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The Best Episodes of Mayday Season 11

Every episode of Mayday Season 11 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Mayday Season 11!

Binge this in 9h 45m•Peaking at 8.6/10

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
    Mayday Season 11 Episode 13 - Impossible Landing (United Airlines Flight 232)
    8.6/10(203 votes)

    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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  2. Mayday Season 11 Episode 11 - Nowhere to Land (TACA Flight 110)
    8.5/10(206 votes)

    S11:E11

    On 24 May 1988, TACA Airlines Flight 110, a near-new Boeing 737, flies through a thunderstorm and suffers a dual engine flameout. The captain, Carlos Dardano, manages to make a successful deadstick landing on a narrow grass levee in the Michoud area of eastern New Orleans.

    Director:Su Rynard
    Writer:Armen Kazazian

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  3. Mayday Season 11 Episode 6 - Turning Point (Northwest Airlines Flight 85)
    8.2/10(164 votes)

    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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  4. Mayday Season 11 Episode 4 - Break Up Over Texas (Continental Express Flight 2574)
    8.0/10(170 votes)

    S11:E4

    On 11 September 1991, Continental Express Flight 2574 is nearing the end of its intra-state flight from Laredo, Texas, to Houston. As the pilots are preparing to land, the aircraft tips into a dive and falls out of the sky as the left wing tears apart. All 14 people on board die. Improper maintenance caused a section of the horizontal stabilizer to break loose during flight, after which the pilots had no control.

    Director:Su Rynard
    Writer:Christopher Blow

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  5. Mayday Season 11 Episode 9 - Under Pressure (Nigeria Airways Flight 2120)
    8.0/10(159 votes)

    S11:E9

    On 11 July 1991, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 is taking off from Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport with 247 Nigerian Hajj pilgrims and 14 crew members on board. A tire bursts during the takeoff, starting a fire on the landing gear. The crew is unaware of the fire and retracts the gear after takeoff; and the fire spreads. Encountering problems, the crew then tries to return the aircraft to the airport, but it breaks up during flight and crashes about three kilometres from the runway.

    Director:Karl Jason
    Writer:Gary Lang

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  6. Mayday Season 11 Episode 10 - I'm the Problem (Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771)
    8.0/10(177 votes)

    S11:E10

    On 7 December 1987, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, on a flight to San Francisco, crashes at the speed of sound on a mountainside in rural San Luis Obispo County, California. All 43 people on board are killed. Investigators found that passenger David Burke, a former USAir employee, took a gun on board the aircraft and shot the pilots in a murder-suicide plot to kill his former supervisor (who was also a passenger on board) after being fired from his job days earlier. USAir was in the process of merging with PSA at the time of the crash.

    Director:P.J. Naworynski
    Writer:Greg Gransden

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  7. Mayday Season 11 Episode 12 - The Invisible Plane (The Linate Airport Disaster)
    7.8/10(164 votes)

    S11:E12

    On 8 October 2001, Scandinavian Airlines Flight 686, carrying 110 people bound for Copenhagen, Denmark, is taking off at Milan's Linate Airport in thick fog. On the runway, it collides with an Air Evex business jet carrying four people bound for Paris, France. The airliner suffers major damage and crashes into a building shortly afterwards. All 114 people on board the two aircraft are killed, along with four on the ground. The crew of the business jet had made a wrong turn while taxiing in the fog and inadvertently taxied onto the runway.

    Director:James Hyslop
    Writer:Greg Beer

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  8. Mayday Season 11 Episode 5 - Munich Air Disaster (British European Airways Flight 609)
    7.7/10(164 votes)

    S11:E5

    On 6 February 1958, British European Airways Flight 609, carrying members of the famed Manchester United association football team, club officials and journalists, crashes into a house about 300 meters from the end of the runway in Munich after it fails to become airborne, killing 23 of the 44 people on board. The cause of the crash was slush on the runway, which slowed the aircraft down and prevented it from reaching takeoff speed.

    Director:James Hyslop
    Writer:Gary Lang

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  9. Mayday Season 11 Episode 7 - Bad Attitude (Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509)
    7.7/10(164 votes)

    S11:E7

    On 22 December 1999, Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, en route from London Stansted Airport to Milan, Italy, crashes into a field about 55 seconds after taking off, killing all four crew members on board. The causes of the crash were the captain following the indications of a malfunctioning attitude indicator and lack of communication amongst the crew members.

    Director:Trevor Cornish
    Writer:Greg Beer

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  10. Mayday Season 11 Episode 8 - Blind Spot (PSA Flight 182)
    7.7/10(164 votes)

    S11:E8

    On 25 September 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) Flight 182 collides with a light aircraft while approaching Lindbergh Field and crashes in a residential area in San Diego. All 137 people on both aircraft and seven people on the ground die.

    Director:Gary Lang
    Writer:Carl Knutson

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  11. Mayday Season 11 Episode 1 - Deadly Reputation (TAM Airlines Flight 3054)
    7.6/10(174 votes)

    S11:E1

    On 17 July 2007, TAM Airlines Flight 3054 careens off runway 35L at Brazil's Congonhas Airport, crashes at high speed into a warehouse adjacent to a filling station and explodes. A total of 199 people on board the aircraft and on the ground are killed. Incorrect engine throttle settings upon landing caused one engine to reverse thrust while the other increased power, resulting in the loss of control.

    Director:George D'Amato
    Writer:Greg Gransden

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  12. Mayday Season 11 Episode 3 - Split Decision (Arrow Air Flight 1285)
    7.4/10(159 votes)

    S11:E3

    On 12 December 1985, Arrow Air Flight 1285, carrying troops of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division, stalls and crashes just seconds after taking off from Gander International Airport in Canada, killing all 256 people on board. The cause of the crash remains disputed.

    Director:James Hyslop
    Writer:Greg Beer

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  13. Mayday Season 11 Episode 2 - The Plane That Flew Too High (West Caribbean Airways Flight 708)
    7.3/10(169 votes)

    S11:E2

    On 16 August 2005, West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 stalls while cruising and crashes in rural Venezuela during a severe thunderstorm. Investigations revealed there were no faults with the engines. Pilot error led to the stall which was misinterpreted by the crew members, who took no recovery action until it was too late.

    Director:Ian Robertson
    Writer:Carl Knutson

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Season 11 Ratings Summary

"Impossible Landing (United Airlines Flight 232)" is the best rated episode of "Mayday" season 11. It scored 8.6/10 based on 203 votes. Directed by Michael Sinyi and written by Armen Kazazian, it aired on 4/13/2012. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Nowhere to Land (TACA Flight 110)".