Just seconds after taking off from Madrid International Airport, Spanair Flight 5022 rolls to the right and slams into a riverbank beside the runway. In spite of the massive rescue effort, only 18 of the 172 people on board survive. Spain quickly recruits an international team of experts to investigate this puzzling disaster. How could a sophisticated jet, manned by an experienced crew, crash on takeoff? A long preflight delay, an airline in financial trouble, and a blazing August afternoon in 2008 may help provide the answer.

Deadly Delay

A routine landing in October 2006 on the Norwegian island of Stord turns fatal for Atlantic Airways Flight 670 when the commuter plane skids out of control, off the runway, and down a steep cliff. With several exits blocked, and the plane engulfed in flames, 16 people onboard scramble to escape. Revisit the harrowing crash, and follow investigators as they search for possible causes for the disaster, from a slight tailwind to a wet runway to a hidden flaw in the plane's design.

Edge of Disaster

A private Learjet carrying golf legend and reigning U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart takes off from Orlando heading for Dallas in 1999. But within minutes, air traffic control loses contact with the aircraft. The situation grows more urgent when the plane begins an unplanned trajectory across the Midwest. Air Force F-16 fighter planes scramble to intercept the Learjet, only to discover that the pilots and passengers are dead. The only question is why it happened.

Deadly Silence

After a long delay on a hot July evening in 1996, TWA Flight 800 leaves John F. Kennedy Airport carrying 230 passengers and crew en route to Paris. Minutes after takeoff, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet suddenly explodes without warning, killing everyone aboard. Was it a bomb? A missile? A design flaw? To find the answer, the NTSB must attempt the unthinkable: rebuild the entire plane, piece by shattered piece.

Explosive Proof

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

Concorde - Up in Flames

A blackened scar on a frozen field near Detroit marks the fatal impact zone of Flight 3272. The sudden loss of 29 lives leaves families in anguish and investigators perplexed. In search of answers, the NTSB turns to the FAA only to discover that federal regulators themselves may be part of the problem. Witness the stunning 1997 crash of this small commuter aircraft and discover how outdated ideas put pilots and passengers at risk.

Deadly Myth

A landing goes wrong when Delta Airlines Flight 191 is hit by an invisible force.

Invisible Killer

A pilot heads for a decommissioned air force base when the 767 he is flying runs out of fuel.

Gimli Glider

A flaw on the infamous DC-10 airline causing two midair crashes in the early 70's.

Behind Closed Doors

A recovery operation is launched to find out if a 747 was carrying illegal weapons.

Fanning the Flames

Just after take-off, Air Midwest Flight 5481 plummets to the ground, killing all on board.

Dead Weight

In 1977,  Southern Airways Flight 242 finds itself in a violent storm. When both engines fail, the pilots must land their plane on a rural Georgia highway.

Southern Storm

Air India Flight 182 crashes into the sea after an explosion. Was it a tragic accident or an act of terrorism?

Explosive Evidence

Conflicting alarms confuse pilots of Birgenair Flight 301 before it crashes into the ocean.

Mixed Signals

Pilots try to determine why both landing-gear lights do not function on an L-1011.

Fatal Distraction

A Legacy business jet collides with a Boeing 737 in mid-air over the Amazon Rain Forest.

Phantom Strike

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

Cracks in the System

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

Target is Destroyed

The importance of weather forecasting to the aviation industry.

Cruel Skies

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

Panic on the Runway

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

Alarming Silence

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

Cold Case

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

Pilot vs. Plane

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

System Breakdown

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

The Final Blow

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

Cleared for Disaster

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

The Plane That Flew Too High

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

Deadly Reputation

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

Blind Spot

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

Mayday Munich

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

I'm the Problem

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

Impossible Landing

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

Turning Point

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

Breakup Over Texas

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

Under Pressure

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

The Invisible Plane

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

Bad Attitude

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

Split Decision

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

Nowhere to Land

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

Fight for Control

A plane crash into the alligator-infested Florida Everglades.

Fire in the Hold

As a typhoon bears down on Taiwan, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 hurtles down the runway through high winds and rain. But before it even leaves the ground, the 747 erupts in a fireball, fed by thousands of gallons of fuel, killing almost half of the passengers. Buckle up as we piece together the details of this air disaster. The shocking investigation may make you rethink where you sit the next time you board a plane.

