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S25 E11 · No Exit
Air Disasters is a documentary TV series that premiered on Smithsonian Channel on May 15, 2011. It has 25 seasons and 286 episodes so far and is still airing new episodes. The latest episode, Season 25 Episode 11 "No Exit", aired on September 13, 2026.
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.
Last updated
286 episodes · 25 seasons
2011 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 15 years ago
E10
On Sep 29, 2006 — Gol Flight 1907 (Boeing 737) & Embraer Legacy: Two aircraft cross paths high above the Amazon, and investigators must piece together how modern technology failed to keep them apart.
E9
On Dec 29, 1972 — Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (L-1011): On a clear night approach to Miami, a state-of-the-art jet descends unnoticed into the Everglades. Investigators must explain how.
E8
On Feb 6, 1996 — Birgenair Flight 301 (Boeing 757): Moments after a night takeoff from the Dominican Republic, the crew is confronted by baffling and contradictory instrument readings.
E7
On Jun 23, 1985 — Air India Flight 182 (Boeing 747): A jumbo jet vanishes from radar over the Atlantic near Ireland, triggering an investigation that spans continents.
E6
On Apr 4, 1977 — Southern Airways Flight 242 (DC-9): A flight through severe Georgia thunderstorms leaves the crew battling to keep their crippled jet aloft with nowhere to land.
E5
On Jan 8, 2003 — Air Midwest Flight 5481 (Beechcraft 1900D): Seconds after takeoff from Charlotte, a commuter flight pitches out of control. Investigators search for answers in the smallest details.
E4
On Nov 28, 1987 — South African Airways Flight 295 (Boeing 747 Combi): En route from Taipei to Johannesburg, the cabin fills with smoke over the Indian Ocean, launching one of the deepest wreckage recoveries ever attempted.
E3
On Jun 12, 1972 & Mar 3, 1974 — American Airlines Flight 96 & Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (DC-10s): Two DC-10s suffer sudden decompressions in flight, two years apart. Investigators probe whether the incidents are connected.
E2
On Jul 23, 1983 — Air Canada Flight 143 (Boeing 767): Halfway from Montreal to Edmonton, a brand-new airliner runs completely out of fuel at 41,000 feet, leaving the crew to attempt the impossible.
E1
On Aug 2, 1985 — Delta Air Lines Flight 191 (L-1011): On approach to Dallas/Fort Worth in stormy weather, the jet suddenly plunges short of the runway. Investigators race to uncover what brought it down.
2012 · 12 episodes · Last episode: 14 years ago
E12
On Jul 17, 2007 — TAM Airlines Flight 3054 (Airbus A320): Landing at São Paulo's Congonhas Airport on a rainy night, a jet fails to stop and careens off the end of the runway into buildings beyond.
E11
On Aug 16, 2005 — West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 (MD-82): A charter flight from Panama to Martinique falls from cruise altitude over Venezuela, and the investigation reaches deep into a troubled airline.
E10
On Feb 1, 1991 — USAir Flight 1493 (Boeing 737) & SkyWest Flight 5569: A jet landing at Los Angeles collides with a commuter plane on the runway, turning attention to the control tower.
E9
On Jan 20, 1992 — Air Inter Flight 148 (Airbus A320): On a night approach to Strasbourg, a domestic French flight descends into the Vosges Mountains, and investigators must determine why a modern jet flew so low.
E8
Special — Multiple incidents: Five disasters tied to communication failures and an overburdened air traffic control system, and the changes they forced on how controllers and pilots keep planes apart.
E7
On Jun 26, 1988 — Air France Flight 296 (Airbus A320): A brand-new fly-by-wire jet performs a low flyby at a French airshow and fails to climb away, igniting a bitter public battle between the pilot and investigators.
E6
On Mar 10, 1989 & Mar 22, 1992 — Air Ontario Flight 1363 & USAir Flight 405 (Fokker F28s): Two wintry takeoffs, three years apart in Ontario and New York, end in disaster and force investigators to look for a common thread.
E5
On Aug 16, 1987 — Northwest Airlines Flight 255 (MD-82): Moments after takeoff from Detroit, a fully loaded jet fails to climb and crashes beyond the runway, leaving investigators to trace the final minutes before departure.
E4
On Aug 22, 1985 — British Airtours Flight 28M (Boeing 737): An engine catches fire as a holiday flight accelerates down the runway at Manchester. The takeoff is aborted, but a survivable emergency turns deadly on the ground.
E3
Special — Multiple incidents (1977–1999), including Southern Airways Flight 242, British Airways Flight 009, and American Airlines Flight 1420: A look at how violent weather has brought down airliners and how forecasting and cockpit technology evolved in response.
E2
On Sep 1, 1983 — Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (Boeing 747): A passenger jet en route from Anchorage to Seoul strays into Soviet airspace and is shot down by a fighter jet, pushing Cold War tensions to the brink.
E1
On Dec 19, 2005 — Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 (Grumman Turbo Mallard): A vintage seaplane bound for the Bahamas goes down moments after lifting off from Miami's Watson Island, stunning witnesses along the shoreline.
2013 · 11 episodes · Last episode: 13 years ago
E11
On May 24, 1988 — TACA Flight 110 (Boeing 737): Descending through a violent storm near New Orleans, a jet loses both engines, leaving the crew searching for anywhere flat enough to put it down.
E10
On Dec 12, 1985 — Arrow Air Flight 1285 (DC-8): A charter returning U.S. soldiers home for the holidays crashes seconds after takeoff from Gander, Newfoundland — a disaster whose cause is debated to this day.
E9
On Dec 22, 1999 — Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 (Boeing 747): A freighter crashes into a field moments after a night takeoff from London Stansted, drawing investigators into the cockpit's final minute.
E8
On Oct 8, 2001 — SAS Flight 686 (MD-87): Accelerating for takeoff in dense fog at Milan's Linate Airport, an airliner collides with a small jet on the runway, exposing how both came to share the same strip of pavement.
E7
On Jul 11, 1991 — Nationair Flight 2120 (DC-8): Moments after takeoff from Jeddah, a charter carrying pilgrims home to Nigeria develops an onboard fire traced to the first seconds of its takeoff roll.
E6
On Sep 11, 1991 — Continental Express Flight 2574 (Embraer 120): A commuter turboprop suddenly pitches over and breaks apart in the sky near Eagle Lake, Texas, leaving investigators a field of scattered clues.
E5
On Oct 9, 2002 — Northwest Airlines Flight 85 (Boeing 747): High over the Bering Sea, a jumbo jet suddenly rolls hard on its own, forcing the crew into a wrestling match with their own aircraft en route to an emergency landing in Anchorage.
E4
On Jul 19, 1989 — United Airlines Flight 232 (DC-10): After a catastrophic engine failure cripples their flight controls, the crew attempts a landing at Sioux City that no pilot had ever trained for.
E3
On Dec 7, 1987 — PSA Flight 1771 (BAe 146): A California commuter flight plunges from cruise altitude after gunshots are heard in the cabin, turning a crash investigation into a criminal one.
E2
On Feb 6, 1958 — British European Airways Flight 609 (Airspeed Ambassador): A charter carrying the Manchester United football team crashes on takeoff from a snowy Munich airfield after a refueling stop, shaking the sporting world.
