7.8/1074 votes#1 - Crash of the Concorde
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.5/1061 votes
#2 - Tunnel Inferno
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/10/2005
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: N/A
- 6.8/1054 votes
#3 - The Bomb in Oklahoma City
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/17/2005
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: N/A
- 7.3/1045 votes
#4 - Fire Onboard the Star (Fire on the Star)
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/16/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1045 votes
#5 - High Speed Train Wreck (Derailment at Eschede)
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 9/26/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/1042 votes
#6 - Wreck of the Sunset Limited
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/10114 votes#7 - Meltdown in Chernobyl
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/6/2005
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.
Director: Stan Griffin, Maninderpal Sahota
Writer: N/A
- 7.1/1045 votes
#8 - Inferno at Guadalajara
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 10/9/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.4/1043 votes
#9 - Fire on the Ski Slope
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/10/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.8/1045 votes
#10 - Explosion in the North Sea
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/27/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.2/1036 votes
#11 - Flood at Stava Dam
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 11/20/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/1069 votes
#12 - Collision on the Runway
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 10/3/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.7/1053 votes
#13 - Pentagon 9/11
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 9/11/2005
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Seconds From Disaster Season 1
Every episode of Seconds From Disaster Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Seconds From Disaster Season 1!
Seconds from Disaster is a US/UK-produced documentary television programme that investigates historically relevant man-made and natural disasters of the 20th century. Each episode aims to...
Genre:Documentary
Network:National Geographic
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Crash of the Concorde" is the best rated episode of "Seconds From Disaster" season 1. It scored 7.8/10 based on 74 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 9/19/2005. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Tunnel Inferno".