A mid-flight bombing aboard Philippine Airlines Flight 434 forces its pilots to attempt a daring landing at Naha Airport

Mistaken Identity

A Navy cruiser in the Persian Gulf must determine if an incoming plane is friend or foe.

Helicopter Down

The 1995 crash of a Super Puma helicopter in the North Sea while ferrying workers to an oil platform is recounted.

Death and Denial

The worst plane crash in Egypt's history becomes one the most controversial when the investigation focuses on one pilot'

Kid in the Cockpit

A pilot allows his teen son to fly the plane; tragedy results.

Ocean Landing

The story of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, which was hijacked while on a routine trip to the Ivory Coast. The hijackers

Miracle Escape

An August 2005 incident in which an Airbus A340 skidded off a runway, endangering the lives of more than 300 people on b

Falling from the Sky

A passenger jet tries to make it to land when it runs into trouble over the Indian Ocean.

Fire Fight

A smoke-filled DC-10 makes an emergency landing in Cincinnati and, 90 seconds later, bursts into flames.

Missed Approach

The 1997 crash of Korean Air Flight 801, which occurred when the crew attempted an instrument landing during a heavy rai

Hidden Danger

Two deadly Boeing 737 crashes during the 1990s are investigated.

Panic Over the Pacific

The story of China Airlines Flight 006, which almost crashed into the Pacific Ocean after experiencing engine trouble. T

Out of Sight

The investigation into a midair collision over Cerritos, Cal., leads to improvements in how planes are monitored.

Fog of War

The 1996 crash in Croatia of USAF IFO-21, an executive transport aircraft carrying Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and 34 o

Vertigo

An examination of the crash over the Red Sea in January 2004.

Ghost Plane

The case of Helios Airways 737, in which a passenger flight circling Athens fails to respond to air-traffic controllers.

Choosing Sides

One of the worst crashes in British history has a stunning cause that changed aviation safety forever.

Testing the Limits

What caused a 767 to break apart in mid-air? A world-famous race car driver discovers a surprising answer.

Vanishing Act

After a terrifying crash, survivors face a new challenge: surviving the remote Brazilian jungle.

Sideswiped

Relive the crash of Copa Airlines Flight 201 and the harrowing investigation in one of the world's most remote jungles.

The Final Push

See if two MD-11 planes crashes, nearly 12 years apart, were both the result of pilot error or a flaw in the aircraft it

The Death of JFK Jr.

Relive one of the most shocking air disasters in American history as we revisit the 1999 crash that killed JFK Jr.

Concorde - Up in Flames

Follow investigators as they use the few remaining pieces of a fiery crash to explain a Concorde's doomed flight.

Accident or Assassination

Mexico's war with drug cartels appears to reach a terrifying new level when a special government charter carrying the pr

No Clear Options

When a commuter turboprop plane crashes at an Irish airport, investigators uncover a startling gap in aviation safety.

Death in the Arctic

An investigation of a charter plane that moves off course and goes down in Canada's far north.

Fatal Transmission

In 1996, at Quincy Regional Airport in Illinois, United Express Flight 5925, a Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop, collided

Terror in San Francisco

On July 6, 2013, when Asiana Flight 214 crashed after striking the seawall short of the runway on final approach into Sa

High Rise Catastrophe

In October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a cargo jet heading from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv suddenly begins rolling violently jus

Fatal Focus

What caused Garuda Flight 200 to slam to the ground and careen off the runway in Yogyakarta, Indonesia? Was it a powerfu

Fatal Delivery

In September 2010, shortly after taking off from Dubai, UPS Flight 6 catches fire. With flames spreading throughout the

Carnage in Sao Paolo

Not far from Congonhas Airport, a Sao Paulo neighborhood is in flames. It's a scene of devastation caused by TAM Airline

Deadly Delay

Just seconds after taking off from Madrid International Airport, Spanair Flight 5022 rolls to the right and slams into a

Steep Impact

The 1991 crash of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 to Brunswick, Georgia claims the lives of a NASA astronaut and

Edge of Disaster

A routine landing in October 2006 on the Norwegian island of Stord turns fatal for Atlantic Airways Flight 670 when the

Deadly Mission

It's 1961. Air traffic controllers and local dignitaries in Ndola, Africa await the arrival of UN Secretary General Dag

Deadly Silence

A private Learjet carrying golf legend and reigning U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart takes off from Orlando heading for

The Pentagon Attack

A Boeing 757 takes off from Washington Dulles International Airport en route to Los Angeles. In minutes, hijackers storm

Disaster at Tenerife

Nearly half a century later, it remains history's deadliest air crash. The 1977 collision of two jumbo jets at a tiny ai

Deadly Detail

The chances of a catastrophic event happening after a plane parks are nearly nonexistent, which is why the incident aboa

Deadly Detour

A short hop from Lyon, France to Brittany in 1998 is extended when pilots of Proteus Airlines Flight 706, a Beechcraft 1

Dangerous Approach

Continental Express Flight 2286, a Trans-Colorado Airlines commuter plane, flies over the Rocky Mountains heading to Dur

Murder in the Skies

It's a routine takeoff on an ordinary morning in 2015 when Germanwings Flight 9525 leaves Barcelona for Dusseldorf. But

River Runway

During Indonesia's unpredictable rainy season, a Boeing 737 suddenly finds itself in the middle of a violent storm in Ja

Deadly Solution

Just days after Christmas in 2014, an Airbus A320 en route to Singapore disappears over the Java Sea. A massive search c

Afghan Nightmare

It's April 2013. A 747 cargo plane leaves Afghanistan's largest airfield with 207,000 pounds of military equipment. With

Explosive Proof

After a long delay on a hot July evening in 1996, TWA Flight 800 leaves John F. Kennedy Airport carrying 230 passengers

Killer Attitude

On a commuter flight from Minneapolis to Hibbing in 1993, Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 descends into the clouds on a co

Deadly Myth

A blackened scar on a frozen field near Detroit marks the fatal impact zone of Flight 3272. The sudden loss of 29 lives

The Turning Point

Air China Flight 129 prepares to land at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea when a direction from air tr

Lethal Turn

A routine flight from Jakarta to Medan, Indonesia encounters a very non-routine obstacle: forest fires that are sending

Storming Out

It was supposed to be a routine 50-minute hop from Columbia, SC to Charlotte, NC for USAir Flight 1016. But in an instan

Caught on Tape

It was a state-of-the-art commuter plane making a simple one-hour flight from Taipei to a Taiwanese island off the coast

Terror Over Egypt

An Airbus A321 carrying Russian tourists back from Egypt in 2015 suddenly disappears from radar minutes after takeoff. A

Deadly Discussions

A 737 leaving Buenos Aires fails to lift off in August 1999, hurtling past the airport and crashing into a nearby indust

The Lost Plane

An Airbus A310 is minutes from reaching Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport when it disappears in the Himalayas.

Nuts and Bolts

Emery Worldwide Flight 17 leaves Sacramento Mather Airport in February 2000 while carrying a load of freight containers.

Blown Away

The landing of a TransAsia commuter flight in bad weather goes horribly wrong in July 2014. The plane crashes less than

Deadly Distraction

A Boeing 727 leaving Dallas for Salt Lake City on August 31, 1988 crashes just moments after takeoff, killing 14 of the

Deadly Airspace

A commercial airliner whisks 283 passengers from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on a flight path that will take them over a c

Deadly Display

The state-of-the-art Russian aircraft Sukhoi Superjet 100 takes flight on what's meant to be a tight, 30-minute loop ove

Deadly Space

In the skies above the Mojave Desert, Virgin Galactic's commercial spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, accelerates toward the oute

Free Fall

Qantas Airways Flight 72 cruises at 37,000 feet to Perth, Australia from Singapore. Suddenly, the highly automated A-330

Deadly Inclination

A DC-9 lines up for a nighttime landing at Zurich's Kloten Airport. Although the pilots can't see the runway, their navi

Deadly Go Round

China Airlines Flight 140 is less than three minutes from touching down at Japan's Nagoya Airport. Suddenly, the highly

Dead of Winter

As Denver air traffic controllers struggle to keep departures on schedule amid heavy snow in 1987, a DC-9 is delayed on

Deadly Descent

See what happens when an airbus A330 loses power to both its engines over the South China Sea.

Death Race

When a modified WWII fighter plane crashes into the crowd at a Nevada air show, investigators struggle to find the cause

Fatal Approach

A false warning in the cockpit triggers a series of pilot errors, sending a commuter plane crashing by the runway of an

Borderline Tactics

When a DC-8 cargo jet crashes on approach to a U.S. naval base in Guantanamo, investigators wonder if Cuba played a role

Deadly Pitch

Discover why a cargo plane, operating as Fine Fir Flight 101, lost control after takeoff and plowed through a Miami high

Fatal Climb

A commercial airliner crashes minutes after taking off from an airport in Bucharest causing suspicions to rise.

