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The Worst Episodes of Mayday

Every episode of Mayday ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Mayday!

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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 Worst Episode
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    Mayday Season 26 Episode 8 - Moments from Touchdown (Yeti Airlines Flight 691)
    6.0/10(3 votes)

    #1 - Moments from Touchdown (Yeti Airlines Flight 691)

    S26:E8

    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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  2. Mayday Season 3 Episode 7 - Helicopter Down
    6.3/10(6 votes)

    #2 - 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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  3. Mayday Season 20 Episode 10 - Runway Breakup
    6.3/10(3 votes)

    #3 - Runway Breakup

    S20:E10

    (AIRES Flight 8250) On 16 August 2010, AIRES Flight 8250 crashes short of the runway while attempting to land at San Andrés, Colombia in a storm. The aircraft broke up into 3 pieces on the runway. 2 of the passengers died in the accident.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Peter Findlay

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  4. Mayday Season 3 Episode 6 - Mistaken Identity
    6.7/10(6 votes)

    #4 - 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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  5. Mayday Season 6 Episode 3 - Who's Flying the Plane? (Crew vs Avionics)
    6.7/10(3 votes)

    #5 - Who's Flying the Plane? (Crew vs Avionics)

    S6:E3

    This special looked at accidents and incidents where problems with the interface between crew members and on-board avionics were a factor and the causes of those problems. Episodes re-visited: Flying Blind, Panic Over the Pacific, Kid in the Cockpit, Vertigo, Flying on Empty.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Mayday Season 11 Episode 3 - Split Decision (Arrow Air Flight 1285)
    6.7/10(3 votes)

    #6 - Split Decision (Arrow Air Flight 1285)

    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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  7. Mayday Season 20 Episode 7 - No Warning
    6.7/10(3 votes)

    #7 - No Warning

    S20:E7

    (Trigana Air Flight 267) A turboprop crashes into an Indonesian mountain, and while three systems could have prevented it, investigators must figure out why none of them did.

    Director:Mark Mainguy
    Writer:Corey Shurge

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  8. Mayday Season 2 Episode 6 - Missing Over New York
    6.8/10(4 votes)

    #8 - Missing Over New York

    S2:E6

    On 25 January 1990, Avianca Flight 52, a flight to New York City from Colombia, is delayed numerous times by bad weather en route and is dangerously low on fuel as it attempts a landing. Wind shear forces the crew to abort the approach just one mile from the runway. They initiate a go-around, but are directed back into a holding pattern by air traffic controllers who are unaware of the low fuel situation. The Boeing 707 then runs out of fuel, causing it to crash on Long Island near New York.

    Director:Michael Jorgensen
    Writer:Michael Jorgensen

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  9. Mayday Season 5 Episode 7 - Fanning the Flames (South African Airways Flight 295)
    6.8/10(5 votes)

    #9 - Fanning the Flames (South African Airways Flight 295)

    S5:E7

    South African Airways Flight 295 starts filling with smoke over the Indian Ocean. A fire has erupted in the rear main level cargo area; the pilots successfully open the doors in flight to clear the smoke from the aircraft, however it crashes with no survivors.

    Director:P.J. Naworynski
    Writer:Carl Knutson

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  10. Mayday Season 12 Episode 5 - Blind Landing (TANS Perú Flight 204)
    6.8/10(4 votes)

    #10 - Blind Landing (TANS Perú Flight 204)

    S12:E5

    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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  11. Mayday Season 12 Episode 11 - Heading to Disaster (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409)
    6.8/10(5 votes)

    #11 - Heading to Disaster (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409)

    S12:E11

    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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  12. Mayday Season 13 Episode 5 - Lost in Translation (Crossair Flight 498)
    6.8/10(4 votes)

    #12 - Lost in Translation (Crossair Flight 498)

    S13:E5

    On 10 January 2000, Crossair Flight 498 crashes just two minutes after takeoff from Zurich, Switzerland, while heading for Dresden, Germany, killing all 10 people on board. The investigation found that the pilots had suffered spatial disorientation.

    Director:Su Rynard
    Writer:Brian D. Young

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  13. Mayday Season 2 Episode 3 - The Killing Machine
    7.0/10(5 votes)

    #13 - The Killing Machine

    S2:E3

    On 24 December 1994, Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Algiers Airport. The four terrorists demand the aircraft be allowed to depart for Paris so they can blow up the aircraft over the Eiffel Tower, but the Algerian Army blocks the aircraft with vehicles and refuse to allow it to take off. Unable to carry out their plans, the terrorists kill three passengers over the next two days. The aircraft is then cleared to take off, but the crew diverts to Marseille Provence Airport. The hostage rescue team of the French Gendarmerie storms the aircraft, and after a gun battle in the cabin, the four hijackers are killed and everyone else is evacuated. It is described as "one of the most successful anti-terrorist operations in history."