E1
On Sep 25, 1978 — PSA Flight 182 (Boeing 727): On a clear San Diego morning, a jet on approach collides with a small Cessna over a residential neighborhood, at the time the deadliest air disaster in U.S. history.
2014 · 13 episodes · Last episode: 12 years ago
E13
On Jun 1, 2009 — Air France Flight 447 (Airbus A330): An overnight flight from Rio to Paris disappears over the mid-Atlantic without a distress call, launching a two-year hunt for wreckage, recorders, and the truth.
E12
On Feb 21, 2008 — Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518 (ATR 42): Departing the mountain city of Mérida at dusk, a Venezuelan turboprop has only moments to escape the Andes rising around it.
E11
On Jan 25, 2010 — Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 (Boeing 737): Minutes after a stormy night takeoff from Beirut, a jet banks off course and spirals into the Mediterranean, and investigators focus on the men at the controls.
E10
On Apr 10, 2010 — Polish Air Force Flight 101 (Tu-154M): Carrying Poland's president and dozens of national leaders to a memorial ceremony, a government jet descends through dense fog toward Smolensk — and never arrives.
E9
On Sep 7, 2011 — Yak-Service Flight 9633 (Yak-42): A charter carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team fails to climb on takeoff and crashes beside the Volga, stunning the sports world and all of Russia.
E8
On Dec 28, 1978 — United Airlines Flight 173 (DC-8): Circling Portland while the crew troubleshoots a landing gear problem, a jet with 189 aboard slowly runs out of time — and the lessons reshape every cockpit in the world.
E7
On May 25, 1979 — American Airlines Flight 191 (DC-10): As a fully loaded jet lifts off from Chicago O'Hare, an engine tears away from the wing — the beginning of the deadliest aviation accident on U.S. soil.
E6
On Jun 30, 1956 — United Airlines Flight 718 & TWA Flight 2: Two airliners cross the Arizona desert on the same summer morning and collide over the Grand Canyon — a disaster that transforms how America controls its skies.
E5
On Aug 23, 2005 — TANS Peru Flight 204 (Boeing 737): Descending through a violent storm toward Pucallpa, a jet comes down in the Peruvian jungle — and looters strip the crash site before investigators arrive.
E4
On Dec 19, 1997 — SilkAir Flight 185 (Boeing 737): Cruising toward Singapore in clear weather, a nearly new jet suddenly plunges from 35,000 feet into an Indonesian river, and two investigations reach very different conclusions.
E3
On Oct 31, 2000 — Singapore Airlines Flight 006 (Boeing 747): Departing Taipei as a typhoon closes in, a jumbo jet erupts in flames partway down its takeoff roll, and investigators make a shocking discovery on the airfield.
E2
On May 11, 1996 — ValuJet Flight 592 (DC-9): Minutes after leaving Miami, smoke pours into the cabin and the jet plunges into the Everglades, igniting a controversy that rocks the FAA itself.
E1
On Jun 8, 1983 — Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 (Lockheed Electra): High over the Pacific off Alaska, a propeller tears loose and slices into the fuselage, jamming the controls of a plane still hours from safety.
2015 · 11 episodes · Last episode: 11 years ago
E11
On Nov 4, 2010 — Qantas Flight 32 (Airbus A380): Minutes after leaving Singapore, an engine on the world's largest airliner explodes, and the crew must manage a cascade of failures to bring it home.
E10
On Aug 9, 2007 — Air Moorea Flight 1121 (DHC-6 Twin Otter): A seven-minute island hop from Moorea to Tahiti ends when the small plane suddenly noses over and dives into the ocean shortly after takeoff.
E9
Special — Multiple incidents, including the 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson": Most air accidents are survivable. Survivors' stories reveal what makes the difference, and how the industry works to improve the odds.
E8
On Nov 27, 2008 — XL Airways Germany Flight 888T (Airbus A320): During a test flight before handover to a new owner, a jet plunges into the Mediterranean off the French coast, and the checkout flight itself comes under scrutiny.
E7
On Jun 27, 1980 — Itavia Flight 870 (DC-9): On descent toward Palermo, an Italian airliner vanishes into the Tyrrhenian Sea near Ustica — the start of one of aviation's most contested mysteries.
E6
On Sep 15, 1989 — NOAA 42 "Kermit" (WP-3D Orion): A hurricane hunter crew flies into Hurricane Hugo east of Barbados, where turbulence beyond anything forecast puts the aircraft and its mission in jeopardy.
E5
On Nov 12, 2001 — American Airlines Flight 587 (Airbus A300): Two months after 9/11, a flight bound for the Dominican Republic crashes into a Queens neighborhood moments after leaving JFK, and a rattled nation fears the worst.
E4
On Jan 13, 1982 — Air Florida Flight 90 (Boeing 737): Departing Washington National in a snowstorm, a jet strikes the 14th Street Bridge and plunges into the icy Potomac, just two miles from the White House.
E3
On Jan 10, 2000 — Crossair Flight 498 (Saab 340): A commuter flight from Zurich to Dresden crashes two minutes after takeoff — the airline's first fatal accident in 25 years.
E2
On Jun 6, 1971 — Hughes Airwest Flight 706 (DC-9): Climbing out of Los Angeles, an airliner collides with a Marine Corps F-4 Phantom over the San Gabriel Mountains, forcing civilian and military investigators to work the case together.
E1
On Jun 18, 1972 — BEA Flight 548 (Hawker Siddeley Trident): Minutes after takeoff from London Heathrow, a jet bound for Brussels fell from the sky near Staines, leaving investigators without survivors or flight recordings to explain it.
2015 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 10 years ago
E10
On Nov 23, 1996 — Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 (Boeing 767): Hijackers demand a flight to Australia, but the jet doesn't carry enough fuel — leading to a desperate ditching attempt off the Comoros Islands, caught on camera.
E9
On Mar 23, 1994 — Aeroflot Flight 593 (Airbus A310): On an overnight flight to Hong Kong, a captain invites his children to visit the cockpit high over Siberia, setting off a chain of events the crew can't undo.
E8
On Oct 31, 1999 — EgyptAir Flight 990 (Boeing 767): A red-eye from New York to Cairo plunges into the Atlantic off Nantucket, and the investigation becomes one of the most controversial in aviation history.
E7
On Jan 19, 1995 — Bristow Flight 56C (Super Puma): Ferrying workers to a North Sea oil platform in foul weather, a helicopter crew is suddenly forced down into some of the world's most unforgiving waters.
E6
On Jul 3, 1988 — Iran Air Flight 655 (Airbus A300): During heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf, a U.S. Navy cruiser must decide in minutes whether an approaching aircraft is friend or foe — with tragic consequences.
E5
On Dec 11, 1994 — Philippine Airlines Flight 434 (Boeing 747): A bomb explodes beneath a passenger's seat over the Pacific, forcing the pilots to attempt a daring emergency landing at Okinawa.
E4
On Apr 7, 1994 — FedEx Flight 705 (DC-10): Shortly after leaving Memphis, a cargo crew is ambushed mid-flight by a fellow employee, and the struggle for the controls pushes the jet to its limits.
