Air Crash Investigation
Season 12
TV-14
This TV series depicts major real-life air disasters. Each episode features a detailed dramatized reconstruction of the incident based on cockpit voice-recorders and air-traffic-control transcripts, as well as eyewitness accounts, interviews with aviation experts, including interviews with investigators who dealt with the disaster, and sometimes even actual footage.
Where to Watch Season 12
13 Episodes
- Fight for Control (Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8)
E1Fight for Control (Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8)On 8 June 1983, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8's propeller separates from the aircraft over Cold Bay, Alaska, causing an explosive decompression and loss of control. The pilots manage to land the aircraft safely at Anchorage, Alaska. The propeller fell into the sea, and the cause of the separation is undetermined. - Fire in the Hold (ValuJet Flight 592)
E2Fire in the Hold (ValuJet Flight 592)On 11 May 1996, 10 minutes after takeoff, ValuJet Flight 592 crashes into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. The cause was an in-flight fire which was started by the accidental triggering of a chemical oxygen generator improperly shipped as cargo. - Caution to the Wind (Singapore Airlines Flight 006)
E3Caution to the Wind (Singapore Airlines Flight 006)On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei while attempting to take off on the wrong runway in a typhoon. 83 of the 179 passengers and crew members perish. Investigators concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash. - Pushed to the Limit (SilkAir Flight 185)
E4Pushed to the Limit (SilkAir Flight 185)Should be Season 4 Episode 4 It's a clear and calm December day in 1997 when a Boeing 737 suddenly plummets from the sky into an Indonesian jungle at supersonic speed. All 104 aboard are killed on impact, their bodies lost in the muddy Musi River. Evidence points to a serious mechanical failure, but when the full story of SilkAir Flight 185 is finally revealed. - Blind Landing (TANS Perú Flight 204)
E5Blind Landing (TANS Perú Flight 204)On 23 August 2005, TANS Perú Flight 204 attempts to make a landing at Pucallpa Airport, Peru, in a severe thunderstorm, but crashes into a muddy swamp four miles (6.4 km) away. The cause was the pilots not following visual flight rules that could have prevented the crash while the aircraft was being pushed by a downdraft. - Grand Canyon Disaster (United Airlines 718 and Trans World Airlines 2)
E6Grand Canyon Disaster (United Airlines 718 and Trans World Airlines 2)On 30 June 1956, United Airlines Flight 718 collides with Trans World Airlines Flight 2 over the Grand Canyon in Arizona. All 128 occupants on both flights are killed. At the time, it was the deadliest airline crash in history, and would lead to sweeping changes in the regulation of flight operations over the US. - Death of the President (2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154)
E7Death of the President (2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154)On 10 April 2010, a Polish Air Force VIP aircraft carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński, his wife Maria Kaczyńska and other top officials, crashes short of the runway in a wooded area while on final approach to Smolensk North Airport in heavy fog and low visibility. All 96 passengers and crew members on board are killed. - Catastrophe at OHare (American Airlines Flight 191)
E8Catastrophe at OHare (American Airlines Flight 191)On 25 May 1979, the left engine of American Airlines Flight 191 falls off moments after takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The aircraft crashes into an open field shortly thereafter, killing all 271 people on board and two people on the ground. The engine fell off because the pylon attaching it to the wing had suffered damage caused by improper maintenance procedures. - Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster (2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Air Disaster)
E9Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster (2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Air Disaster)On 7 September 2011, an aircraft carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team crashes shortly after takeoff at Yaroslavl, Russia, killing all but one of the 45 occupants. The investigation found that the pilots were not properly trained on the aircraft type and mishandled the aircraft during the takeoff. - Focused on Failure (United Airlines Flight 173)
E10Focused on Failure (United Airlines Flight 173)On 28 December 1978, the crew of United Airlines Flight 173 is preoccupied with a landing gear problem as the aircraft circles in a holding pattern in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon. It runs out of fuel and crashes in a sparsely populated area, killing 10 and seriously injuring 24 of the 189 on board. According to the NTSB, the pilot failed to acknowledge the warnings of the remaining crew regarding the aircraft's fuel state, while the remaining crew failed to adequately communicate the situation. The NTSB recommendation from this event led to the industry-wide implementation of Crew resource management (CRM) protocols. - Heading to Disaster (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409)
E11Heading to Disaster (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409)On 25 January 2010, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, en route to Addis Ababa, plunges into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport during a thunderstorm, killing all 90 people on board. - 28 Seconds to Survive (Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518)
E1228 Seconds to Survive (Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518)On 21 February 2008, Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518, en route from Mérida, Venezuela, to Caracas, veers off course and flies into the side of a mountain shortly after takeoff. All 46 passengers and crew members on board die. Investigators determined that the aircraft took off with inoperative navigation equipment due to the pilots' failure to do their pre-flight checklist. - Vanished (Air France Flight 447)
E13Vanished (Air France Flight 447)On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447, a scheduled flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, stalls and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying through a thunderstorm, killing all 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The causes of the crash were incorrect airspeed readings due to ice blockage of the aircraft's pitot tubes, inappropriate control inputs and the pilots not taking recovery action until it was too late.