    Director:Chantal Hébert
    Writer:Chantal Hébert

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  14. Mayday Season 4 Episode 8 - Fog of War (1996 Croatia USAF CT-43)
    7.0/10(5 votes)

    #14 - Fog of War (1996 Croatia USAF CT-43)

    S4:E8

    On 3 April 1996, while attempting to land at Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia during heavy fog, a United States Air Force Boeing CT-43 strays off course and flies into a mountain. All 35 people on board are killed, including the United States Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown. The non-precision approach procedure the crew needed to follow required the use of two automatic direction finders, but the aircraft was only fitted with one.

    Director:George D'Amato
    Writer:Dennis Murphy

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  15. Mayday Season 4 Episode 9 - Vertigo
    7.0/10(5 votes)

    #15 - Vertigo

    S4:E9

    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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  16. Mayday Season 6 Episode 1 - Ripped Apart (Decompression Failures)
    7.0/10(2 votes)

    #16 - Ripped Apart (Decompression Failures)

    S6:E1

    BOAC Flight 781 ,South African Airways Flight 201, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, British Airways Flight 5390, United Airlines Flight 811, Helios Airways Flight 522. This special looks at accidents and incidents where pressurization failure or explosive decompression played a part. Episodes re-visited: Hanging by a Thread, Blow Out, Unlocking Disaster, Ghost Plane.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Mayday Season 6 Episode 2 - Fatal Flaw (Minor Defects)
    7.0/10(3 votes)

    #17 - Fatal Flaw (Minor Defects)

    S6:E2

    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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  18. Mayday Season 7 Episode 4 - Blown Apart (Partnair Flight 394)
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #18 - Blown Apart (Partnair Flight 394)

    S7:E4

    On September 8, 1989, Partnair Flight 394, a charter from Oslo to Hamburg, suddenly begins to dive from 22 thousand feet. The aging propeller plane eventually crashes into the sea, killing all 55 people on board.

    Director:Su Rynard
    Writer:Carl Knutson

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  19. Mayday Season 10 Episode 5 - Dead Tired (Colgan Air Flight 3407)
    7.0/10(5 votes)

    #19 - Dead Tired (Colgan Air Flight 3407)

    S10:E5

    On 12 February 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 stalls at low altitude and dives into a residential area near Buffalo, New York. All on board and one person on the ground are killed. Several critical errors made by the flight crew might have been the result of their fatigue.

    Director:James Hyslop
    Writer:Greg Gransden

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  20. Mayday Season 10 Episode 6 - Pilot Betrayed (Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751)
    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #20 - Pilot Betrayed (Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751)

    S10:E6

    On 27 December 1991, Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 crash-lands without loss of life in Gottröra moments after taking off due to both engines failing. Clear ice from the tops of the wings had been sucked into both engines, causing internal damage. An automatic system (of which the pilots were unaware) to increase the engines' thrust contributed to their failure.

    Director:Su Rynard
    Writer:Christopher Blow

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  21. Mayday Season 14 Episode 6 - Accident or Assasination (Mexican Interior Ministry Learjet 45)
    7.0/10(6 votes)

    #21 - Accident or Assasination (Mexican Interior Ministry Learjet 45)

    S14:E6

    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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  22. Mayday Season 15 Episode 9 - Deadly Mission (1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash)
    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #22 - Deadly Mission (1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash)

    S15:E9

    On 18 September 1961, a Douglas DC-6 operated by Transair Sweden, carrying Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, crashes en route to cease-fire negotiations in Northern Rhodesia during the Congo Crisis. All of the 16 passengers and crew members are killed.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Alex Bystram

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  23. Mayday Season 18 Episode 2 - Blown Away (TransAsia Airways Flight 222)
    7.0/10(3 votes)

    #23 - Blown Away (TransAsia Airways Flight 222)

    S18:E2

    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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  24. Mayday Season 18 Episode 8 - Deadly Inclination (Alitalia Flight 404)
    7.0/10(3 votes)

    #24 - Deadly Inclination (Alitalia Flight 404)

    S18:E8

    On 14 November 1990, Alitalia Flight 404 descends too low and crashes into the woodlands of the Stalderberg Mountain near Weiach, Switzerland, 5.2 nautical miles (9.6 kilometres) short of the runway during final approach to Zurich Airport. All 46 passengers and crew members on board are killed.

    Director:Mark Mainguy
    Writer:James Battiston

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  25. Mayday Season 20 Episode 4 - Icy Descent
    7.0/10(3 votes)

    #25 - Icy Descent

    S20:E4

    (SOL Flight 5428) When SOL Airlines Flight 5428 nosedives into a remote desert, investigators struggle to find the cause amongst the scattered and scorched debris.

    Director:Tim Wolochatiuk
    Writer:Peter St. Laurent

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Moments from Touchdown (Yeti Airlines Flight 691)" is the worst rated episode of "Mayday". It scored 6/10 based on 3 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 3/23/2026. This episode scored 0.3 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Helicopter Down".