Runway Runoff

A Boeing 737, seconds before liftoff from Denver to Houston, races off the runway, hits a steep ridge, and briefly goes

Lethal Limits

Two Russian pilots with limited experience flying Boeing 737s attempt to land one in the middle of the night with both o

Soccer Tragedy

LaMia Flight 2933, carrying Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team, is approaching Medellin, Colombia to play for the prestigi

Slam Dunk

At the end of a quick trip from Washington, D.C. to Columbus, Ohio, the captain of United Express Flight 6291 grows conc

Communication Breakdown

Some of the deadliest air disasters in history have been caused by simple miscommunications. A tiny error in the cockpit

Fatal Friction

Passengers place their lives in the hands of pilots on every flight. While pilots are highly trained to handle a wide va

Hero Pilots

An airliner leaving LaGuardia Airport in New York is crippled after flying through a flock of birds. A Canadian flight c

No Control

Some of aviation's worst disasters involved the world's most advanced passenger planes. Often, the calamities are caused

Explosive Clues

When civilian airliners explode in the sky, rumors involving terrorist plots and enemy acts often follow. It's up to inv

Killer in the Cockpit?

A 737 cruising above an Indonesian jungle suddenly plummets from the sky. An Airbus A320 crashes into the French Alps. M

Missing Pieces

When a flight ends in disaster, investigators must determine what, and sometimes who, caused the accident. Some cases ar

Controversial Crashes

When planes crash, the pressure is on investigators to uncover what happened. That pressure increases dramatically when

Deadly Disturbance

From takeoff to landing, pilots face countless tasks, each one of vital importance. Any distraction, no matter how minor

Fire On Board

When a fire breaks out on a plane, an emergency situation can escalate to a deadly disaster in seconds. In Manchester, a

Kathmandu Descent

Witness the final minutes of PIA Flight 268 and discover why it crashed into a mountain just minutes from landing.

Impossible Pitch

Witness the doomed flight of a West Air Sweden jet and see how the failure of a single instrument led to catastrophe.

Explosive Touchdown

Most passengers relax after their plane touches down, but when Uni Air Flight 873 landed, that's when the terror began.

Taxiway Turmoil

Follow the investigation to see how a DC-9 ended up on the wrong runway and in the path of an oncoming 727.

Runway Breakup

Landing on a Caribbean island in a severe tropical storm, a Colombian airliner crashes short of the runway. Investigator

Icy Descent

Investigators are stumped when a turboprop slams into an Argentine desert, and it's a microscopic filament that provides

Atlantic Ditching

A helicopter carrying offshore oil workers crashes into the ocean off the coast of Newfoundland and a far-reaching inves

No Warning

Investigators are stumped when a turboprop crashes into an Indonesian mountaintop.

Cockpit Killer

When an African airliner mysteriously crashes, Namibian investigators rule out a host of possible causes before reaching

Stormy Cockpit

A brand-new 737 falls from the sky over West Africa during a major storm, but investigators eventually discover weather

North Sea Nightmare

Enter the cockpit of a high-tech turboprop as its pilots battle to keep their plane from slamming into the North Sea.

Playing Catch Up

Witness the final moments of ExecuFlight Flight 1526 and discover why it crashed into a residential neighborhood.

Tragic Takeoff

Discover how out-of-date taxi charts and a casual conversation conspired to doom the takeoff of Comair Flight 5191.

Grounded: Boeing Max 8

Follow investigators as they race to find out why a best-selling, new plane crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff.

Cabin Catastrophe

Relive the 2018 disaster of Southwest Airlines 1380, in which a passenger was nearly sucked from the plane mid-flight.

Meltdown Over Kathmandu

Witness the Kathmandu crash of US-Bangla 211 and follow detectives as they investigate both the plane and the pilots.

Mission Disaster

A plane loses control during a Gulf War refueling mission and investigators must determine if enemy fire was the cause.

Caught in a Jam

A commuter flight in New Zealand turns horrific for plane crash survivors, who may freeze to death before help arrives.

Seconds from Touchdown

Just 12 minutes after takeoff, a twin turboprop loses hydraulics, an engine, and then catches fire. Find out why.

Deadly Delivery

A last-minute repair may have played a key role in the crash of a plane leaving Madrid International Airport.

Holding Pattern

Discover the surprising reason why a Boeing 737 took a deadly nosedive after circling the runway for two hours.

