The Best Episodes of Seconds From Disaster Season 1

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   7.8/10(80 votes)

   #1 - Crash of the Concorde

   S1:E19/19/2005

   Behind every disaster lies a chain of events. The Concorde was the world's first supersonic airliner, but on a charter flight to New York, 109 people are on board an Air France Concorde as it takes off from Paris. But as it lifts off the runway, the control tower notices flames trailing behind the aircraft. They can do nothing. The Concorde becomes uncontrollable and plows into a hotel in nearby Gonesse. 113 people are killed in the accident. The dream that was Concorde is shattered and the aircraft is grounded. What happened to Air France Flight 4590 could shatter the aviation industry as we know it.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
2. 

   7.5/10(69 votes)

   #2 - Tunnel Inferno

   S1:E210/10/2005

   Mont Blanc is one of the highest mountains in Europe, with a seven-mile long tunnel connecting France and Italy through the Alps. One March day in 1999, a Belgian Truck carrying flour and margarine catches fire in the tunnel, creating a blaze which burns for 53 hours, killing 39 people. A team of investigators set out to prove what caused such a terrible fire, and why all tunnels could be merely Seconds from Disaster

   Director:Luke Campbell

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Luke Campbell

   Writer:Unknown
3. 

   6.8/10(60 votes)

   #3 - The Bomb in Oklahoma City

   S1:E310/17/2005

   One April morning in 1995, at Oklahoma City's Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Timothy McVeigh parks a truck packed with explosives at the front of the government landmark. At 9:02AM, it explodes and the front of the building collapses with a loss of 168 lives. Survivors recount the terrifying experience as investigators attempt to discover what caused the building to collapse.

   Director:Ian Bremner

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Ian Bremner

   Writer:Unknown
4. 

   7.3/10(51 votes)

   #4 - Fire Onboard the Star (Fire on the Star)

   S1:E410/16/2005

   On Easter 1990, a fire breaks out on the Scandinavian Star Ferry. After been towed to Sweden, the fire is eventually put out after 10 hours. Then the worst is revealed. 158 people have lost their lives. But why on Earth did they die? An investigation is immediately started, but the truth will shock them.

   Director:Dan Gold

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Dan Gold

   Writer:Unknown
5. 

   7.9/10(52 votes)

   #5 - High Speed Train Wreck (Derailment at Eschede)

   S1:E59/26/2005

   June 1998. The new German InterCity Express is a trip from Munich to Hamburg, one of many. Today should be no different. The new train offers the ultimate luxury in high-speed travel. But a terrible accident sets off a chain of events causing the loss of 101 lives when the train derails catastrophically at the town of Eschede. But what caused such a horrible accident?

   Director:Sid Bennett

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Sid Bennett

   Writer:Unknown
6. 

   7.0/10(49 votes)

   #6 - Wreck of the Sunset Limited

   S1:E611/4/2005

   September 1993. The captain of a towboat unwittingly causes the collapse of a bridge over the Big Bayou Canot. When an Amtrak train comes along, it derails with 47 lives lost. Why was such a hideous mistake made? How could it have been prevented? Could it have been prevented at all? Wreck of the Sunset Limited explains why over 40 people died that Autumn day.

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
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7. 

   7.1/10(118 votes)

   #7 - Meltdown in Chernobyl

   S1:E711/6/2005

   We make mistakes every few seconds of our lives. They are unavoidable. But sometimes the results can be disastrous. On April 26, 1986, a series of catastrophic blunders leave dozens dead when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant melts down.

   Directors:Maninderpal Sahota, Stan Griffin

   Writer:Unknown

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   Directors:Maninderpal Sahota, Stan Griffin

   Writer:Unknown
8. 

   7.2/10(51 votes)

   #8 - Inferno at Guadalajara

   S1:E810/9/2005

   April 1992, Guadalajara, Mexico. On the 19th, residents start complaining of a strong gasoline-like smell coming from the sewers. Three days later, on the 22nd, numerous gas explosions in the sewers over a time span of four hours destroy kilometers of housing estate and killing 206 people. But who, if anyone, is to blame? What caused the inferno in Guadalajara?

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
9. 

   7.5/10(50 votes)

   #9 - Fire on the Ski Slope

   S1:E911/10/2005

   November 11, 2000, started out as a normal day at the Kaprun ski resort in Austria, as a Furnicular train climbing the slopes breaks down in a tunnel. Passengers then realise it's on fire. Only 12 make it out alive, leaving 155 people to die horribly. But how could such a modern train break down and catch fire?

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
10. 

    6.9/10(52 votes)

    #10 - Explosion in the North Sea

    S1:E1011/27/2005

    July 6, 1988. The Piper Alpha stands over 110 miles off Scotland. But on this fateful day, a gas leak causes a catastrophic fire with a loss of 167 workers. Why did the Piper Alpha explode without warning? Was Human Error to blame? What about Mechanical Failure? Or even sabotage?

    Director:Dan Gold

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Dan Gold

    Writer:Unknown
11. 

    7.3/10(41 votes)

    #11 - Flood at Stava Dam

    S1:E1111/20/2005

    On July 1985, Italy's Stava Dam collapses and demolishes 70 structures killing 268 people in the process. Was there a fault in the design of the dam? Is this something that could happen to any dam around the world? Find out how a structural failure leads to a massive catastrophe with Flood at Stava Dam

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown
12. 

    8.3/10(76 votes)

    #12 - Collision on the Runway

    S1:E1210/3/2005

    Two Jumbo Jets, Pan Am 1736 and KLM 4805 collide on the lone runway at Tenerife, Spain. The two aircraft are then burnt out and 583 people lose their lives. But how come two experienced pilots made a mistake of this magnitude? How come two passenger jets collided on the runway?

    Director:Paul Burgess

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Paul Burgess

    Writer:Unknown
13. 

    6.8/10(57 votes)

    #13 - Pentagon 9/11

    S1:E139/11/2005

    September 11, 2001 is one of the worst days in history. In Washington, D.C, the workers at the Pentagon have only just heard of the chaos going on at the New York World Trade Centre, but are unaware that they themselves have become a target. American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 aircraft, collides with the Pentagon killing 189. Pentagon 9/11 recreates the events leading up to the explosion at the Pentagon.

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown