Terror in the Skies
Season 1
TV-14
While plane crashes are rare, near misses in our crowded skies are anything but. Thanks to modern technology, these terrifying experiences are being captured more and more, as they happen, on cameras, mobile phones, and cockpit recordings, providing insights that are as informative as they are horrifying. See firsthand how recent pilot errors, technical failures, small mistakes, and big storms have placed passengers in life-or-death situations. Then discover why these incidents happened, and what must be done to prevent them from reoccurring.
Where to Watch Season 1
4 Episodes
- Pilot Error
E1Pilot ErrorOne pilot falls asleep in the cockpit. Another suffers a panic attack in the cabin. Yet another, distracted by his laptop, overshoots his destination by 150 miles. Are these freak occurrences or the new normal in air travel? Witness pilot mishaps, as revealed through shocking footage captured by passengers on their cameras and phones. These firsthand accounts, combined with newly released cockpit recordings, give a chilling view into the world of over stressed, under-trained pilots, and what it could mean to passengers if changes aren't made. - Technical Meltdown
E2Technical MeltdownThis opening programme asks: as planes get more and more technologically complex, have we reached the point where there's always a chance that something could go wrong? In recent years, two new airliners have been grabbing the headlines and not always for the right reasons. The Boeing Dreamliner and the Airbus A380 have both suffered disastrous technical failures. The Dreamliner is the first plane to be grounded for safety reasons in 30 years. Amazingly, the batteries that have been causing all the problems are considered so dangerous that they cannot be carried in the hold; the only problem is that they are essential to power the plane's systems. Meanwhile, the A380 has suffered engine explosion, tyre burst and wing cracks, all within weeks of coming into service. As fail safes fail, and tried and tested designs break down in unexpected ways, are airplanes now too complex ever to be 100% safe? - Small Mistakes
E3Small MistakesIt doesn't just take a pilot and his crew to fly a plane. From air traffic control to maintenance, beyond the cockpit there is a complex network of many people and processes required to maintain aircraft and keep them in the air. And things can go wrong. This episode examines the problems that might condemn a flight before it even leaves the ground. - Nature Strikes Back
E4Nature Strikes BackProfessor Brendan Walker looks at what happens when we fly into hazards thrown up by nature, from lightning to invisible wind shear, bird strikes and volcanic ash. As well as examining what happens when a bird hits an engine, Brendan finds out how planes deal with lightning, how difficult it can be to predict turbulence when flying over the ocean, and what measures are in place to prevent the next massive volcano-induced shutdown of global aviation. Today, we fly as if nature isn't an issue, but nature continues to strike back.