E3
On Aug 12, 1985 — Japan Airlines Flight 123 (Boeing 747SR): Minutes into a packed evening flight from Tokyo to Osaka, a loud bang cripples the jet's controls — the beginning of the worst single-aircraft disaster in history.
E2
On Nov 22, 2003 — DHL cargo flight (Airbus A300): Climbing out of Baghdad with mail from U.S. soldiers, a freighter is struck by a surface-to-air missile, and the crew must attempt a landing no one had ever pulled off.
E1
On Apr 28, 1988 — Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (Boeing 737): On a short Hawaiian island hop, a large section of the cabin roof suddenly tears away at 24,000 feet, leaving passengers exposed to the open sky.
2016 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 10 years ago
E10
On Aug 14, 2005 — Helios Airways Flight 522 (Boeing 737): A flight to Athens stops responding to radio calls, and intercepting fighter pilots find an eerie scene through the cockpit windows.
E9
On Jan 3, 2004 — Flash Airlines Flight 604 (Boeing 737): Minutes after a pre-dawn takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh, a charter carrying vacationers banks into the Red Sea, and the investigation strains international cooperation.
E8
On Apr 3, 1996 — USAF IFO-21 (CT-43A/Boeing 737): A military transport carrying Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and a U.S. trade delegation crashes into a Croatian hillside on approach to Dubrovnik in bad weather.
E7
On Aug 31, 1986 — Aeroméxico Flight 498 (DC-9): On approach to Los Angeles, an airliner collides with a small private plane over the suburb of Cerritos, spurring changes in how aircraft are tracked.
E6
On Feb 19, 1985 — China Airlines Flight 006 (Boeing 747SP): Nearing the end of a long haul to Los Angeles, a jumbo jet plunges six miles in minutes over the Pacific, and investigators ask how it got that far out of hand.
E5
On Mar 3, 1991 & Sep 8, 1994 — United Airlines Flight 585 & USAir Flight 427 (Boeing 737s): Two 737s suddenly roll and dive from clear skies, years apart, launching one of the longest investigations in NTSB history.
E4
On Aug 6, 1997 — Korean Air Flight 801 (Boeing 747): On a rainy night approach to Guam, a jumbo jet descends into a hillside short of the airport, and investigators look hard at the final minutes in the cockpit.
E3
On Jun 2, 1983 — Air Canada Flight 797 (DC-9): With smoke filling the cabin from a hidden fire, the crew races to get their jet on the ground in Cincinnati — where the ordeal is far from over.
E2
On Jun 24, 1982 — British Airways Flight 9 (Boeing 747): Cruising at night toward Australia, a jumbo jet loses all four engines over the Indian Ocean, leaving the crew gliding in the dark toward Jakarta.
E1
On Aug 2, 2005 — Air France Flight 358 (Airbus A340): Landing at Toronto in a fierce thunderstorm, a jet with over 300 aboard overruns the runway and erupts in flames — and the clock starts on getting everyone out.
2016 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 9 years ago
E10
On Aug 20, 2011 — First Air Flight 6560 (Boeing 737): A charter drifts off course on approach to Resolute Bay in Canada's far north and strikes a hillside — with an unlikely rescue force already on the ground nearby.
E9
On Feb 10, 2011 — Manx2 Flight 7100 (Fairchild Metroliner): In thick fog at Cork, Ireland, a commuter turboprop crashes on its third landing attempt, and investigators uncover a startling gap in aviation oversight.
E8
On Nov 4, 2008 — Mexican government Learjet 45: A charter carrying Mexico's Interior Secretary plummets into Mexico City's financial district at rush hour, and amid the drug war, many suspect it was no accident.
E7
On Jul 25, 2000 — Air France Flight 4590 (Concorde): Trailing flames on takeoff from Paris, the world's only supersonic airliner crashes minutes later, and investigators must reconstruct the disaster from fragments.
E6
On Jul 16, 1999 — Piper Saratoga N9253N: A private plane carrying John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and her sister vanishes on a night flight to Martha's Vineyard, stunning the nation.
E5
On Jul 31, 1997 & Mar 23, 2009 — FedEx Flight 14 & FedEx Flight 80 (MD-11s): Two cargo jets of the same type crashed on landing nearly 12 years apart, in Newark and Tokyo, raising the question: pilots or plane?
E4
On Jun 6, 1992 — Copa Airlines Flight 201 (Boeing 737): A flight from Panama City plunges into the Darién jungle, sending investigators into one of the world's most remote regions for answers.
E3
On Sep 3, 1989 — Varig Flight 254 (Boeing 737): A domestic Brazilian flight comes down in the remote Amazon, and for the survivors, the crash is only the beginning of the ordeal.
E2
On May 26, 1991 — Lauda Air Flight 004 (Boeing 767): A jet bound for Vienna breaks apart in the night sky over Thailand, and airline owner and racing legend Niki Lauda personally joins the fight for answers.
E1
On Jan 8, 1989 — British Midland Flight 92 (Boeing 737): After trouble erupts in one engine, a jet diverting for an emergency landing crashes onto a motorway embankment just short of the runway at East Midlands.
2017 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 8 years ago
E10
On Sep 18, 1961 — UN charter "Albertina" (DC-6): Carrying UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld on a secret peace mission, a plane goes down in the African night near Ndola — a mystery that has fueled decades of controversy.
E9
On Oct 10, 2006 — Atlantic Airways Flight 670 (BAe 146): Landing on Norway's Stord Island, a commuter jet skids off the runway and down a steep cliff, and escape becomes a race against fire.
E8
On Apr 5, 1991 — Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 (Embraer 120): A commuter turboprop carrying a NASA astronaut and a former U.S. senator crashes on approach to Brunswick, Georgia — with no flight recorders to guide investigators.
E7
On Aug 20, 2008 — Spanair Flight 5022 (MD-82): After a long delay on a scorching Madrid afternoon, a jet rolls hard on takeoff and slams down beside the runway, and an international team probes how an experienced crew lost it.
E6
On Oct 31, 1996 — TAM Flight 402 (Fokker 100): Seconds after takeoff from São Paulo's Congonhas Airport, an airliner banks out of control into a crowded neighborhood, and investigators chase a failure almost no pilot had trained for.
E5
On Sep 3, 2010 — UPS Flight 6 (Boeing 747): Shortly after leaving Dubai, fire spreads through a cargo jumbo's main deck, forcing the crew into a nearly blind attempt to get back on the ground.
E4
On Mar 7, 2007 — Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 (Boeing 737): A morning flight slams onto the runway at Yogyakarta and careens off the end, and investigators turn to dramatic video captured at the scene.
E3
On Oct 4, 1992 — El Al Flight 1862 (Boeing 747): Minutes after takeoff from Amsterdam, a cargo jumbo begins rolling violently and, fighting back toward the airport, comes down on a high-rise apartment complex.
E2
On Jul 6, 2013 — Asiana Airlines Flight 214 (Boeing 777): On a clear day at San Francisco, a wide-body strikes the seawall short of the runway — the first fatal crash of a 777 — with the world watching the investigation.
E1
On Nov 19, 1996 — United Express Flight 5925 (Beechcraft 1900): Landing at Quincy, Illinois, a commuter flight collides with a private plane departing on an intersecting runway, and investigators ask why no one escaped a survivable crash.