Caution to the Wind

It's a clear and calm December day in 1997 when a Boeing 737 suddenly plummets from the sky into an Indonesian jungle at supersonic speed. All 104 aboard are killed on impact, their bodies lost in the muddy Musi River. Evidence points to a serious mechanical failure, but when the full story of SilkAir Flight 185 is finally revealed, the cause is far more troubling than anyone could have imagined.

Pushed to the Limit

Just three miles from its destination and assaulted by severe weather, TANS Peru Flight 204, crashes in Peru's Amazon jungle, leaving a one-mile-long trail of luggage, bodies, and torn aircraft. But the cause for this air disaster proves even more mysterious when it's discovered that the crash site has been scavenged by looters. Join the 312-day investigation, as examiners use all of their creativity to determine why this Boeing 737 fell from the sky, taking the lives of nearly half of those aboard.

Blind Landing

Two commercial airliners go missing over the Arizona desert, and are later found in pieces, scattered along the Grand Canyon floor. It's 1956, and air disaster examiner Jack Parshall is pressed for answers. There are no black boxes or any of the advanced technology used by modern day investigators. And all he has to go on are plane fragments and his own expertise. See how Parshall and his team of experts literally pieced the accident together, and how their findings helped transform air travel as we currently know it.

Grand Canyon

It was the deadliest aviation disaster in U.S. history of its time. The 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191 terrified a nation and nearly put the DC-10 out of commission forever. Relive the horrific crash at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that claimed 273 lives, and see how investigators, under intense pressure from the FAA, the media, and airline companies across the globe, finally identified the cause.

Catastrophe at O'Hare

Just minutes before touching down in Portland International Airport, all four engines of a DC-8 mysteriously flame out. With the aircraft dropping 3,000 feet per minute, the pilots realize they have no option but to crash land in the middle of a major American city. Witness the harrowing emergency landing of United Airlines Flight 173 in Portland, Oregon, and uncover the shocking reasons for its massive engine failure.

Focused on Failure

A Russian passenger jet crashes into the Volga River, killing almost everyone on board. The incident turns into a national tragedy when rescuers discover the plane carried some of the country's most famous athletes, the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team. What caused one of the worst disasters in sports history? Was it the crew's fault or would the blame be cast on an aviation industry that isn't up to European and American standards? Investigators are under extreme pressure to find out. The reason is almost too simple to believe.

Hockey Team Tragedy

It was an air disaster that crippled a country, heightened tensions between two nations, and ignited conspiracy theories worldwide. On April 10, 2010, Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M, carrying Poland's president, Lech Kaczynski, crashed on Russian soil, killing everyone aboard. Russian experts pinned the blame on the pilots, but Poland's Interior Minister examined the evidence and reached a far different conclusion. Experience the tragedy that shocked the world and follow the investigation that remains steeped in controversy.

Death of the President

Five minutes into Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, something goes wrong. The pilots lose control of their aircraft, and before they can regain command, they begin an unstoppable descent into the Mediterranean Sea. All 90 aboard are dead and experts are scrambling for answers. There was a storm, but was it big enough to take down a 737? Or was there a more ominous explanation? Experience the terrifying disaster of January 25, 2010, and follow the investigation that led to a finding so controversial, some still refuse to believe it.

Subtle Incapacitation

Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518 is about to embark on a difficult, but common, trip from Merida, Venezuela to Caracas. Minutes after leaving the ground, all aboard are killed when the aircraft crashes into a mountaintop, miles off course. What happened? Relive this devastating 2008 air disaster and witness the demanding recovery mission at an altitude of 14,000 feet. Then join the investigation as experts comb through evidence and discover a lethal combination of bad equipment and bad decisions.

Seconds to Survive

On June 1, 2009, a modern Airbus A330, traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, vanished somewhere over the Atlantic. The families of the 228 presumed victims demanded answers, but would have to wait two years to get them. This is the story of Air France Flight 447, which came to rest 13,000 feet below the ocean's surface in an area deeper than the resting place of the Titanic. The effort to find and reach the aircraft was a miracle. And what investigators discovered in the wreckage would send shockwaves throughout the aviation industry.

Vanished

Can a generation gap actually cause a catastrophic air disaster? Witness the story of BEA Flight 548, a scheduled passenger flight from London Heathrow to Brussels, which crashed in June of 1972 shortly after take-off near the town of Staines, England. All 118 people on board were killed. The accident became known as the Staines air disaster and, as of 2018, remains the deadliest air accident to take place in the United Kingdom and also marks the highest death toll involving a Hawker Siddeley Trident.