Peril Over Portugal

All signs point to bad weather causing the crash of Martinair Flight 495... until investigators make an intriguing disco

Stealth Bomber Down

Discover the cause of history's most expensive aviation accident: the 2008 crash of the B-2 bomber Spirit of Kansas.

Double Trouble

An emergency over the French Alps leads to a miraculous landing, followed by the discovery of a small but deadly flaw.

Pacific Plunge

Heroic flying isn't enough to overcome neglectful maintenance in the tragic accident of Alaska Airlines Flight 261.

Terror Over Michigan

Investigators must pull off a risky test flight to see if the pilots of a heroic emergency landing are hiding a secret.

Tree Strike Terror

When a tree-strike takes out both engines of an MD-83, the crew must find a way to land a 60-ton plane with no power.

Pitch Black

When an Illinois turboprop crashes after losing battery power, investigators uncover a series of errors made by the pilo

Turboprop Terror

When a turboprop stalls and crashes into a North Carolina forest, investigators resort to a risky test flight-and uncove

Kobe Bryant

When basketball legend Kobe Bryant is killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, investigators examine the data, the wre

Cockpit Failure

The pilots of Crossair Flight 3597 struggle on their approach to Zurich Airport, hampered by bad weather, an understaffe

The Heathrow Enigma

January 2008. British Airways Flight 38 is about to land at Heathrow Airport when calamity strikes. The Boeing 777, one

Pilot Betrayed

A Scandinavian Airlines flight plummets from the winter sky moments after takeoff, and a seasoned pilot's career comes t

Dead Tired

Follow the tragic crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark, NJ, into a house in Buffalo, NY, a case that

Hudson River Runway

A comprehensive look at the famous “Miracle on the Hudson” emergency landing in January 2009, and the investigation

Who's In Control?

When Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 drops out of the sky on its final approach to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, investigat

Unlocking Disaster

When United Flight 811's cargo door blows off at a high altitude over the Pacific Ocean, the crew acts to bring the pack

Racing The Storm

An MD-82 crash lands in Arkansas during a severe thunderstorm, but investigators believe weather was not the main reason

Fire on Board

A Swissair passenger jet catches fire midflight and crashes into the Atlantic, leading to one of the largest investigati

Cutting Corners

Learn how Alaska Airlines Flight 261's fatal nosedive into the Pacific Ocean led to much-needed mechanical improvements

Flying on Empty

The pilots of Air Transat Flight 236 find themselves gliding without power high above the Atlantic, and investigators mu

Blow Out

The crew of British Airways 5390 springs into action after explosive decompression pulls the pilot out the window, and i

A Wounded Bird

A blade on the left-side propeller of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight breaks off; the imbalance of the rotating prope

The Killing Machine

An Air France Flight is hijacked on the ground at Algiers Airport; terrorists demand the aircraft be allowed to depart f

Flying Blind

A cleaning crew makes a careless error while cleaning a Boeing 757, affecting the plane's computer system and causing it

Deadly Crossroads

A Bashkirian Airlines Flight collides with a DHL Flight in German airspace near Überlingen.

Lost

An American Airlines Flight en route to Cali, Colombia loses their exact position and flies into a mountain.

Missing Over New York

Avianca Flight 52 is delayed numerous times by bad weather en route and is dangerously low on fuel as it attempts a land

Runaway Train

A freight train carrying an excess of cargo loses its brakes while descending a mountain causing it to gain speed and de

Collision Course

A Greek ferry, the Express Samina, is pushed off course by strong waves and crashes into a rock formation, causing 80 pa

Head-On Collision

With its conductors sound asleep, a freight train fails to stop and collides with an oncoming train, resulting in traged

Ripped Apart

Design innovations evolve as a result of terrible air disasters due to pressurization failure or explosive decompression

Fatal Flaw

Accidents caused by minor defects or errors.

Who's Flying the Plane?

Aviation disasters that resulted from problems with autopilots and computerized systems.

