Series · 2011
Air Disasters
The disaster is only the beginning of the story.

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 24 · 10 episodes · 2025
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Episode 120 Jul 202544m
Terror Over The Pacific
On Feb 24, 1989 — United Airlines Flight 811 (Boeing 747): Climbing out of Honolulu at night, a jumbo jet's fuselage suddenly tears open, hurling passengers into the darkness as the crew fights to get back.
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Episode 24 Jan 202644m
Disaster At Dutch Harbor
On Oct 17, 2019 — PenAir Flight 3296 (Saab 2000): Landing at one of Alaska's most notoriously difficult airports, a turboprop can't stop, careening past the runway's end toward the frigid waters of Dutch Harbor.
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Episode 311 Jan 202644m
Deadly Departure
On Feb 16, 1995 — Air Transport International Flight 782 (DC-8): A cargo jet attempting a rare three-engine ferry takeoff from Kansas City never gets airborne, and investigators zero in on the crew's preparation.
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Episode 418 Jan 202644m
Without Warning
On May 13, 2019 — Taquan Air DHC-3 Otter & Mountain Air Service DHC-2 Beaver: Two floatplanes carrying cruise ship tourists converge over a scenic Alaskan waterfall, and investigators turn to 3D technology to explain how neither saw the ot…
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Episode 525 Jan 202644m
Eleven Deadly Seconds
On Feb 16, 1998 — China Airlines Flight 676 (Airbus A300): Arriving at Taipei in poor weather, a jet abandons its landing — and eleven seconds later comes down in a neighborhood beside the airport.
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Episode 61 Feb 202644m
Fight For Survival
On Feb 21, 1982 — Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458 (DHC-6 Twin Otter): With flames burning up through the cockpit floor, a commuter crew puts their plane down on a frozen Rhode Island reservoir in a desperate bid to save everyone aboard.
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Episode 78 Feb 202644m
Pitch Battle
On Aug 26, 2003 — Colgan Air Flight 9446 (Beechcraft 1900D): Moments after leaving Cape Cod on a repositioning flight, a commuter plane's crew is thrown into a violent struggle with their own controls.
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Episode 815 Feb 202644m
Under Fire
On Aug 19, 1980 — Saudia Flight 163 (Lockheed L-1011): Minutes after leaving Riyadh, smoke fills the cabin of a packed wide-body, and the crew turns back — the beginning of one of aviation's most haunting tragedies.
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Episode 922 Feb 202644m
Lost Star Footballer
On Jan 21, 2019 — Piper Malibu N264DB: A private plane carrying soccer star Emiliano Sala to his new club vanishes over the English Channel at night, and the investigation exposes a shadowy corner of aviation.
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Episode 101 Mar 202644m
Deadly Directive
On Mar 10, 2019 — Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (Boeing 737 MAX 8): Six minutes after leaving Addis Ababa, a brand-new jet dives into the ground — the second MAX crash in five months — and the world's fleet is grounded.
