Mayday (Season 16)

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 interviews with aviation experts.

Deadly Silence (1999 South Dakota Learjet crash) 7.0
Air date: 2016-06-07
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 25 October 1999, a chartered Learjet 35 operated by Sunjet Aviation, carrying golfer Payne Stewart and his agents, runs out of fuel and crashes into a field in South Dakota after flying off course, killing all 6 occupants on board.
9/11 The Pentagon Attack (American Airlines Flight 77) 7.3
Air date: 2016-06-14
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 11 September 2001, during the September 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 77 flies off course and crashes into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, after being hijacked. All the 64 people on board the aircraft, including the 5 hijackers, are killed, along with 125 people in the building.
Disaster at Tenerife (KLM 4805 and Pan Am 1736) 8.5
Air date: 2016-06-21
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 27 March 1977, the deadliest-ever aviation accident occurs at Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife-North Airport) in the Canary Islands. KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 collide on the runway in thick fog during the KLM aircraft's attempt to take off, killing 583 people.
Deadly Detail (China Airlines Flight 120) 7.7
Air date: 2016-06-28
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 20 August 2007, China Airlines Flight 120 catches fire and explodes shortly after landing and taxiing to the gate area at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan. All of the 165 passengers and crew members survive.
Deadly Detour (Proteus Airlines Flight 706) 7.7
Air date: 2016-07-05
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 30 July 1998, Proteus Airlines Flight 706 collides with a light aircraft during a detour over an ocean cruise liner and crashes into Quiberon Bay off the coast of Lorient, France. All fifteen occupants on board the two aircraft are killed.
Dangerous Approach (Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286) 7.3
Air date: 2016-07-12
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 19 January 1988, Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286, operating for Continental Express, crashes near Bayfield, Colorado, while on final approach to Durango. Both crew members and seven of the fifteen passengers on board die.
Murder in the Skies (Germanwings Flight 9525) 8.5
Air date: 2017-01-23
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 24 March 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 enters a high-speed descent and crashes into the French Alps during a flight from Barcelona, Spain, to Düsseldorf, Germany. All 150 people on board are killed.
River Runway (Garuda Indonesia Flight 421) 8.3
Air date: 2017-01-30
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: 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.
Deadly Solution (Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501) 8.0
Air date: 2017-02-06
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 28 December 2014, Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 stalls and crashes into the Java Sea while flying through a thunderstorm, killing all 155 passengers and 7 crew members on board. The causes of the crash were a malfunction of the rudder travel limiter unit and an inappropriate response by the pilots.
Afghan Nightmare (National Airlines Flight 102) 7.5
Air date: 2017-02-13
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On 29 April 2013, just seconds after taking off from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, National Airlines Flight 102 stalls and crashes into the ground, killing all seven crew members on board.