The Best Episodes of Mayday Season 3

#1 Fan Favorite
8.2/10(237 votes)
#1 - Out of Control
S3:E39/28/2005
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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Director:Doug Williams
Writer:David Darlow
8.2/10(233 votes)
#2 - Fight for Your Life
S3:E410/5/2005
On 7 April 1994, Auburn Calloway, a disgruntled employee, attempts to hijack Federal Express Flight 705 armed with hammers and a speargun. Despite sustaining serious injuries, the crew successfully subdues Calloway and returns the aircraft safely to Memphis International Airport.
Director:Karl Jason
Writer:David Bedard
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Director:Karl Jason
Writer:David Bedard
8.1/10(235 votes)
#3 - Hanging by a Thread
S3:E19/14/2005
On 28 April 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 is en route from Hilo to Honolulu in Hawaii, when the upper half of the front fuselage is torn off, blowing out a flight attendant. The aircraft subsequently lands safely at Kahului, Maui. The fuselage failed from corrosion damage and metal fatigue.
Director:Andy Webb
Writer:Andy Webb
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Director:Andy Webb
Writer:Andy Webb
8.1/10(215 votes)
#4 - Helicopter Down
S3:E710/26/2005
On 19 January 1995, the crew of Bristow Flight 56C is forced to perform an emergency autorotation to a ditching in the sea, after lightning damages the tail rotor of their helicopter. Despite the rough sea conditions, the 16 oil rig workers and pilots are rescued by nearby ships.
Director:Jimmy Kaufman
Writer:Heather Forrester
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Director:Jimmy Kaufman
Writer:Heather Forrester
8.1/10(186 votes)
#5 - Kid in the Cockpit
S3:E911/9/2005
On 23 March 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593 is en route to Hong Kong, when it stalls and crashes, killing all 75 people on board. The pilot's 15-year-old son accidentally disabled the autopilot while in the captain's seat, causing the aircraft to bank heavily to the right, inducing the stall.
Director:Jim Donovan
Writers:Greg Gransden, Tim Conrad
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Director:Jim Donovan
Writers:Greg Gransden, Tim Conrad
7.9/10(197 votes)
#6 - Attack over Baghdad
S3:E29/21/2005
On 22 November 2003, a European Air Transport Airbus A300 operating on behalf of DHL is climbing away from Baghdad International Airport, when the left wing explodes, causing a massive loss of hydraulic fluid which immobilizes the flight control surfaces. The crew flies the aircraft by changing the engines' thrust for control and make a safe landing 16 minutes later. A surface-to-air missile had been launched at the aircraft.
Director:Phil Comeau
Writer:Andrew Weir
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Director:Phil Comeau
Writer:Andrew Weir

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7.9/10(186 votes)
#7 - Death and Denial
S3:E811/2/2005
On 31 October 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, from New York to Cairo, Egypt, dives out of the sky and crashes into the ocean, killing all 217 people on board. The cause of the crash is disputed: the Egyptian government claims mechanical failure associated with the elevator controls caused the crash, but the US government claims the aircraft was deliberately crashed by the Relief First Officer Gameel Al-Batouti in a suicide/homicide.
Director:Mike Douglas
Writer:Andrew Weir
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Director:Mike Douglas
Writer:Andrew Weir
7.9/10(22 votes)
#8 - Collision Course
S3:E1111/23/2005
On 26 September 2000, waves push the MS Express Samina off course, causing it to hit a group of rocks off Paros and sink, killing 80 people. The ferry was on autopilot, with the crew not monitoring the ship's course. They were instead watching an association football match. Note: This is a Crash Scene Investigation episode.
Director:Andy Webb
Writer:Brenda Newman
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Director:Andy Webb
Writer:Brenda Newman
7.8/10(176 votes)
#9 - Bomb on Board
S3:E510/12/2005
On 11 December 1994, a bomb explodes on Philippine Airlines Flight 434 on the second leg of a service from Manila to Tokyo via Cebu City, killing a passenger, injuring many and damaging some of the aircraft's control systems. The crew successfully lands the aircraft at Naha Airport in Okinawa. Ramzi Yousef, a terrorist, smuggled the bomb aboard the aircraft on the first leg of its flight.
Director:Michael Barnes
Writer:Michael Sheehan
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Director:Michael Barnes
Writer:Michael Sheehan
7.8/10(184 votes)
#10 - Mistaken Identity
S3:E610/19/2005
On 3 July 1988, during the Iran–Iraq War, the USS Vincennes launches missiles which bring down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 people on board. The crew of the Vincennes claimed that, despite its high-tech equipment, it mistook the airliner for an Iranian Air Force Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighter. Iran believes that the US deliberately shot down its civilian airliner.
Director:Jonathan Dent
Writer:Michael Sheehan
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Director:Jonathan Dent
Writer:Michael Sheehan
7.8/10(4 votes)
#11 - Ocean Landing
S3:E1312/7/2005
On 23 November 1996, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 is forced to ditch after running out of fuel. The aircraft breaks up as the wings hit the water, killing 125 people. The aircraft had been hijacked and ran out of fuel because the hijackers did not believe the pilot's insistence that there was not enough fuel aboard to make it to the hijackers' planned destination: Australia.
Director:Karl Jason
Writer:Léo Singer
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Director:Karl Jason
Writer:Léo Singer
7.7/10(25 votes)
#12 - Runaway Train
S3:E1211/30/2011
On 12 May 1989, a 69-car freight train goes out of control while descending from California's Cajon Pass. It derails in a residential neighbourhood of San Bernardino after reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Two residents and two train crew members are killed in the initial crash. More than a week later, an underground gasoline pipeline, damaged by earth-moving equipment during the post-crash clean-up, ruptures and sparks a fire that kills another two people. A clerical error had caused the train's weight to be greatly underestimated, and it had been assembled without enough locomotives to provide adequate braking. Additionally, several of the engines had completely inoperable brakes, but this information was not passed on to the crews. Note: This is a Crash Scene Investigation episode.
Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
Writers:Tim Conrad, David Bedard
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Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
Writers:Tim Conrad, David Bedard
7.6/10(129 votes)
#13 - Head On Collision
S3:E1011/16/2005
On 8 February 1986, a Via Rail passenger train and a 118-car Canadian National Railway freight train collide, killing 23 people. The freight train crew did not stop at a red railway signal on a section of a passing loop, possibly because they were asleep. Note: This is a Crash Scene Investigation episode.
Director:Phil Comeau
Writer:Michael Sheehan
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Director:Phil Comeau
Writer:Michael Sheehan