Fight to the Death

On June 6, 1971, Hughes Airwest Flight 706, a Douglas DC-9-31, enroute from Los Angeles, California, to Salt Lake City, Utah, collided in mid-air with a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, of the U.S. Marine Corps, over the San Gabriel Mountains, near Duarte, California. The F-4 pilot and all 49 passengers and crew on board the civilian airliner died; the Radar Intercept Officer of the F-4 survived. Join the NTSB and military experts as they work together to uncover how a fighter jet could collide with a civilian airliner.

Speed Trap

In January 2000, Crossair Flight 498, a Saab 340 commuter flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Dresden, Germany, crashed two minutes after takeoff in the Swiss municipality of Niederhasli. The seven passengers and three crew members aboard the aircraft all died on impact. It was the first fatal crash for the Swiss regional airline Crossair in its 25-year history.

Lost in Translation

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737-222, crashed into the 14th Street Bridge and plunged through the ice into the Potomac River just two miles from the White House. The death toll reached 74, including four motorists on the bridge, forever changing airport procedure during inclement weather.

Tragedy on the Potomac

On November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587, enroute from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to the Dominican Republic, crashed shortly after takeoff into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens. All 260 people aboard the plane (251 passengers and 9 crew members), as well as 5 bystanders on the ground, were killed. It's the second-deadliest aviation accident involving an Airbus A300 (after Iran Air Flight 655), and the second-deadliest aviation accident to occur on U.S. soil (after American Airlines Flight 191).

Queens Catastrophe

In September of 1989, NOAA 42 “Kermit” flew a research mission into Hurricane Hugo, east of Barbados. On approach, there was a temporary outage of the lower fuselage radar, blinding the crew as to the structure and strength of the storm. Follow the crew through it's hair-raising ordeal as they monitor the landmark hurricane, while flying a plane in turbulence so severe, it puts the mission in jeopardy.

Into the Eye of the Storm

In June of 1980, Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 that left Guglielmo Marconi airport in Bologna, Italy traveling to Palermo, Sicily, and was in its final descent before crashing into the Tyrhennian Sea near the island of Ustica. All 77 passengers and 4 crew lost their lives in the crash, the cause of which is still debated to this day.

Massacre Over the Mediterranean

In November of 2008, XL Airways Germany Flight 888T crashed at high speed into the Mediterranean Sea killing all 7 on board. The Airbus A320-232 was a flight test (or "acceptance flight") which took place immediately following light maintenance and repainting done in preparation for its transfer from XL Airways Germany, which had been leasing it, to Air New Zealand, the owner.

Imperfect Pitch

Did you know 80% of all air accidents are survivable? See how the aviation industry is working to raise that number as survival stories, including the "Miracle on the Hudson", are recalled.

Getting Out Alive

In August 2007, what should have been a seven-minute island-hop from Moorea to Tahiti, in French Polynesia, ended in disaster. According to eyewitnesses, Air Moorea Flight 1121, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, was climbing through 400 feet when it suddenly nosed down and dove into the ocean killing all 20 on board.

Terror in Paradise

The world's largest commercial airliner is coming apart in midair. Fortunately, the pilots are keeping it all together. The story of Qantas Flight 32, a 2010 passenger flight from London to Sydney, Australia. After taking off from Singapore's Changi Airport for the second leg of its flight, an engine exploded, forcing the crew to return to Changi Airport and attempt an emergency landing.

Titanic in the Sky

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

Hanging by a Thread

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

Attack Over Baghdad

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

Out of Control

FedEx employees fend off an attack by a coworker.

Fight for Your Life

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

Bomb on Board

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

Mistaken Identity

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

Helicopter Down

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

Death and Denial

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

Kid in the Cockpit

The story of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, which was hijacked while on a routine trip to the Ivory Coast. The hijackers demanded to be taken to Australia, but there was one problem: the plane didn't have enough fuel to make the trip.

Ocean Landing

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

Miracle Escape

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

Falling from the Sky

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

Fire Fight

The 1997 crash of Korean Air Flight 801, which occurred when the crew attempted an instrument landing during a heavy rain storm, is recalled.

Missed Approach

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

Hidden Danger

The story of China Airlines Flight 006, which almost crashed into the Pacific Ocean after experiencing engine trouble. The investigation of the incident detailed how jet lag and lack of sleep can impact pilots.

Panic Over the Pacific

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

Out of Sight

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

Fog of War

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

Vertigo

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

Ghost Plane

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

Choosing Sides

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

Testing the Limits

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

Vanishing Act

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

Sideswiped

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

The Final Push

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

The Death of JFK Jr.

