Catastrophic incidents in aviation history are meticulously reenacted, providing insight into what went wrong and if the crashes and near-disasters could have been prevented. Accounts from survivors combine with cockpit recordings and computer images to weave the gripping tales, and expert testimony reveals the hows and whys behind the events, some of which have resulted in important changes to aviation safety and regulations.
Air date: 2018-09-30
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Jul 17, 1996 — TWA Flight 800 (Boeing 747): Minutes after leaving JFK for Paris, a jumbo jet explodes off Long Island, and the NTSB attempts the unthinkable: rebuilding the plane piece by piece.
Air date: 2018-10-07
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Dec 1, 1993 — Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 (Jetstream 31): On a night descent into Hibbing, Minnesota, a commuter turboprop clips the treetops and slams into a hillside, and the inquiry reaches back months before the flight.
Air date: 2018-10-14
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Jan 9, 1997 — Comair Flight 3272 (Embraer 120): A commuter flight on approach to Detroit suddenly rolls and dives into a frozen field, and investigators find the FAA's own assumptions on trial.
Air date: 2018-10-21
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Apr 15, 2002 — Air China Flight 129 (Boeing 767): A late change of approach into Busan, South Korea sends a jet into fog-shrouded hills — and investigators dissect the crew's final moments together.
Air date: 2018-10-28
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Sep 26, 1997 — Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 (Airbus A300): Descending toward Medan through thick haze from forest fires, an airliner strikes terrain miles from the airport — Indonesia's deadliest crash.
Air date: 2018-11-04
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Jul 2, 1994 — USAir Flight 1016 (DC-9): On a summer afternoon approach to Charlotte, a jet is caught by one of the most powerful microbursts on record, and investigators ask whether weather alone explains it.
Air date: 2018-11-11
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Feb 4, 2015 — TransAsia Airways Flight 235 (ATR 72): Minutes after takeoff from Taipei, a commuter plane banks over a highway and into the Keelung River — captured by a passing car's dashcam.
Air date: 2019-01-06
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Oct 31, 2015 — Metrojet Flight 9268 (Airbus A321): A charter carrying Russian tourists home vanishes from radar minutes after leaving Sharm el-Sheikh, and the wreckage in the Sinai raises hard questions.
Air date: 2019-01-13
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Aug 31, 1999 — LAPA Flight 3142 (Boeing 737): A jet leaving Buenos Aires never lifts off, hurtling past the airport boundary, and investigators must explain how a basic takeoff went wrong.
Air date: 2019-01-20
Runtime: 45 min
Overview: On Jul 31, 1992 — Thai Airways Flight 311 (Airbus A310): Minutes from Kathmandu, an airliner disappears in the Himalayas, and the search for answers exposes the challenges of one of the world's most demanding approaches.
