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The Best Episodes of Mayday

Every episode of Mayday ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Mayday!

Binge this in 7d 5h•Peaking at 9.3/10

Major real-life air disasters are depicted in this series. Each episode features a detailed dramatized reconstruction of the incident based on cockpit voice recorders and air traffic control transcripts, as well as eyewitnesses recounts and

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Mayday Season 11 Episode 6 - Turning Point (Northwest Airlines Flight 85)
    9.3/10(3 votes)

    #1 - Turning Point (Northwest Airlines Flight 85)

    S11:E6

    On 9 October 2002, Northwest Airlines Flight 85 is cruising above the Bering Sea, when the lower rudder segment suddenly deflects to the left. The pilots divert the aircraft to a successful emergency landing at Anchorage, Alaska, by using engine thrust for control. The incident was attributed to a fatigue failure of the rudder hydraulic control module, resulting in part of the module's metal casing breaking off.

    Director:George D'Amato
    Writer:Armen Kazazian

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  2. Mayday Season 10 Episode 4 - Hudson River Runway (US Airways Flight 1549)
    9.2/10(4 votes)

    #2 - Hudson River Runway (US Airways Flight 1549)

    S10:E4

    On 15 January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 suffers a bird strike with a flock of Canada geese approximately 1.5 minutes after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Both engines fail, and less than two minutes later, the crew members successfully ditch the aircraft in the Hudson River. All on board survive.

    Director:George D'Amato
    Writer:Larry Bambrick

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  3. Mayday Season 15 Episode 3 - Fatal Delivery (UPS Airlines Flight 6)
    9.2/10(6 votes)

    #3 - Fatal Delivery (UPS Airlines Flight 6)

    S15:E3

    On 3 September 2010, the pilots of UPS Airlines Flight 6 report a fire and declare an emergency shortly after taking off from Dubai International Airport. The crew tries to land back at the airport, but are unsuccessful. The aircraft flies over the airport and crashes into an unpopulated area nearby. Both of the pilots die.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Julia Nunes

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  4. Mayday Season 25 Episode 11 - No Exit (US Air 1493)
    9.2/10(5 votes)

    #4 - No Exit (US Air 1493)

    S25:E11

    Following a catastrophic runway collision at LAX, passengers on USAIR Flight 1493 struggle to escape the burning plane.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Mayday Season 4 Episode 2 - Falling from the Sky (British Airways Flight 9)
    9.1/10(8 votes)

    #5 - Falling from the Sky (British Airways Flight 9)

    S4:E2

    On 24 June 1982, British Airways Flight 9 experiences St. Elmo's fire en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Perth, Australia. A few minutes later, all four engines flame out. After descending, the crew successfully restarts the engines and lands safely. The St. Elmo's fire and engine flame-outs were caused by volcanic ash spewed by Galunggung in Indonesia during a major eruption.

    Director:Mike Douglas
    Writer:Larry Bambrick

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  6. Mayday Season 2 Episode 4 - Deadly Crossroads
    9.0/10(5 votes)

    #6 - Deadly Crossroads

    S2:E4

    On 1 July 2002, Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 collides with DHL Flight 611 in German airspace near Überlingen. Flight 2937 is destroyed instantly, and the DHL cargo aircraft crashes shortly afterwards, killing all 71 people on board the two aircraft.

    Director:Phil Comeau
    Writer:Phil Comeau

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Mayday

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  7. Mayday Season 5 Episode 6 - Gimli Glider (Air Canada Flight 143)
    9.0/10(6 votes)

    #7 - Gimli Glider (Air Canada Flight 143)

    S5:E6

    A Boeing 767-200 jet, Air Canada Flight 143, ran completely out of fuel at 41,000 feet (12,000m) altitude, about halfway through its flight from Montreal to Edmonton. The crew was able to glide the aircraft safely to an emergency landing at Gimli Industrial Park Airport, a former airbase at Gimli, Manitoba.