2018 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 8 years ago
E10
On Apr 29, 2013 — National Airlines Flight 102 (Boeing 747): Seconds after lifting off from Bagram Airfield with 100 tons of military cargo, a jumbo jet rears up, stalls, and falls — all captured on a dashcam.
E9
On Dec 28, 2014 — Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 (Airbus A320): Days after Christmas, a flight bound for Singapore vanishes over the Java Sea, and an international team must explain how a modern jet fell from cruise.
E8
On Jan 16, 2002 — Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 (Boeing 737): Battered by a violent storm over Java, a jet loses both engines and its electrical power, leaving the crew one perilous option for getting down.
E7
On Mar 24, 2015 — Germanwings Flight 9525 (Airbus A320): A routine flight from Barcelona to Düsseldorf begins an unexplained descent over the French Alps, with no response from the cockpit.
E6
On Jan 19, 1988 — Trans-Colorado Flight 2286 (Fairchild Metro III): Five miles from the runway at Durango, a commuter flight descends into the frozen Colorado wilderness, and a phone call steers the investigation somewhere unexpected.
E5
On Jul 30, 1998 — Proteus Airlines Flight 706 (Beechcraft 1900D): A short French coastal hop takes a scenic detour over a famous ocean liner — and moments later the commuter plane goes down in Quiberon Bay.
E4
On Aug 20, 2007 — China Airlines Flight 120 (Boeing 737): Safely parked at the gate in Okinawa with engines shut down, a jet suddenly erupts in flames as passengers scramble to evacuate.
E3
On Mar 27, 1977 — KLM Flight 4805 & Pan Am Flight 1736 (Boeing 747s): In fog at a small Canary Islands airport, two jumbo jets meet on the same runway — history's deadliest air disaster.
E2
On Sep 11, 2001 — American Airlines Flight 77 (Boeing 757): Minutes after leaving Washington Dulles, hijackers turn a jet back toward the capital and into the Pentagon, forever changing commercial aviation.
E1
On Oct 25, 1999 — Learjet 35 N47BA: A private jet carrying golf champion Payne Stewart stops responding to radio calls and flies on across the Midwest, with Air Force fighters scrambling to find out why.
2018 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 7 years ago
E10
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.
E9
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.
E8
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.
E7
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.
E6
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.
E5
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.
E4
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.
E3
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.
E2
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.
E1
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.
2019 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 7 years ago
On Nov 15, 1987 — Continental Airlines Flight 1713 (DC-9): After a long delay in heavy Denver snow, a jet barely leaves the ground before slamming back down — while other flights took off safely all around it.
On Apr 26, 1994 — China Airlines Flight 140 (Airbus A300): Seconds from touchdown at Nagoya, Japan, an airliner unexpectedly climbs, stalls, and falls back to the airfield — and the automation itself comes under scrutiny.
On Nov 14, 1990 — Alitalia Flight 404 (DC-9): On a night approach to Zurich, a jet whose instruments show everything normal strikes a wooded hillside six miles short of the runway.
On Oct 7, 2008 — Qantas Flight 72 (Airbus A330): Cruising toward Perth, a highly automated jet abruptly nosedives on its own — twice — and investigators race to find the cause with hundreds of the type in service.
On Oct 31, 2014 — Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo "VSS Enterprise": High over the Mojave Desert, a commercial spacecraft breaks apart during a rocket-powered test flight, putting the future of space tourism in question.
On May 9, 2012 — Sukhoi Superjet 100 demonstration flight: A short showcase flight for potential buyers over Indonesia ends against a mountainside, and just reaching the wreckage tests investigators to their limits.
On Jul 17, 2014 — Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 (Boeing 777): Cruising from Amsterdam toward Kuala Lumpur, an airliner breaks up over eastern Ukraine's conflict zone, and investigators must work a crash site in the middle of a war.
On Aug 31, 1988 — Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 (Boeing 727): Moments after lifting off from Dallas, a jet settles back to earth and breaks apart, and the NTSB combs the cockpit's final minutes for what went missing.
On Jul 23, 2014 — TransAsia Airways Flight 222 (ATR 72): Landing in foul weather on Taiwan's Penghu islands, a commuter flight crashes short of the airport — and a second crash months later deepens investigators' suspicions.
On Feb 16, 2000 — Emery Worldwide Flight 17 (DC-8): Immediately after takeoff from Sacramento, a cargo jet pitches wildly and banks out of control, and what investigators first suspect isn't what they find.
2019 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 7 years ago
E10
On Jan 7, 1994 — United Express Flight 6291 (Jetstream 41): Facing icy weather on approach to Columbus, Ohio, a commuter crew opts for a rapid descent to the runway — and the cockpit recording stuns investigators.
E9
On Nov 28, 2016 — LaMia Flight 2933 (Avro RJ85): Carrying Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team to a championship match, a charter loses power on approach to Medellín, and investigators uncover how it came to that.
E8
On Sep 14, 2008 — Aeroflot Nord Flight 821 (Boeing 737): On a night approach to Perm, Russia, a crew new to the 737 loses control minutes from landing, and the inquiry indicts far more than one cockpit.
E7
On Dec 20, 2008 — Continental Airlines Flight 1404 (Boeing 737): Racing down the runway at Denver, a jet suddenly veers off before liftoff, bounds across a ravine, and catches fire — and the answer lies in the Rockies.
E6
On Mar 31, 1995 — TAROM Flight 371 (Airbus A310): Minutes after leaving Bucharest, an airliner rolls into a steep dive from its climb, and investigators must untangle machine, crew, and a moment of crisis.
E5
On Aug 7, 1997 — Fine Air Flight 101 (DC-8): Seconds after takeoff from Miami with 43 tons of denim, a cargo jet pitches up, stalls, and comes down across a busy street.
E4
On Aug 18, 1993 — American International Airways Flight 808 (DC-8): On approach to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, a cargo jet rolls and crashes just short of the runway — with Cuban airspace looming steps away.
E3
On Apr 4, 1994 — KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 (Saab 340): A cockpit warning light sends a commuter flight back toward Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, where the landing goes catastrophically wrong beside the runway.
E2
On Sep 16, 2011 — "The Galloping Ghost" (modified P-51 Mustang): At the Reno Air Races, a WWII-era racer suddenly pitches up and plunges toward the crowd, leaving investigators to explain a split-second disaster.
E1
On Apr 13, 2010 — Cathay Pacific Flight 780 (Airbus A330): Approaching Hong Kong, a jet loses control of both engines' power, forcing the crew to attempt a landing at nearly double the normal touchdown speed.
2020 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 6 years ago
E10
Special — Multiple incidents (1985–2010), including British Airtours Flight 28M, Nationair Flight 2120, and UPS Flight 6: When fire breaks out on an aircraft, an emergency can become a disaster in seconds.
E9
Special — Multiple incidents (1972–2012), including Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, Delta Air Lines Flight 1141, and the Sukhoi Superjet demonstration crash: How small distractions in the cockpit have turned routine flights into tragedies.
E8
Special — Multiple incidents (1958–2010), including the Munich air disaster, Arrow Air Flight 1285, and the Smolensk crash that killed Poland's president: High-profile victims and disputed findings put investigators under extraordinary pressure.
