- 8.5/102 votes
#1 - Double Trouble
Season 22 Episode 4 - Aired 1/31/2022
Rocked by an explosion that rips both right wing engines off the wing, the pilots of Transair 671 manage a miraculous landing at a French military airfield.
Director: Tim Wolochatiuk
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 8.3/103 votes
#2 - Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster (2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Air Disaster)
Season 12 Episode 9 - Aired 3/4/2013
On 7 September 2011, an aircraft carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team crashes shortly after takeoff at Yaroslavl, Russia, killing all but one of the 45 occupants. The investigation found that the pilots were not properly trained on the aircraft type and mishandled the aircraft during the takeoff.
Director: Marcus Valentin
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 8.3/103 votes
#3 - River Runway (Garuda Indonesia Flight 421)
Season 16 Episode 8 - Aired 1/30/2017
On 16 January 2002, on final approach to Yogyakarta at the end of a routine domestic flight from Ampenan, Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 suffers a double engine flameout while flying through a severe thunderstorm and ditches in the Bengawan Solo River. 59 of the 60 people on board survive.
Director: Mark Mainguy
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 8.0/102 votes
#4 - Fatal Distraction (Eastern Airlines Flight 401)
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 5/28/2008
A Lockheed L-1011 Tristar operating Eastern Airlines Flight 401 to Miami International Airport crashes in the Everglades because the crew is distracted by a faulty landing gear indicator light and accidentally disengage the autopilot. 101 people die.
Director: Su Rynard
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 8.0/101 votes
#5 - The Secret Wife
Season 9 Episode 1 - Aired 10/16/2023
A peaceful suburb turns upside down when a family learns that the neighbor has kept a secret wife locked in his home for years; things escalate when the family helps her escape with her baby, leading to a bitter feud that ends in terrible bloodshed.
Director: Cat Hostick
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 7.5/102 votes
#6 - Panic Over The Pacific (China Airlines Flight 006)
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 5/20/2007
On 19 February 1985, China Airlines Flight 006's number four (right-side outer) engine flames out. As the crew tries to restart the engine, the Boeing 747SP stalls and enters into a spin. The crew successfully regains control, restarts the engine and lands safely at San Francisco International Airport. The incident was caused by pilot error. Alternate title: "6 Mile Plunge"
Director: Rodney Gibbons
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 7.5/102 votes
#7 - The Final Blow (Air Inter Flight 148)
Season 9 Episode 7 - Aired 10/20/2010
On 20 January 1992, Air Inter Flight 148 flies into a peak in the Vosges Mountains while circling to land at Strasbourg Airport, killing 87 people. An error made in programing the aircraft's autopilot, combined with a sudden wind change, caused it to descend more rapidly than expected.
Director: George D'Amato
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 7.5/102 votes
#8 - Imperfect Pitch (XL Airways Germany Flight 888T)
Season 13 Episode 8 - Aired 2/3/2014
On 27 November 2008, an aircraft on a post-maintenance test flight operating as XL Airways Germany Flight 888T crashes into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of France, killing all seven people on board. The investigators determined that improper maintenance work allowed water to enter the aircraft's angle of attack (AOA) sensors. The water then froze during flight, causing the sensors to stop working. The crew tried to test the stall warning system during flight, and the aircraft entered a low-speed stall.
Director: Michael Sinyi
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 7.0/102 votes
#9 - Vertigo
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 6/10/2007
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
- 7.0/102 votes
#10 - Blind Spot (PSA Flight 182)
Season 11 Episode 8 - Aired 1/27/2012
On 25 September 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) Flight 182 collides with a light aircraft while approaching Lindbergh Field and crashes in a residential area in San Diego. All 137 people on both aircraft and seven people on the ground die.
Director: Gary Lang
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 7.0/102 votes
#11 - Blind Landing (TANS Perú Flight 204)
Season 12 Episode 5 - Aired 8/31/2012
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
- 7.0/101 votes
#12 - Playing Catch Up
Season 21 Episode 2 - Aired 4/11/2021
On 10 November 2015, Execuflight Flight 1526 enters an aerodynamic stall and crashes into an apartment building and an embankment during final approach to Akron Fulton International Airport in Akron, Ohio. Both crew members and all seven passengers on board are killed in the crash.
Director: Mark Mainguy
Writer: Carl Knutson
- 6.7/103 votes
#13 - The Plane That Flew Too High (West Caribbean Airways Flight 708)
Season 11 Episode 2 - Aired 8/19/2011
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
- 6.5/102 votes
#14 - Fanning the Flames (South African Airways Flight 295)
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 5/21/2008
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