Air Disasters — Season 19
The disaster is only the beginning of the story.
About this season
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.
Episodes (10)
1. Deadly Exchange
Aired 21 May 2023 • 44 min
A twin-engine turboprop carrying 15 people on a flight from St. Louis is on final approach to Kirksville, Missouri. Visibility is poor, but the pilots appear to have the runway lights in sight. When the plane crashes into a wooded area just 1.2 miles from the airport, it's up to the NTSB to find out what happened in the final seconds of Corporate Airlines Flight 5966.
2. Missed Opportunities
Aired 28 May 2023 • 44 min
Investigators try to determine why Independent Air Flight 1851 was flying below advised altitude when it struck a mountain on the Portuguese island of Santa Maria, killing everyone on board.
3. Pressure Point
Aired 4 June 2023 • 44 min
Minutes after takeoff, Japan Airlines Flight 123 experiences a sudden loss of pressurization and crashes into a mountain northwest of Tokyo, prompting investigators to look for answers.
4. Power Play
Aired 11 June 2023 • 44 min
An investigation into the crash of Airlines PNG Flight 1600 on Papua New Guinea reveals a potentially deadly flaw in the popular Bombardier Dash 8 turboprop plane.
5. Control Catastrophe
Aired 18 June 2023 • 44 min
Equipment and software oversights on Air Astana Flight 1388 cause a critical malfunction immediately after takeoff, forcing the crew to attempt a series of near-impossible landings.
6. Cockpit Catastrophe
Aired 25 June 2023 • 44 min
When a plane's windshield shatters over the Himalayas, the pilots are forced to make a rapid emergency landing while battling freezing winds and dangerously low oxygen.
7. Dream Flight Disaster
Aired 2 July 2023 • 44 min
When a British tycoon and his family die in a 2017 Australian seaplane crash, investigators spend over two years searching for the reason behind the tragedy.
8. Deadly Deception
Aired 9 July 2023 • 44 min
The plan to save Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 013 hinges on convincing the violent hijackers that their demands have been met before the plane runs out of fuel.
9. Delivery to Disaster
Aired 16 July 2023 • 44 min
When an Amazon cargo plane nosedives into a swamp outside Houston, the evidence eventually leads investigators to a pilot with a long history of failures.
10. Mystery Over the Mediterranean
Aired 23 July 2023 • 44 min
Evidence from the disappearance of EgyptAir Flight 804 leads investigators to theorize different causes for the plane's spiral into the Mediterranean.