Deadly Exchange

A twin-engine turboprop carrying 15 people on a flight from St. Louis is on final approach to Kirksville, Missouri. Visi

Missed Opportunities

Investigators try to determine why Independent Air Flight 1851 was flying below advised altitude when it struck a mounta

Pressure Point

Minutes after takeoff, Japan Airlines Flight 123 experiences a sudden loss of pressurization and crashes into a mountain

Power Play

An investigation into the crash of Airlines PNG Flight 1600 on Papua New Guinea reveals a potentially deadly flaw in the

Control Catastrophe

Equipment and software oversights on Air Astana Flight 1388 cause a critical malfunction immediately after takeoff, forc

Cockpit Catastrophe

When a plane's windshield shatters over the Himalayas, the pilots are forced to make a rapid emergency landing while bat

Dream Flight Disaster

When a British tycoon and his family die in a 2017 Australian seaplane crash, investigators spend over two years searchi

Deadly Deception

The plan to save Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 013 hinges on convincing the violent hijackers that their demands have

Delivery to Disaster

When an Amazon cargo plane nosedives into a swamp outside Houston, the evidence eventually leads investigators to a pilo

Mystery Over the Mediterranean

Evidence from the disappearance of EgyptAir Flight 804 leads investigators to theorize different causes for the plane's

Headline News

American Airlines Flight 77 slams into the Pentagon on America's darkest day of the 21st century. TWA Flight 800 explode

Rookie Errors

While commercial pilots undergo hundreds of hours of training and testing, even experienced pilots can make deadly rooki

Collision Course

Authorities scramble for answers when a passenger plane collides with a military fighter jet in California, and two comm

Engines Out

When an aircraft loses total engine power, a pilot's training can make all the difference in the world.

Fuel Trouble

Three mysterious accidents send investigators hunting for clues. In the end, all three trails lead back to the same sour

Perilous Payload

Three planes fatally out of balance force investigators to question every calculation. It's a flight risk that's entirel

Runway in Sight

If pilots aren't prepared when the runway is in sight, a landing can quickly become a tragedy.

Deadly Confusion

Spatial disorientation is one of the leading causes of all air accidents. Even the most experienced pilots are susceptib

Radio Silence

Radio silence between pilots and air traffic controllers can mean many different things, but only the physical evidence

Design Flaws

When former race car driver Niki Lauda's planes nosedives into a Thai jungle, a one-in-a-million failure reveals a weak

Heat of the Moment

Dashcam footage aids in the investigation of a fatal TransAsia crash, experts determine the cause of a botched emergency

Instrument Confusion

A Boeing 737 vanishes off the radar, a South Korean jet slams into the English countryside moments after takeoff, and an

VIP on Board

Airplane crashes involving high-profile passengers—including a top diplomat and a Brazilian football team—put invest

Lapse in Security

Traced to a breakdown of vital safety measures, three horrific disasters provoke fundamental changes to airport security

Mountain Impact

Following three deadly crashes, investigators uncover dangerous mathematical flaws in the very operations systems design

Survivors

From the wreckage of three airplane crashes, survivors emerge to tell harrowing tales and provide critical data about wh

Death from Above

Mid-air tragedies are particularly horrifying when they occur over a community, and rain terror on the people below.

Courage in the Cockpit

Devastating failures in the air put pilots to the test, and shine a light on three astonishing feats of flying.

Maintenance Mistakes

A trio of crashes reveals that when the nuts and bolts of maintenance go unchecked, it can spell catastrophe.

Take Off Tragedies

Three flights ending in tragedy prove that minor missteps during takeoff can have disastrous consequences.

Dead of Night

Confused, flying blind, and lost in the dark, three crews lose site of the horizon and fall into the same deadly trap.

Engine Gone

Three crews experience the same devastating event; but with radically different outcomes when an engine falls off their

Lethal Choices

Faced with a midair crisis, pilots must make a life or death decision, but the wrong approach can trigger a far more ser

Risky Runways

In Sao Paolo, the Himalayas, and on the Norwegian coast, the toughest landings on earth pushed three flight crews.

Landings Gone Wrong

Relying on instinct rather than the rule book, three flights end in tragedy when crews improvise on their final approach

Frozen Wings

Three planes are brought down by ice and it's up to investigators to determine how modern aircraft could possibly end up

Runway Collisions

Three catastrophic runway collisions raise the same pressing question; a look at how two planes end up on the same runwa

Cockpit Breakdown

Three flights end in tragedy after miscommunication mix-ups and personality clashes; Investigators try to unravel what w

Splash Down

Three last-resort water landings, all handled differently yet each one crucial to improving the outcomes of ditching on

Northern Extremes

Faced with the extreme conditions of the far North, three flights fall out of the sky leaving investigators to uncover t

Scratching the Surface

Twenty minutes after taking off from Taipei, a China Airlines 747 suddenly disappears from radar. A massive rescue missi

Lockerbie Disaster

A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 103, causing the aircraft to disintegrate in mid-air and the wreckage of the aircraft t