    Director:Karl Jason
    Writer:Dave Gabriel Bene

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  8. Mayday Season 15 Episode 5 - High Rise Catastrophe (El Al Flight 1862)
    9.0/10(5 votes)

    #8 - High Rise Catastrophe (El Al Flight 1862)

    S15:E5

    On 4 October 1992, after taking off from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, El Al Flight 1862 declares an emergency. The crew do their best to make an emergency landing, but the 747 cargo jet rolls violently to the right and crashes into an apartment complex, killing 43 people. The two engines on the right wing had separated from the aircraft, causing the loss of control.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Douglas Crosbie

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  9. Mayday Season 16 Episode 3 - Disaster at Tenerife (KLM 4805 and Pan Am 1736)
    9.0/10(6 votes)

    #9 - Disaster at Tenerife (KLM 4805 and Pan Am 1736)

    S16:E3

    On 27 March 1977, the deadliest-ever aviation accident occurs at Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife-North Airport) in the Canary Islands. KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 collide on the runway in thick fog during the KLM aircraft's attempt to take off, killing 583 people.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Alex Bystram

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  10. Mayday Season 18 Episode 4 - Deadly Airspace (Malaysia Airlines Flight 17)
    9.0/10(3 votes)

    #10 - Deadly Airspace (Malaysia Airlines Flight 17)

    S18:E4

    On 17 July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Mark Van de Ven

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  11. Mayday Season 19 Episode 1 - Deadly Descent
    9.0/10(3 votes)

    #11 - Deadly Descent

    S19:E1

    En route to Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Flight 780 is high over the South China Sea when both of the plane's engines fail, turning the Airbus A-330 into a 200-ton glider; the captain takes over manual control and manages to power up one engine.

    Director:George D'Amato
    Writer:Greg Gransden

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  12. Mayday Season 24 Episode 6 - Fight for Survival (Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458)
    9.0/10(3 votes)

    #12 - Fight for Survival (Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458)

    S24:E6

    With flames emerging through the cockpit floor, the pilots of Pilgrim Airlines 458 manage a heroic landing on a frozen Rhode Island reservoir.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Mayday Season 25 Episode 9 - Collision Catastrophe (2002 Überlingen mid-air collision)
    9.0/10(4 votes)

    #13 - Collision Catastrophe (2002 Überlingen mid-air collision)

    S25:E9

    German investigators are stumped when two planes collide while flying in the skies over southern Germany.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Mayday Season 26 Episode 7 - Divided in Crisis (Air Algérie 6289)
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #14 - Divided in Crisis (Air Algérie 6289)

    S26:E7

    On 6 March 2003, the left engine of Air Algérie Flight 6289 fails during takeoff from Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria. The aircraft enters a stall and crashes into a desert near the Trans-Sahara Highway, killing all but 1 of the 103 occupants on board.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Mayday Season 3 Episode 3 - Out of Control
    8.9/10(7 votes)

    #15 - Out of Control

    S3:E3

    On 12 August 1985, the rear pressure bulkhead bursts on a Boeing 747SR operating as Japan Airlines Flight 123, destroying the vertical stabilizer and severing all four of the aircraft's hydraulic systems. The crew manages to keep the aircraft flying for 32 minutes until it clips Mount Osutaka and crashes, killing all but four people out of the 524 passengers and crew aboard.

    Director:Doug Williams
    Writer:David Darlow

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  16. Mayday Season 10 Episode 2 - The Heathrow Enigma (British Airways Flight 38)
    8.8/10(4 votes)

    #16 - The Heathrow Enigma (British Airways Flight 38)

    S10:E2

    On 17 January 2008, British Airways Flight 38 is on its final approach to land, when the autothrottles command increased thrust from the engines. The engines do not respond to the control inputs and remain at idle. The captain raises one notch of flaps to give the aircraft a few more feet of flying distance; it crash-lands just short of the runway without causing any fatalities. The fuel flow to both engines was restricted because of ice crystals causing a blockage in the fuel-oil heat exchangers.

    Director:George D'Amato
    Writer:Larry Bambrick

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  17. Mayday Season 11 Episode 13 - Impossible Landing (United Airlines Flight 232)
    8.8/10(4 votes)

    #17 - Impossible Landing (United Airlines Flight 232)

    S11:E13

    On 19 July 1989, the tail-mounted number two engine of United Airlines Flight 232 explodes, causing serious damage to the aircraft's hydraulic systems and leaving the flight controls unusable. By varying engine thrust, the pilots manage to crash-land the aircraft at the Sioux Gateway Airport in Iowa, saving the lives of 185 of the 296 people on board. The investigation traced the engine failure to a fatigue crack in the front fan disk which had developed from a defect introduced before the disk was even made, when the original titanium ingot used to make it was formed.