E7
Special — Multiple incidents (1988–2008), including Pan Am Flight 103 at Lockerbie, British Airways Flight 38 at Heathrow, and a crash in the Florida Everglades: Three investigations that demanded Sherlock Holmes-level deduction to solve.
E6
Special — Multiple incidents (1997–2015), including SilkAir Flight 185, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and Germanwings Flight 9525: Crashes that baffled investigators until the evidence pointed somewhere no one wanted to look — the pilots themselves.
E5
Special — Multiple incidents (1983–2015), including Korean Air Lines Flight 007, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, and Metrojet Flight 9268: When airliners fall from the sky under suspicious circumstances, investigators must determine whether they're working a crash scene or a crime scene.
E4
Special — Multiple incidents (1988–2009), including Air France Flight 296, XL Airways Flight 888T, and Air France Flight 447: When trust breaks down between pilots and their highly automated aircraft, the cockpit becomes a battle of pilot versus machine.
E3
Special — Multiple incidents (1983–2009), including US Airways Flight 1549, Air Canada Flight 143, and TACA Flight 110: Three crews facing sudden crises pull off some of the most remarkable landings in aviation history.
E2
Special — Multiple incidents (1972–1993), including BEA Flight 548, Trans-Colorado Flight 2286, and Northwest Airlink Flight 5719: How impatience, arrogance, and tension in the cockpit have turned routine flights into disasters.
E1
Special — Multiple incidents (1977–1997), including United Express Flight 5925, Garuda Indonesia Flight 152, and the Tenerife disaster: How small miscommunications between cockpits, towers, and crews have triggered some of aviation's worst tragedies.
2020 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 6 years ago
E10
On May 5, 2007 — Kenya Airways Flight 507 (Boeing 737): A nearly new jet departs Douala, Cameroon into a major storm and disappears minutes later — but investigators find the weather wasn't to blame.
E9
On Nov 29, 2013 — LAM Mozambique Flight 470 (Embraer 190): A flight from Maputo to Luanda goes down in a remote Namibian wilderness, and investigators eliminate cause after cause before reaching a chilling conclusion.
E8
On Aug 16, 2015 — Trigana Air Flight 267 (ATR 42): A short hop over Papua, Indonesia ends against a mountainside with no distress call, leaving investigators to work out what the crew never saw coming.
E7
On Mar 12, 2009 — Cougar Helicopters Flight 91 (Sikorsky S-92): Ferrying oil workers offshore from Newfoundland, a helicopter crew reports mechanical trouble over the frigid North Atlantic — and the investigation reaches around the world.
E6
On May 18, 2011 — Sol Líneas Aéreas Flight 5428 (Saab 340): A commuter flight vanishes over the Argentine desert at night, and a microscopic filament becomes investigators' first real clue.
E5
On Aug 16, 2010 — Aires Flight 8250 (Boeing 737): Landing on Colombia's San Andrés Island in a violent tropical storm, a jet touches down short of the runway and breaks apart — yet the story doesn't end there.
E4
On Dec 3, 1990 — Northwest Airlines Flights 1482 & 299 (DC-9 & Boeing 727): In dense fog at Detroit, a taxiing DC-9 ends up on an active runway, directly in the path of a jet accelerating for takeoff.
E3
On Aug 24, 1999 — Uni Air Flight 873 (MD-90): The flight to Hualien, Taiwan is routine — until the moment of landing, when the cabin erupts and passengers must escape a burning aircraft.
E2
On Jan 8, 2016 — West Air Sweden Flight 294 (CRJ-200): On a night mail run over northern Sweden, a cargo jet suddenly dives from cruise, and investigators trace the chaos to a single instrument.
E1
On Sep 28, 1992 — PIA Flight 268 (Airbus A300): Minutes from landing at Kathmandu, an airliner descends into the mountainous terrain guarding one of the world's most demanding approaches.
2021 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 5 years ago
E10
On Aug 14, 2013 — UPS Airlines Flight 1354 (Airbus A300): In the pre-dawn darkness, a cargo jet clips trees and crashes a mile short of the runway at Birmingham, Alabama, and investigators must reconstruct its final approach.
E9
On Jun 18, 1998 — Propair Flight 420 (Fairchild Metro): Twelve minutes after leaving Montreal, a commuter turboprop loses hydraulics, then an engine, then catches fire, as the crew races for the runway at Mirabel.
E8
On Jun 9, 1995 — Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 (Dash 8): A commuter flight goes down in the hills short of Palmerston North, New Zealand — and for the survivors, the freezing wait for rescue becomes its own battle.
E7
On Feb 6, 1991 — USAF KC-135E "Whale 05": On a Gulf War refueling mission out of Jeddah, a tanker crew is suddenly thrown into a violent fight for control high over the Saudi desert.
E6
On Mar 12, 2018 — US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211 (Dash 8 Q400): Arriving at one of the world's most challenging airports, a flight from Dhaka comes in wildly off profile and crashes beside the runway at Kathmandu.
E5
On Apr 17, 2018 — Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 (Boeing 737): An engine explodes at cruise altitude over Pennsylvania, shattering a window and nearly pulling a passenger from the plane as the crew fights to get down.
E4
On Oct 29, 2018 — Lion Air Flight 610 (Boeing 737 MAX 8): Minutes after leaving Jakarta, one of the world's newest airliners plunges into the Java Sea, and the answers will shake the industry to its foundations.
E3
On Aug 27, 2006 — Comair Flight 5191 (CRJ-100): In the pre-dawn darkness at Lexington, Kentucky, a commuter jet runs out of pavement before it can get airborne, and investigators retrace every step from gate to runway.
E2
On Nov 10, 2015 — ExecuFlight Flight 1526 (Hawker 700A): A charter jet on approach to Akron, Ohio slams into an apartment building, and the NTSB untangles an erratic descent and a troubling backstory.
E1
On Dec 15, 2014 — Loganair Flight 6780 (Saab 2000): Struck by lightning on approach to the Shetland Islands, a turboprop suddenly stops answering its pilots' commands and plunges toward the North Sea.
2022 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 4 years ago
E10
On Jan 26, 2020 — Island Express N72EX (Sikorsky S-76B): A helicopter carrying basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and six family friends crashes into fog-shrouded hills near Calabasas, California.
E9
On Dec 13, 1994 — Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 (Jetstream 32): An American Eagle commuter flight stalls and crashes into a North Carolina forest on approach to Raleigh-Durham, exposing an industry-wide training gap.
E8
On Oct 11, 1983 — Air Illinois Flight 710 (HS 748): A commuter turboprop loses its electrical power on a stormy night flight over southern Illinois, leaving its pilots flying blind in total darkness.
E7
On Nov 12, 1995 — American Airlines Flight 1572 (MD-83): Descending through a severe storm toward Bradley Airport in Connecticut, a jet strikes trees on a ridgeline miles from the runway — with the control tower dark.
E6
On Apr 4, 1979 — TWA Flight 841 (Boeing 727): Cruising at 39,000 feet over Saginaw, Michigan, a jet suddenly rolls and spirals into a dive — and after the recovery, investigators suspect the crew isn't telling the whole story.
