The Worst Episodes of Mayday

#1 Worst Episode
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6.6/10(89 votes)
#1 - Lost Star Footballer (Elimiano Sala Piper Crash)
S24:E92/26/2024
With rising young football star Emiliano Sala on board, a chartered Piper Malibu suddenly disappears from radar over the English Channel.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.0/10(65 votes)
#2 - Pacific Ditching (Transair Flight 810)
S25:E12/3/2025
The pilots of a crashed cargo jet believe they lost both engines. But when the wreckage emerges from the Pacific, the evidence tells another story.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.1/10(94 votes)
#3 - Fatal Flaw (Minor Defects)
S6:E212/16/2007
Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Japan Airlines Flight 123, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, Swissair Flight 111, United Airlines Flight 585, USAir Flight 427, Eastwind Airlines Flight 517. This special looks at accidents caused by seemingly minor defects or errors. Episodes re-visited: Cutting Corners, Out of Control, A Wounded Bird, Fire on Board, Hidden Danger.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.1/10(138 votes)
#4 - Blown Away (TransAsia Airways Flight 222)
S18:E22/20/2018
On 23 July 2014, TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crashes into buildings while attempting to land at Magong Airport during inclement weather and low visibility, killing 48 of the 58 people on board.
Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
Writer:Svet Rouskov
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Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
Writer:Svet Rouskov
7.1/10(104 votes)
#5 - Deadly Exchange (Corporate Airlines Flight 5966)
S23:E12/13/2023
Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 appears out of the clouds and crashes into trees on approach to Kirksville, Missouri. The twin-engine turboprop plane catches fire just over a kilometer from the runway. The charred wreckage offers clues as to what happened. The researchers conclude that it was not a mechanical failure. They hear a recording from the cockpit that may reveal the whole beginning of the accident.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.1/10(84 votes)
#6 - Terror Over the Pacific (United Airlines Flight 811)
S24:E12/18/2024
A massive explosion tears a hole in a 747 over Hawaii, and the trail of clues ultimately leads investigators to a catastrophic short circuit.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown

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7.1/10(40 votes)
#7 - Moments from Touchdown (Yeti Airlines Flight 691)
S26:E83/23/2026
On 15 January 2023, Yeti Airlines Flight 691 stalls and crashes into a gorge near the Seti Gandaki River during final approach to Pokhara International Airport, killing all 72 people on board. It was later determined that the pilots accidentally feathered the aircraft's propellers.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.2/10(142 votes)
#8 - Heading to Disaster (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409)
S12:E113/25/2013
On 25 January 2010, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, en route to Addis Ababa, plunges into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport during a thunderstorm, killing all 90 people on board.
Director:Michael Sinyi
Writer:Greg Beer
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Director:Michael Sinyi
Writer:Greg Beer
7.2/10(159 votes)
#9 - Accident or Assasination (Mexican Interior Ministry Learjet 45)
S14:E62/17/2015
On 4 November 2008, an official Mexican Interior Ministry Learjet 45 crashes in central Mexico City. Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño, who was aboard the plane, was killed in the crash, along with the other seven people on board and eight people on the ground. The plane crashed in rush-hour traffic at Las Lomas. The plane crashed due to a loss of control from wake turbulence.
Director:Michael Sinyi
Writer:Greg Gransden
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Director:Michael Sinyi
Writer:Greg Gransden
7.2/10(115 votes)
#10 - Deadly Delivery
S21:E106/6/2021
On 14 August 2013, UPS Airlines Flight 1354 clips the tops of trees and crashes into a hillside about one nautical mile short of the runway during final approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama. Both crew members on board are killed in the crash.
Director:Mark Mainguy
Writer:Marco Avolio
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Director:Mark Mainguy
Writer:Marco Avolio
7.2/10(95 votes)
#11 - Delivery to Disaster (Atlas Air Flight 3591)
S23:E94/3/2023
An Amazon cargo plane nosedives into a swamp outside Houston, the evidence eventually leads investigators to a pilot with a long history of failures.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.2/10(76 votes)
#12 - Disaster at Dutch Harbor (PenAir Flight 3296)
S24:E23/24/2024
On 17 October 2019, PenAir Flight 3296 overruns the runway on landing at Unalaska Airport in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska, killing one passenger. The accident was caused by incorrect wiring of the wheel speed transducer harnesses on the left main landing gear.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.2/10(58 votes)
#13 - Running on Empty (Air Tahoma Flight 185)
S25:E22/10/2025
An Air Tahoma cargo plane is within sight of a Cincinnati runway when both engines flame out and the turboprop crashes into a golf course.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.2/10(56 votes)
#14 - Deadly Climb (Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105)
S25:E73/17/2025
It's 1985-the deadliest year in civilian aviation-and a DC-9 commuter plane crashes just seconds after takeoff from Milwaukee.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.2/10(42 votes)
#15 - Deadly Cover Up (Aeroperú Flight 603)
S26:E63/9/2026
On 2 October 1996, shortly after take off, the crew of Aeroperú Flight 603 are confused by false speed and altitude readings and contradictory warnings from the aircraft's air data system. In preparation for an emergency landing, the crew descend the aircraft, but unknowingly descend too far by relying on the false readings. The aircraft crashes into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 70 people on board. The false readings and contradictory warnings were caused by duct tape over the static ports, which was used to protect the ports during maintenance, but was not removed afterwards. Note: This accident was previously featured in the episode "Flying Blind" (S01E04) and as a special in the episode "Who's Flying the Plane?" (S06E03).