Blown Apart

Partnair Flight 394 loses control, breaks up in mid-air, and crashes into the North Sea. The aircraft's vertical stabili

Sight Unseen

The world's deadliest mid-air collision and the overall third-deadliest aircraft accident, Saudia Flight 763 and Kazakhs

Operation Babylift

A United States Air Force transport aircraft conducting the inaugural flight of Operation Babylift suffers an explosive

Falling Fast

Investigators discover a shocking mistake when pilots must ditch their plane in the Mediterranean, killing 14 of the 34

Lost

When Adam Air Flight 574 flies into a storm and crashes into the sea, the investigators cannot believe what actually bro

Deep Freeze

A design flaw sends American Eagle Flight 4184 smashing into a cornfield outside of Chicago, killing all 68 people on bo

Time of War

Mistaken identity and hostile fire over enemy territory are among the many risks that pilots face in war zones around th

Time Critical

In a rush to complete their flights, three different flight crews skip key procedures, ignore signs of danger and make d

Ticking Time Bomb

From corrosion and metal fatigue to faulty repairs, three doomed airlines are brought down by gradually deteriorating pa

Accidents in the Air

From pilot error to meltdowns within air traffic control, investigators dig deep into three mid-air collisions that seem

Impossible Landings

With zero margin for error, three catastrophes are narrowly averted by pilots who manage to land their damaged planes—

Trained to Fail

Failures in pilot training lead to catastrophe in the cockpit.

Deadly Data

With hidden flaws buried in their navigation systems, three planes suffer tragic computer errors.

Poor Piloting

Critical errors in the cockpit cause three planes to fall out of the sky. Facing fatigue, fog, and inadequate training,

Dangerous Winds

Three planes fall prey to fearsome winds, and it’s up to investigators to find out why.

Sabotage

From hijackers to suicidal pilots, three flights fall victim to astonishing acts of sabotage.

Pitch Problems

Alaska Airlines 261 nosedives into the Pacific leaving investigators stumped . A rare storm and a deadly design flaw int

Fight to the Finish

Three flight crews face impossible odds: a Boeing 707 loses engines over the Alps as fire spreads, Air Astana 1388 goes

Bad Data

A billion-dollar Stealth Bomber crashes at a U.S. Air Force base—the costliest aviation disaster ever. Bad data mislea

Landing Hazards

Martinair 495 crashes on a rain-soaked runway in Portugal, showing how weather can doom a landing. American 1572 hits a

Training Ignored

Kobe Bryant dies when a high-tech helicopter crashes on a routine L.A. route—training ignored with deadly results. In

Reckless Approaches

A twin-engine jet slams into an Ohio apartment building in a tragic perfect storm, raising questions about speed, power,

Terror Over The Pacific

A massive explosion tears a hole in a 747 over Hawaii, and the trail of clues ultimately leads investigators to a catast

Disaster At Dutch Harbor

While landing at a notoriously tricky Alaskan island airport, the pilots of a twin turboprop can’t stop their plane.

Deadly Departure

After a DC-8 cargo plane with only three working engines crashes on takeoff in Kansas City, investigators uncover a flaw

Without Warning

Two float planes collide midair near an Alaskan waterfall. One shatters; the other crash-lands intact. With no warning b

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Solving the crash of China Airlines Flight 676 hinges on 11 baffling seconds when neither pilot controls the airplane.

Fight For Survival

With flames emerging through the cockpit floor, the pilots of Pilgrim Airlines 458 manage a heroic landing on a frozen R

Pitch Battle

After Colgan Air 9446 crashes off Cape Cod, investigators must determine what brought down a widely-used commuter aircra

Under Fire

Three hundred people are killed in one of the deadliest aviation accidents of all time after a fire breaks out on board

Lost Star Footballer

With rising young football star Emiliano Sala on board, a chartered Piper Malibu suddenly disappears from radar over the

Deadly Directive

When Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashes shortly after takeoff, the catastrophe leads to the grounding of the entire B

Pacific Ditching

Just after takeoff from Honolulu, TransAir Flight 810 loses power and ditches in the Pacific. Both pilots survive, blami

Running On Empty

An Air Tahoma cargo plane is within sight of a Cincinnati runway when both engines flame out and the turboprop crashes i

Power Struggle

In Indonesia, the deadliest aviation market in the world, a Boeing 737 spirals out of the sky and nosedives into the Jav

Garden day...

Monster Plane

The Aftermath