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Series · 2011

Air Disasters

The disaster is only the beginning of the story.

Created by André BarroStephen Bogaert
Air Disasters poster
15 May 2011First aired
25Seasons

The series

Catastrophic incidents in aviation history are meticulously reenacted, providing insight into what went wrong and if the crashes and near-disasters could have been prevented. Accounts from survivors combine with cockpit recordings and computer images to weave the gripping tales, and expert testimony reveals the hows and whys behind the events, some of which have resulted in important changes to aviation safety and regulations.

Episodes

Season 25 · 11 episodes · 2026

  1. Episode 18 Mar 202644m

    Pacific Ditching

    On Jul 2, 2021 — Transair Flight 810 (Boeing 737): Minutes after a night takeoff from Honolulu, a cargo crew reports engine trouble and ditches in the dark Pacific — but the recovered wreckage tells a different story than the pilots do.

  2. Episode 212 Jul 202644m

    Running On Empty

    On Aug 13, 2004 — Air Tahoma Flight 185 (Convair 580): Within sight of the runway at Cincinnati, both engines of a cargo turboprop flame out, and it comes down on a golf course short of the field.

  3. Episode 319 Jul 202644m

    Power Struggle

    On Jan 9, 2021 — Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 (Boeing 737): Minutes after leaving Jakarta in heavy rain, a jet banks hard and plunges into the Java Sea, and the investigation surfaces defects no one had caught.

  4. Episode 426 Jul 202644m

    Second Thoughts

    On Nov 6, 2002 — Luxair Flight 9642 (Fokker 50): On a foggy morning approach to Luxembourg, a commuter flight from Berlin suddenly drops from the sky just miles from the runway.

  5. Episode 52 Aug 202644m

    Powerless Plunge

    On Feb 27, 2001 — Loganair Flight 670A (Short 360): Moments after a night takeoff from Edinburgh, a mail plane loses both engines and comes down in the frigid Firth of Forth, and investigators trace the cause to the ground.

  6. Episode 69 Aug 202644m

    Cabin Chaos

    On Apr 6, 1993 — China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 (MD-11): High over the North Pacific, a jet suddenly pitches into violent oscillations that hurl passengers about the cabin, forcing an emergency landing on a remote Aleutian island.

  7. Episode 716 Aug 202644m

    Deadly Climb

    On Sep 6, 1985 — Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 (DC-9): Seconds after takeoff from Milwaukee — in aviation's deadliest year — a jet rolls out of its climb and crashes just beyond the airport.

  8. Episode 823 Aug 202644m

    Firebomber Down

    On Jan 23, 2020 — Coulson Aviation Tanker 134 (C-130): Battling catastrophic bushfires in New South Wales, an air tanker goes down after a retardant drop, and investigators must work inside an active fire zone.

  9. Episode 930 Aug 202644m

    Collision Catastrophe

    On Jul 1, 2002 — Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 & DHL Flight 611: Witnesses on the ground watch two aircraft collide in the night sky over southern Germany, and investigators confront how it could happen under modern air traffic control.

  10. Episode 106 Sep 202644m

    Fatal Test Flight

    On Dec 22, 1996 — Airborne Express Flight 827 (DC-8): During a post-maintenance evaluation flight over Virginia, a cargo jet's test of its stall behavior goes catastrophically wrong in the mountains.

  11. Episode 1113 Sep 202644m

    No Exit

    On Feb 1, 1991 — USAir Flight 1493 (Boeing 737): After a runway collision at LAX, passengers aboard the burning jet face a desperate struggle to escape — and the investigation reshapes evacuation safety.

Cast

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