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.2/10(35 votes)
#16 - Monsoon Approach (Air India Express Flight 1344)
S26:E93/30/2026
On 7 August 2020, Air India Express Flight 1344 plunges down a gorge after overrunning the runway at Kozhikode International Airport in poor weather, killing 21 of the 190 people on board. The captain continued the unstabilized approach and landed too far down the runway.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.3/10(165 votes)
#17 - Vertigo
S4:E96/10/2007
On 3 January 2004, Flash Airlines Flight 604 banks to the right just after takeoff and crashes into the Red Sea, killing all 148 people on board. The cause of this disaster is disputed and suggested to be spatial disorientation on the part of the flight crew.
Director:Karl Jason
Writer:Carl Knutson
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Director:Karl Jason
Writer:Carl Knutson
7.3/10(101 votes)
#18 - System Breakdown (Next Generation Air Transportation System)
S8:E16/10/2009
1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision, 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision, Avianca Flight 52, Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907, Überlingen mid-air collision. This special looked at the role of air traffic controllers in the airline industry, and took a look at the Next Generation Air Transportation System, a new technology meant to eliminate mid-air collisions by reducing overall dependence on radar and radio, as well as delegating some of the air traffic controllers' tasks to computers on board each plane.
Director:Larry Bambrick
Writer:Christopher Blow
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Director:Larry Bambrick
Writer:Christopher Blow
7.3/10(105 votes)
#19 - Cruel Skies (Bad Weather)
S8:E26/17/2009
Southern Airways Flight 242, Delta Air Lines Flight 191, American Airlines Flight 1420, British Airways Flight 9. This special looked at the role of bad weather in disasters and examines the US Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Missouri, to see how information on weather is transmitted to pilots in the sky.
Director:Larry Bambrick
Writer:Christopher Blow
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Director:Larry Bambrick
Writer:Christopher Blow
7.3/10(169 votes)
#20 - The Plane That Flew Too High (West Caribbean Airways Flight 708)
S11:E28/19/2011
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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Director:Ian Robertson
Writer:Carl Knutson
7.3/10(148 votes)
#21 - Blind Landing (TANS Perú Flight 204)
S12:E58/31/2012
On 23 August 2005, TANS Perú Flight 204 attempts to make a landing at Pucallpa Airport, Peru, in a severe thunderstorm, but crashes into a muddy swamp four miles (6.4 km) away. The cause was the pilots not following visual flight rules that could have prevented the crash while the aircraft was being pushed by a downdraft.
Director:Jim Donovan
Writer:Carl Knutson
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Director:Jim Donovan
Writer:Carl Knutson
7.3/10(138 votes)
#22 - Storming Out (USAir Flight 1016)
S17:E69/12/2017
On 2 July 1994, USAir Flight 1016 stalls and crashes into a residential area while attempting to land at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport during a thunderstorm, killing 37 of the 57 people on board.
Director:Mark Mainguy
Writer:Greg Gransden
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Director:Mark Mainguy
Writer:Greg Gransden
7.3/10(144 votes)
#23 - Deadly Distraction (Delta Air Lines Flight 1141)
S18:E32/27/2018
On 31 August 1988, Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 crashes beyond the runway while taking off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, killing 14 of the 108 people on board.
Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
Writer:James Battiston
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Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
Writer:James Battiston
7.3/10(130 votes)
#24 - Slam Dunk
S19:E103/11/2019
On 7 January 1994, United Express Flight 6291, operating for Atlantic Coast Airlines, crashes 1.2 miles short of the runway during final approach to Port Columbus International Airport after entering a stall. The two pilots, the flight attendant, and two passengers are killed in the crash.
Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Unknown
Writer:Unknown
7.3/10(114 votes)
#25 - Impossible Pitch
S20:E62/13/2020
(West Air Sweden Flight 294) A cargo jet plummets to earth in the Swedish Arctic. And as investigators pore over the evidence, a terrifying picture of chaos and confusion emerges.
Director:Mark Mainguy
Writer:Alex Bystram
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Director:Mark Mainguy
Writer:Alex Bystram