E5
On Jan 31, 2000 — Alaska Airlines Flight 261 (MD-83): En route from Mexico to San Francisco, a jet develops a jammed stabilizer, and the crew's fight to save it ends in the Pacific off the California coast.
E4
On Mar 31, 1992 — Trans-Air Service Flight 671 (Boeing 707): An explosion over the French Alps tears both engines from a cargo jet's right wing, leaving the crew muscling a crippled freighter toward a military airfield.
E3
On Feb 23, 2008 — USAF B-2 Spirit "Spirit of Kansas": Moments after takeoff from Guam, a $2 billion stealth bomber pitches up violently and falls — the most expensive aviation accident in history.
E2
On Dec 21, 1992 — Martinair Flight 495 (DC-10): Landing at Faro, Portugal amid thunderstorms, a holiday charter from Amsterdam slams down, breaks apart, and burns — yet most on board survive to tell the story.
E1
On Mar 19, 2016 — Flydubai Flight 981 (Boeing 737): After circling for two hours in foul weather over Rostov-on-Don, Russia, a jet abandons its second landing attempt — and seconds later dives into the runway.
2022 · 24 episodes · Last episode: 3 years ago
E24
Special — Multiple incidents: When automation and pilots stop working together, the results reveal how delicate the balance is between human skill and the machines built to help.
E23
Special — Multiple incidents (1985–2000), including Japan Airlines Flight 123 and Alaska Airlines Flight 261: How maintenance oversights and cost-cutting have led to some of aviation's worst tragedies.
E22
Special — Multiple incidents (1988–1990), including Aloha Airlines Flight 243, United Airlines Flight 811, and British Airways Flight 5390: How seemingly minor flaws in windows, doors, and aging airframes have torn planes apart in flight.
E21
On Feb 8, 1986 — CN freight & VIA Rail passenger trains, Hinton, Alberta: Two trains meet head-on on the same track in the Canadian Rockies — one of the deadliest and most puzzling accidents in Canadian rail history.
E20
On Sep 26, 2000 — Express Samina (Greek ferry): On a windy night crossing to Paros, a ferry strikes a charted rock formation within sight of port, plunging hundreds of passengers into the sea.
E19
On May 12, 1989 — Southern Pacific freight train, San Bernardino, CA: Descending the Cajon Pass with far more weight than its crew realizes, a freight train loses its brakes and derails into a residential street — and the disaster isn't over.
E18
On Jan 25, 1990 — Avianca Flight 52 (Boeing 707): After hours of holding in bad weather outside New York, a flight from Colombia goes silent and comes down in a Long Island village — with the cause hiding in plain hearing.
E17
On Dec 20, 1995 — American Airlines Flight 965 (Boeing 757): On a night descent toward Cali, Colombia, a jet drifts off course into mountainous terrain, and investigators probe the modern navigation meant to prevent exactly that.
E16
On Jul 1, 2002 — Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 & DHL Flight 611: A passenger jet and a cargo plane cross paths at night over Überlingen, Germany, and the investigation turns to the lone controller on duty.
E15
On Oct 2, 1996 — Aeroperú Flight 603 (Boeing 757): On a night departure from Lima, a jet's instruments feed the crew a stream of contradictions over the dark Pacific — and the cause proves maddeningly small.
E14
On Dec 24, 1994 — Air France Flight 8969 (Airbus A300): Hijackers seize a jet on the ground in Algiers on Christmas Eve, beginning a three-day ordeal that ends with French commandos storming the plane at Marseille.
E13
On Aug 21, 1995 — Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 (Embraer 120): A propeller blade snaps over Georgia, wrecking an engine on its mount and forcing the crew down into a hayfield — where the fight to survive continues.
E12
On Jun 10, 1990 — British Airways Flight 5390 (BAC One-Eleven): A cockpit windscreen blows out at 17,000 feet, pulling the captain halfway out of the aircraft — and the crew must land while holding onto him.
E11
On Aug 24, 2001 — Air Transat Flight 236 (Airbus A330): High over the Atlantic, a state-of-the-art jet runs out of fuel, leaving the crew to glide toward a tiny island in the Azores.
E10
On Jan 31, 2000 — Alaska Airlines Flight 261 (MD-83): After a jammed stabilizer leaves a jet nearly uncontrollable off the California coast, investigators uncover disturbing truths about maintenance and cost-cutting.
E9
On Sep 2, 1998 — Swissair Flight 111 (MD-11): A flight from New York to Geneva reports smoke in the cockpit over the Atlantic and turns for Halifax, beginning one of the most exhaustive investigations ever mounted.
E8
On Jun 1, 1999 — American Airlines Flight 1420 (MD-82): Pushing to beat a violent storm into Little Rock, Arkansas, a crew gets their jet on the runway — but can't keep it there.
E7
On Feb 24, 1989 — United Airlines Flight 811 (Boeing 747): Climbing out of Honolulu, a jumbo jet's cargo door area bursts open, tearing a hole in the cabin — and one victim's parents refuse to accept the official answers.
E6
On Feb 25, 2009 — Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 (Boeing 737): On final approach to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, a jet drops out of the sky into a farm field, and investigators weigh plane against pilots.
E5
On Jan 15, 2009 — US Airways Flight 1549 (Airbus A320): Minutes after leaving LaGuardia, a jet loses both engines to a bird strike over New York City — and the crew makes history on the Hudson River.
E4
On Feb 12, 2009 — Continental Connection Flight 3407 (Dash 8 Q400): On approach to Buffalo on a winter night, a commuter flight suddenly pitches out of control and falls onto a house below.
E3
On Dec 27, 1991 — SAS Flight 751 (MD-81): Minutes after taking off from a snowy Stockholm, a jet loses both engines, forcing a desperate landing in a frozen field — and ending a captain's career unjustly, some say.
E2
On Jan 17, 2008 — British Airways Flight 38 (Boeing 777): Seconds from touchdown at Heathrow, both engines of one of the world's safest jets refuse to respond, leaving the crew a heartbeat to act.
E1
On Nov 24, 2001 — Crossair Flight 3597 (Avro RJ100): On a night approach to Zurich in poor weather, a regional jet descends into a wooded hillside short of the runway, and the airline itself comes under scrutiny.
2023 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 3 years ago
E10
On May 19, 2016 — EgyptAir Flight 804 (Airbus A320): A night flight from Paris to Cairo vanishes over the Mediterranean, and competing theories divide investigators across two countries.
E9
On Feb 23, 2019 — Atlas Air Flight 3591 (Boeing 767): An Amazon cargo flight nosedives into a Texas swamp minutes from Houston, and the evidence leads investigators deep into a pilot's past.
E8
On Mar 7, 1983 — Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 013 (Antonov An-24): Hijackers seize a domestic Bulgarian flight demanding passage to Vienna, and the crew's only hope is an elaborate bluff played out in the dark.
E7
On Dec 31, 2017 — Sydney Seaplanes charter (DHC-2 Beaver): On New Year's Eve, a sightseeing seaplane carrying a British CEO and his family crashes into Jerusalem Bay north of Sydney, prompting a high-profile investigation.
E6
On May 14, 2018 — Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 (Airbus A319): High over the Tibetan Plateau, a cockpit windshield shatters, partially pulling the first officer out and leaving the captain to fly through freezing wind and thin air.
