Smithsonian Channel

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Testing the Limits

Air Disasters

S8, EP2 "Testing the Limits"

On 26 May 1991, the thrust reverser on the number one engine of Lauda Air Flight 004 deploys in flight without being commanded, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control, disintegrate, and crash about 100 miles northwest of Bangkok.

Air Disasters

S2, EP4 "Panic on the Runway"

On August 22nd, 1985, 55 people died aboard British Airtours flight 28M when its engine catches fire as it accelerates.

Air Disasters

S2, EP501 "Pacific Ditching"

Just after takeoff from Honolulu, TransAir Flight 810 loses power and ditches in the Pacific. Both pilots survive, blaming dual engine failure-but when the Boeing 737 is recovered, the wreckage reveals a different cause behind t.

Air Disasters

S11, EP10 "The Lost Plane"

Investigators struggle to understand the unusual flight path and Himalayan crash site of Thai Airways Flight 311.

Air Disasters

S6, EP7 "Helicopter Down"

A helicopter carrying oil workers to an offshore drilling platform crashes.

Air Disasters

"Time of War"

Mistaken identity and hostile fire over enemy territory are among the many risks that pilots face in war zones around the world.

Air Disasters

"Ticking Time Bomb"

From corrosion and metal fatigue to faulty repairs, three doomed airlines are brought down by gradually deteriorating parts.

Combat Ships

S2, EP7 "The Battle of Leyte Gulf"

It is considered the largest sea battle in history: the Battle of Leyte Gulf in WWII was three days of ingenious strategy and white-knuckle combat between warships, aircraft and kamikazes.

Air Disasters

S13, EP6 "Fatal Climb"

A commercial airliner crashes minutes after taking off from an airport in Bucharest causing suspicions to rise.

Disasters Engineered

S1, EP2 "Chemical Blasts"

Experts examine how the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the Bhopal gas tragedy happened; they also explore the consequences and how they could have been avoided.

Air Disasters

S15, EP3 "Explosive Touchdown"

After touching down, a Taiwanese commuter plane is rocked by a massive explosion, but investigators find no evidence of a bomb on board.

Air Disasters

S15, EP7 "Atlantic Ditching"

A helicopter carrying offshore drilling workers crashes into the ocean, leading to an investigation that reveals a fatal flaw in the chopper's design.

Air Disasters

S18, EP10 "Flying Blind"

A cleaning crew makes a careless error while cleaning a Boeing 757, affecting the plane's computer system and causing it to crash into the Pacific Ocean.

Air Disasters

S12, EP2 "Blown Away"

The investigation into the 2014 crash of a TransAsia flight uncovers a systemic problem with the airline.

Air Disasters

S20, EP6 "Perilous Payload"

Three planes fatally out of balance force investigators to question every calculation; it's a flight risk that's entirely preventable, and yet repeated disasters reconfirm the need for critical backup systems.

Air Disasters

S7, EP7 "Out of Sight"

In one of the world's busiest airports, a large passenger plane crashes into a smaller one; a 1986 midair crash between planes near Los Angeles brings attention to disturbing congestion at airports.

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