    Director:Michael Sinyi
    Writer:Armen Kazazian

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  18. Mayday Season 13 Episode 7 - Terror in Paradise (Air Moorea Flight 1121)
    8.8/10(5 votes)

    #18 - Terror in Paradise (Air Moorea Flight 1121)

    S13:E7

    On 9 August 2007, Air Moorea Flight 1121 crashes shortly after taking off from Moorea Airport in French Polynesia. All 19 passengers and the pilot died. The cause was a badly worn and partly broken elevator control cable failing completely in flight. It was put under more strain than it could handle as the force on the elevators changed with flap retraction. The situation was likely aggravated by the aircraft being repeatedly buffeted by jet exhaust while parked, stressing the cables further.

    Director:Su Rynard
    Writer:Michael Sheehan

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  19. Mayday Season 13 Episode 10 - Titanic in the Sky (Qantas Flight 32)
    8.8/10(5 votes)

    #19 - Titanic in the Sky (Qantas Flight 32)

    S13:E10

    On 4 November 2010, Qantas Flight 32, en route to Sydney Airport in Australia, suffers an uncontained engine failure in its number two engine and serious damage to its left wing shortly after takeoff from Singapore. The crew members overcome a number of resulting failures and make a safe emergency landing back at Singapore with no injuries among the 469 passengers and crew members. Investigators found that a manufacturing fault in an oil pipe caused the engine failure.

    Director:Trevor Cornish
    Writer:John LaRose

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  20. Mayday Season 14 Episode 8 - What Happened to MA370 (Malaysia Airlines Flight 370)
    8.8/10(5 votes)

    #20 - What Happened to MA370 (Malaysia Airlines Flight 370)

    S14:E8

    On 8 March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board. As of February 2015, no trace of the Boeing 777-200ER had been found, and speculation is that it crashed in the southern part of the Indian Ocean.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Gary Lang

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  21. Mayday Season 15 Episode 6 - Steep Impact (Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311)
    8.8/10(4 votes)

    #21 - Steep Impact (Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311)

    S15:E6

    On 5 April 1991, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 from Atlanta suddenly nose-dives into the ground while on landing approach to Glynco Jetport, killing all 23 people on board, including US Senator John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter. The accident was caused by a malfunction of the left engine propeller control unit.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Andrew Kaufman

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  22. Mayday Season 15 Episode 10 - Deadly Delay (Spanair Flight 5022)
    8.8/10(5 votes)

    #22 - Deadly Delay (Spanair Flight 5022)

    S15:E10

    On 20 August 2008, Spanair Flight 5022 attempts to takeoff from Barajas Airport, but stalls immediately, banks to the right and crashes, killing 154 people out of the 172 on board. The pilots aborted the first takeoff attempt, and the second attempt resulted in the crash.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Julia Nunes

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  23. Mayday Season 16 Episode 8 - River Runway (Garuda Indonesia Flight 421)
    8.8/10(4 votes)

    #23 - River Runway (Garuda Indonesia Flight 421)

    S16:E8

    On 16 January 2002, on final approach to Yogyakarta at the end of a routine domestic flight from Ampenan, Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 suffers a double engine flameout while flying through a severe thunderstorm and ditches in the Bengawan Solo River. 59 of the 60 people on board survive.

    Director:Mark Mainguy
    Writer:Carl Knutson

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  24. Mayday Season 20 Episode 2 - Taxiway Turmoil
    8.8/10(4 votes)

    #24 - Taxiway Turmoil

    S20:E2

    (Northwest Airlines Flights 299 & 1482) When a blanket of confusion and heavy fog puts two planes on a path to disaster, investigators wonder if it was the pilots themselves creating chaos.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Greg Gransden

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  25. Mayday Season 15 Episode 1 - Fatal Transmission (United Express Flight 5925)
    8.7/10(6 votes)

    #25 - Fatal Transmission (United Express Flight 5925)

    S15:E1

    On 19 November 1996, United Express Flight 5925, operating for Great Lakes Airlines, lands at Quincy Regional Airport and collides with a light aircraft taking off from an intersecting runway. All 14 occupants on both aircraft were killed in a subsequent fire.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Julia Nunes

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Best Episodes Summary

"Turning Point (Northwest Airlines Flight 85)" is the best rated episode of "Mayday". It scored 9.3/10 based on 3 votes. Directed by George D'Amato and written by Armen Kazazian, it aired on 12/29/2011. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Hudson River Runway (US Airways Flight 1549)".