E5
On Nov 11, 2018 — Air Astana Flight 1388 (Embraer 190): Leaving Portugal after heavy maintenance, a ferry flight becomes nearly unflyable the moment it's airborne, forcing the crew into a series of desperate landing attempts.
E4
On Oct 13, 2011 — Airlines PNG Flight 1600 (Dash 8): Descending through storms toward Madang, Papua New Guinea, a turboprop's engines run wildly out of control, and investigators uncover a trap built into the aircraft itself.
E3
On Aug 12, 1985 — Japan Airlines Flight 123 (Boeing 747SR): Minutes after leaving Tokyo, a packed evening flight suffers a sudden loss of pressurization and struggles for control before crashing into the mountains northwest of the city.
E2
On Feb 8, 1989 — Independent Air Flight 1851 (Boeing 707): A charter carrying Italian tourists to the Dominican Republic strikes a hilltop on Portugal's Santa Maria Island during a routine refueling stop approach.
E1
On Oct 19, 2004 — Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 (Jetstream 32): On a misty night approach to Kirksville, Missouri, a commuter flight comes down in the woods just short of the airport, and the NTSB dissects its final seconds.
2023 · 30 episodes · Last episode: 2 years ago
History's most terrifying air disasters, and the investigations that followed, are revisited and reexamined.
Air Disasters Season 20 release dates →
E30
Special — Multiple incidents: Aviation at the edge of the map, where cold, isolation, and unforgiving conditions magnify every mistake.
E29
Special — Multiple incidents: Flights that ended in the water, from controlled ditchings to high-speed impacts, and what determined who survived.
E28
Special — Multiple incidents: When teamwork in the cockpit collapses — through conflict, hierarchy, or silence — the aircraft pays the price.
E27
Special — Multiple incidents: Disasters that happened entirely on the ground, when two aircraft ended up on the same strip of pavement.
E26
Special — Multiple incidents: Ice — nearly invisible and ruthlessly effective — and the flights it brought down before its dangers were fully understood.
E25
Special — Multiple incidents: Approaches and touchdowns that unraveled in the final seconds, when nearly home proved not close enough.
E24
Special — Multiple incidents: The world's most demanding airports, where terrain, weather, and short pavement leave crews little margin for error.
E23
Special — Multiple incidents: Decisions made in cockpits and operations rooms that sealed a flight's fate long before the moment of impact.
E22
Special — Multiple incidents: Engines that failed catastrophically — or tore away entirely — and the crews left to fly what remained.
E21
Special — Multiple incidents: Darkness strips pilots of the horizon and hides danger — these crashes show how quickly night flying can turn deadly.
E20
Special — Multiple incidents: The most critical seconds of any flight — and the crashes that happened before aircraft ever truly left the ground.
E19
Special — Multiple incidents: Small errors in hangars and workshops that grew into catastrophes at altitude.
E18
Special — Multiple incidents: Crews who faced impossible circumstances and, through skill and nerve, gave their passengers a fighting chance.
E17
Special — Multiple incidents: Disasters that reached beyond the aircraft, when falling planes and debris brought tragedy to those below.
E16
Special — Multiple incidents: Passengers and crew who lived through the unthinkable, and what their stories reveal about surviving a crash.
E15
Special — Multiple incidents: Aircraft brought down by terrain, and the technology developed to keep crews from flying into mountains they never saw.
E14
Special — Multiple incidents: Disasters that began on the ground, when security measures meant to protect passengers failed.
E13
Special — Multiple incidents: Crashes that claimed prominent figures, and the extraordinary scrutiny those investigations drew.
E12
Special — Multiple incidents: When the instruments pilots depend on begin feeding them lies, crews must decide what — and whether — to believe.
E11
Special — Multiple incidents: Crews forced to make split-second decisions under extreme pressure — some heroic, some catastrophic.
E10
Special — Multiple incidents: Hidden weaknesses engineered into aircraft long before takeoff, and the crashes that finally exposed them.
E9
Special — Multiple incidents: Flights that stopped responding to the outside world, and the race to understand what was happening on board.
E8
Special — Multiple incidents: Cockpits overwhelmed by conflicting information, where confusion in critical seconds turned recoverable situations into disasters.
E7
Special — Multiple incidents: Crashes that happened with the airport already in view, when the final moments of flight proved the most dangerous.
E6
Special — Multiple incidents: Aircraft fatally out of balance from misloaded or unsecured cargo — a risk that's entirely preventable, yet keeps recurring.
E5
Special — Multiple incidents: Flights brought down not by their machinery but by the fuel meant to keep them flying — from mismanagement to mechanical failure.
E4
Special — Multiple incidents: When an aircraft loses all engine power, training and airmanship become the last line of defense.
E3
Special — Multiple incidents: Mid-air and on-course collisions, and the systems built to keep aircraft — and vessels — safely apart.
E2
Special — Multiple incidents, including LAPA Flight 3142, American Airlines Flight 587, and Colgan Air Flight 3407: Even highly trained crews can fall prey to the most basic mistakes — with devastating results.
E1
Special — Multiple incidents: Three crashes that made front-page news around the world, and how intense media pressure shaped the investigations that followed.
2024 · 8 episodes · Last episode: 2 years ago
E8
On Oct 31, 1994 — American Eagle Flight 4184 (ATR 72): Holding in freezing drizzle above Indiana on the way to Chicago, a commuter turboprop suddenly rolls out of control, and icing research itself goes on trial.
E7
On Jan 1, 2007 — Adam Air Flight 574 (Boeing 737): A New Year's Day flight vanishes over the Makassar Strait in Indonesia, and the hunt for wreckage and answers exposes an industry under strain.
E6
On Aug 6, 2005 — Tuninter Flight 1153 (ATR 72): En route from Bari to the island of Djerba, a turboprop's engines fall silent over the Mediterranean, forcing the crew to ditch within sight of the Sicilian coast.
E5
On Apr 4, 1975 — USAF C-5A Galaxy: In the final days of the Vietnam War, the first flight of a mass evacuation of orphans suffers a catastrophic failure shortly after leaving Saigon, forcing a desperate emergency landing.
E4
On Nov 12, 1996 — Saudia Flight 763 (Boeing 747) & Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 (Il-76): Two airliners converge in the evening sky near Charkhi Dadri, India — the deadliest mid-air collision in history.
E3
On Sep 8, 1989 — Partnair Flight 394 (Convair 580): A charter carrying shipping company employees from Oslo to Hamburg suddenly dives from 22,000 feet into the sea, and the wreckage tells a troubling story.
E2
On Dec 21, 1988 — Pan Am Flight 103 (Boeing 747): Four days before Christmas, a bomb destroys a jumbo jet over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, launching one of the largest criminal investigations in history.
E1
On May 25, 2002 — China Airlines Flight 611 (Boeing 747): Twenty minutes after leaving Taipei for Hong Kong, a jumbo jet vanishes from radar over the Taiwan Strait, and the answer lies buried decades in the past.
2024 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 1 year ago
E10
Special — Multiple incidents: From hijackers to deliberate acts in the cockpit, three flights brought down not by accident but by intent.
E9
Special — Multiple incidents: Three aircraft fall prey to fearsome winds, and investigators must untangle what the weather did — and what the crews could have done.