Mexico's war with drug cartels appears to reach a terrifying new level when a special government charter carrying the president's right-hand man plummets to Earth. There's speculation that this plane crash was no accident but an assassination. The investigation takes a startling new turn after the cockpit voice recorder is recovered. Revisit the night when Mexico City's financial district became an inferno and follow examiners from the crash scene investigation to the shocking conclusion that changed everything.

Accident or Assassination

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

No Clear Options

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

Death in the Arctic

In 1996, at Quincy Regional Airport in Illinois, United Express Flight 5925, a Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop, collided on landing with another Beechcraft, a private King Air, that was taking off from an intersecting runway. Why did the fiery collision turn to tragedy, causing all twelve on board the 1900 and two on board the King Air, to perish when they were unable to escape the burning aircraft?

Fatal Transmission

On July 6, 2013, when Asiana Flight 214 crashed after striking the seawall short of the runway on final approach into San Francisco, it shook the world and the investigation proved to be just as dramatic. It was the first crash of a Boeing 777 that resulted in fatalities since that aircraft model entered into service in 1995.

Terror in San Francisco

In October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a cargo jet heading from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv suddenly begins rolling violently just seven minutes after takeoff. The pilots struggle to turn the crippled plane back towards the airport, but minutes before landing, another sudden roll sends the aircraft plummeting to Earth and straight into a high-rise apartment complex. 43 die in the crash and a nation demands answers. Investigators search for a cause of the Netherlands' worst ever airline disaster. What they find is a potentially lethal problem threatening every 747 in the sky.

High Rise Catastrophe

What caused Garuda Flight 200 to slam to the ground and careen off the runway in Yogyakarta, Indonesia? Was it a powerful downdraft? Was there something wrong with the wing flaps? Or did a baffling decision by the pilot lead to the death of 21 people? Join us as we investigate the crash of March 7, 2007, through actual video captured at the scene and testimony from a heroic passenger who survived the disaster. Then see how the investigation led the troubled airline to overhaul its training and safety protocols.

Fatal Focus

In September 2010, shortly after taking off from Dubai, UPS Flight 6 catches fire. With flames spreading throughout the main deck, the pilots make a desperate attempt to return to the airport for an emergency landing. But critical systems are failing, the pilot has collapsed, smoke is filling the cockpit, and the first officer cannot see his instruments. The only way to land is to improvise an emergency procedure, but shaky communications with controllers and poor visibility inside and outside the plane will make for a nearly impossible landing.

Fatal Delivery

Not far from Congonhas Airport, a Sao Paulo neighborhood is in flames. It's a scene of devastation caused by TAM Airlines Flight 3054, a plane that crashed just seconds after takeoff in July 2007. With a shocked nation watching, investigators from the Brazilian Air Force join forces with the National Transportation Safety Board to learn what happened. After combing through more than a hundred parameters in search of a lead, they determine a series of malfunctions caused the accident, coupled with a mechanical failure so rare that pilots had received no training for it.

Carnage in Sao Paolo

The 1991 crash of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 to Brunswick, Georgia claims the lives of a NASA astronaut and a former U.S. senator and becomes an international media sensation. Commuter planes like this twin-turboprop aircraft aren't required to carry flight recorders, so investigators must rely on physical evidence to find the cause of the disaster. The strange angle of one of the propeller blades seems to offer an explanation, but in order to prove the detectives' theory, they'll need to take a huge and potentially lethal gamble.

Steep Impact

It's 1961. Air traffic controllers and local dignitaries in Ndola, Africa await the arrival of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, flying in on a top-secret peace mission. But the plane never arrives, and is found the next morning crashed and burning just a few miles from the airport. For decades, conspiracy theories have suggested that the plane was shot down. Now, startling new claims from a former U.S. intelligence officer have triggered a new investigation to get to the bottom of this controversial, decades-long aviation mystery.

Deadly Mission

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.

All Episodes of Air Disasters

Season 1

Invisible Killer

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 5/15/2011

Gimli Glider

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 5/22/2011

Behind Closed Doors

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 5/29/2011

Fanning the Flames

Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 6/5/2011

Dead Weight

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 6/12/2011

Southern Storm

Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 6/26/2011

Explosive Evidence

Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 7/10/2011

Mixed Signals

Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 7/17/2011

Fatal Distraction

Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 7/24/2011

Phantom Strike

Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 7/31/2011