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The Best Episodes of Mayday Season 3

Every episode of Mayday Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Mayday Season 3!

Binge this in 9h 45m•Peaking at 8.3/10

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
    Mayday Season 3 Episode 1 - Hanging by a Thread
    8.1/10(221 votes)

    #1 - Hanging by a Thread

    S3:E1

    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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  2. Mayday Season 3 Episode 2 - Attack over Baghdad
    7.9/10(178 votes)

    #2 - Attack over Baghdad

    S3:E2

    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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  3. Mayday Season 3 Episode 3 - Out of Control
    8.3/10(217 votes)

    #3 - 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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  4. Mayday Season 3 Episode 4 - Fight for Your Life
    8.2/10(212 votes)

    #4 - Fight for Your Life

    S3:E4

    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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  5. Mayday Season 3 Episode 5 - Bomb on Board
    7.7/10(158 votes)

    #5 - Bomb on Board

    S3:E5

    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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  6. Mayday Season 3 Episode 6 - Mistaken Identity
    7.8/10(168 votes)

    #6 - Mistaken Identity

    S3:E6

    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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  7. Mayday Season 3 Episode 7 - Helicopter Down
    8.2/10(200 votes)

    #7 - Helicopter Down

    S3:E7

    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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  8. Mayday Season 3 Episode 8 - Death and Denial
    7.9/10(171 votes)

    #8 - Death and Denial

    S3:E8

    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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  9. Mayday Season 3 Episode 9 - Kid in the Cockpit
    8.1/10(170 votes)

    #9 - Kid in the Cockpit

    S3:E9

    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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  10. Mayday Season 3 Episode 10 - Head On Collision
    7.6/10(113 votes)

    #10 - Head On Collision

    S3:E10

    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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  11. Mayday Season 3 Episode 11 - Collision Course
    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #11 - Collision Course

    S3:E11

    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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  12. Mayday Season 3 Episode 12 - Runaway Train
    7.0/10(2 votes)

    #12 - Runaway Train

    S3:E12

    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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  13. Mayday Season 3 Episode 13 - Ocean Landing
    7.0/10(2 votes)

    #13 - Ocean Landing

    S3:E13

    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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Season 3 Ratings Summary

"Hanging by a Thread" is the best rated episode of "Mayday" season 3. It scored 8.1/10 based on 221 votes. Directed by Andy Webb and written by Andy Webb, it aired on 9/14/2005. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Attack over Baghdad".