E8
Special — Multiple incidents, including Manx2 Flight 7100 and Aeroflot Flight 593: Fatigue, fog, and lapses in judgment lead three crews into catastrophic blunders.
E7
Special — Multiple incidents: Hidden flaws buried in navigation and flight computers feed three crews fatal errors, forcing investigators to dig deep into the code.
E6
Special — Multiple incidents, including Loganair Flight 6780 and the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team charter: When pilot training falls short, emergencies in the cockpit escalate into disaster.
E5
Special — Multiple incidents: With zero margin for error, three crews manage to land their crippled aircraft against all odds.
E4
Special — Multiple incidents, including Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, and Air Canada Flight 797: Mid-flight emergencies that tore aircraft open — and the crews who had to get them down.
E3
Special — Multiple incidents: Three aircraft brought down by gradually deteriorating parts, where neglected maintenance turned wear and tear into catastrophe.
E2
Special — Multiple incidents: Pressured by deadlines, three crews rush, skip key procedures, and ignore warning signs — with deadly consequences.
Special — Multiple incidents: Mistaken identity and hostile fire over enemy territory — the extraordinary risks facing crews who fly through the world's war zones.
2025 · 6 episodes · Last episode: 1 year ago
E6
Special — Multiple incidents: Three crews press on with approaches they should have abandoned, and investigators examine why no one called for a go-around.
E5
Special — Multiple incidents, including the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash, Corporate Airlines Flight 5966, and Comair Flight 5191: When training and discipline are set aside, routine flights turn deadly.
E4
Special — Multiple incidents, including Martinair Flight 495, American Airlines Flight 1572, and Air France Flight 358: Storms, wind, and rain-soaked runways turn three landings into fights for survival.
E3
Special — Multiple incidents, including the B-2 "Spirit of Kansas," Independent Air Flight 1851, and Air France Flight 447: Corrupted readings and misleading information turn three cockpits against their crews.
E2
Special — Multiple incidents, including Trans-Air Service Flight 671, Air Astana Flight 1388, and Philippine Airlines Flight 434: Three crews face impossible odds — and refuse to give up the fight.
E1
Special — Multiple incidents: Three aircraft suddenly rear up or dive as their crews battle for pitch control, and investigators trace each fight back to its source.
2025 · 10 episodes · Last episode: 8 months ago
On Mar 10, 2019 — Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (Boeing 737 MAX 8): Six minutes after leaving Addis Ababa, a brand-new jet dives into the ground — the second MAX crash in five months — and the world's fleet is grounded.
On Jan 21, 2019 — Piper Malibu N264DB: A private plane carrying soccer star Emiliano Sala to his new club vanishes over the English Channel at night, and the investigation exposes a shadowy corner of aviation.
On Aug 19, 1980 — Saudia Flight 163 (Lockheed L-1011): Minutes after leaving Riyadh, smoke fills the cabin of a packed wide-body, and the crew turns back — the beginning of one of aviation's most haunting tragedies.
On Aug 26, 2003 — Colgan Air Flight 9446 (Beechcraft 1900D): Moments after leaving Cape Cod on a repositioning flight, a commuter plane's crew is thrown into a violent struggle with their own controls.
On Feb 21, 1982 — Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458 (DHC-6 Twin Otter): With flames burning up through the cockpit floor, a commuter crew puts their plane down on a frozen Rhode Island reservoir in a desperate bid to save everyone aboard.
On Feb 16, 1998 — China Airlines Flight 676 (Airbus A300): Arriving at Taipei in poor weather, a jet abandons its landing — and eleven seconds later comes down in a neighborhood beside the airport.
On May 13, 2019 — Taquan Air DHC-3 Otter & Mountain Air Service DHC-2 Beaver: Two floatplanes carrying cruise ship tourists converge over a scenic Alaskan waterfall, and investigators turn to 3D technology to explain how neither saw the other.
On Feb 16, 1995 — Air Transport International Flight 782 (DC-8): A cargo jet attempting a rare three-engine ferry takeoff from Kansas City never gets airborne, and investigators zero in on the crew's preparation.
On Oct 17, 2019 — PenAir Flight 3296 (Saab 2000): Landing at one of Alaska's most notoriously difficult airports, a turboprop can't stop, careening past the runway's end toward the frigid waters of Dutch Harbor.
E1
On Feb 24, 1989 — United Airlines Flight 811 (Boeing 747): Climbing out of Honolulu at night, a jumbo jet's fuselage suddenly tears open, hurling passengers into the darkness as the crew fights to get back.
2026 · 11 episodes · Last episode: 1 month ago
On Feb 1, 1991 — USAir Flight 1493 (Boeing 737): After a runway collision at LAX, passengers aboard the burning jet face a desperate struggle to escape — and the investigation reshapes evacuation safety.
On Dec 22, 1996 — Airborne Express Flight 827 (DC-8): During a post-maintenance evaluation flight over Virginia, a cargo jet's test of its stall behavior goes catastrophically wrong in the mountains.
On Jul 1, 2002 — Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 & DHL Flight 611: Witnesses on the ground watch two aircraft collide in the night sky over southern Germany, and investigators confront how it could happen under modern air traffic control.
On Jan 23, 2020 — Coulson Aviation Tanker 134 (C-130): Battling catastrophic bushfires in New South Wales, an air tanker goes down after a retardant drop, and investigators must work inside an active fire zone.
E7
On Sep 6, 1985 — Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 (DC-9): Seconds after takeoff from Milwaukee — in aviation's deadliest year — a jet rolls out of its climb and crashes just beyond the airport.
On Apr 6, 1993 — China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 (MD-11): High over the North Pacific, a jet suddenly pitches into violent oscillations that hurl passengers about the cabin, forcing an emergency landing on a remote Aleutian island.
On Feb 27, 2001 — Loganair Flight 670A (Short 360): Moments after a night takeoff from Edinburgh, a mail plane loses both engines and comes down in the frigid Firth of Forth, and investigators trace the cause to the ground.
On Nov 6, 2002 — Luxair Flight 9642 (Fokker 50): On a foggy morning approach to Luxembourg, a commuter flight from Berlin suddenly drops from the sky just miles from the runway.
On Jan 9, 2021 — Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 (Boeing 737): Minutes after leaving Jakarta in heavy rain, a jet banks hard and plunges into the Java Sea, and the investigation surfaces defects no one had caught.
E2
On Aug 13, 2004 — Air Tahoma Flight 185 (Convair 580): Within sight of the runway at Cincinnati, both engines of a cargo turboprop flame out, and it comes down on a golf course short of the field.
On Jul 2, 2021 — Transair Flight 810 (Boeing 737): Minutes after a night takeoff from Honolulu, a cargo crew reports engine trouble and ditches in the dark Pacific — but the recovered wreckage tells a different story than the pilots do.
Created by André Barro and Bernard Vaillot
A date for the next episode of Air Disasters hasn't been announced yet. Follow Air Disasters in the Streambay app and you'll be notified as soon as a new episode airs.
The most recent episode of Air Disasters, Season 25 Episode 11 "No Exit", aired on September 13, 2026.
Air Disasters has 25 seasons with 286 episodes in total.
Air Disasters first aired on Smithsonian Channel on May 15, 2011.
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