Air Disasters — Season 6
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. Hanging by a Thread
Aired 13 September 2015 • 45 min
The 1988 flight of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, which saw the top of its fuselage torn off due to an explosive decompression, is recalled.
2. Attack Over Baghdad
Aired 6 September 2015 • 45 min
A surface-to-air missile cripples a cargo plane just after it leaves Baghdad International Airport.
3. Out of Control
Aired 30 August 2015 • 45 min
Japan Airlines Flight 123, the worst single-plane crash in history and the simple error made years earlier that caused it.
4. Fight for Your Life
Aired 23 August 2015 • 45 min
FedEx employees fend off an attack by a coworker.
5. Bomb on Board
Aired 16 August 2015 • 45 min
A mid-flight bombing aboard Philippine Airlines Flight 434 forces its pilots to attempt a daring landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan.
6. Mistaken Identity
Aired 9 August 2015 • 45 min
A Navy cruiser in the Persian Gulf must determine if an incoming plane is friend or foe.
7. Helicopter Down
Aired 14 February 2016 • 45 min
The 1995 crash of a Super Puma helicopter in the North Sea while ferrying workers to an oil platform is recounted.
8. Death and Denial
Aired 21 February 2016 • 45 min
The worst plane crash in Egypt's history becomes one the most controversial when the investigation focuses on one pilot's intentions.
9. Kid in the Cockpit
Aired 28 February 2016 • 45 min
A pilot allows his teen son to fly the plane; tragedy results.
10. Ocean Landing
Aired 6 March 2016 • 45 min
The story of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, which was hijacked while on a routine trip to the Ivory Coast. The hijackers demanded to be taken to Australia, but there was one problem: the plane didn't have enough fuel to make the trip.