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Air Disasters

Air Disasters

Statistically, traveling by airplane is safer than driving and other forms of transportation, but when something goes wrong during a flight, it can be catastrophic with potentially hundreds of lives at stake. This series examines some of the world's worst air disasters, using official reports, transcripts and interviews with people involved to tell the stories of midair mishaps and discover what went wrong in each case. Episodes include a discussion of how the weather affects flights -- including stories of aviation disasters and near-misses -- and a New Year's Eve flight that fell from the sky into the Florida Everglades.
14 seasonsDocumentary, DramaTV-14Violence
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Season 1710 of 10 Episodes

  • Flydubai Flight 981 enters a rapid descent and crashes nose-first at Rostov-on-Don Airport in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, after aborting its second landing attempt in poor weather conditions.

  • On December 21, 1992, Martinair Flight 495 crashes off the right side of the runway while attempting to land at Faro Airport in Faro, Portugal, in severe weather conditions, killing 56 of the 340 people on board.

  • When a USAF stealth bomber crashes after takeoff, investigators search for a reason.

  • Trans-Air Service Flight 671 suffers an in-flight separation of its two right engines while en route to Kano, Nigeria, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base in France.

  • Fifteen minutes after taking off from Puerto Vallarta for San Francisco, the pilots of an MD-83 realize something is very wrong with their plane.

  • After a Boeing 727's near-fatal nosedive over Michigan, investigators risk their own lives to determine what caused the aircraft to lose control.

  • After a passenger jet miraculously survives a collision with trees while landing, investigators attempt to uncover why the plane was flying so low.

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

  • When a turboprop stalls and crashes into a North Carolina forest, investigators resort to a risky test flight-and uncover an industry-wide safety problem.

  • When basketball legend Kobe Bryant is killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, investigators examine the data, the wreckage, and the pilot's actions for clues.

Record to Watch Later

77 episodes will be broadcast over the next two weeks

    The Lost Plane
    Helicopter Down
    Time of War
    Pilot vs. Plane
    Explosive Evidence
    Runway in Sight
    Death and Denial
    Alarming Silence
    Engine Gone
    Stealth Bomber Down
  • The Lost Plane

    Investigators struggle to understand the unusual flight path and Himalayan crash site of Thai Airways Flight 311.
    Upcoming
  • Helicopter Down

    A helicopter carrying oil workers to an offshore drilling platform crashes.
    Upcoming
  • Time of War

    Mistaken identity and hostile fire over enemy territory are among the many risks that pilots face in war zones around the world.
    Upcoming
  • Pilot vs. Plane

    Air France Flight 296 fails to regain altitude after performing a fly-by during an air show at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport.
    Upcoming
  • Explosive Evidence

    A bomb explodes on Air India Flight 182 en route from Canada to India causing it to disintegrate over the coast of Ireland.
    Upcoming
  • Runway in Sight

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

More about Air Disasters

Statistically, traveling by airplane is safer than driving and other forms of transportation, but when something goes wrong during a flight, it can be catastrophic with potentially hundreds of lives at stake. This series examines some of the world's worst air disasters, using official reports, transcripts and interviews with people involved to tell the stories of midair mishaps and discover what went wrong in each case. Episodes include a discussion of how the weather affects flights -- including stories of aviation disasters and near-misses -- and a New Year's Eve flight that fell from the sky into the Florida Everglades.

Starring

Bill Ratner

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