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A look at several air disasters that involved small components that failed; accidents caused by minor defects or errors; how the follow-up investigations led to changes that have made flying safer.

A look at several air disasters that involved small components that failed; accidents caused by minor defects or errors; how the follow-up investigations led to changes that have made flying safer.

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Air Disasters

S24, EP5 "Eleven Deadly Seconds"

Solving the crash of China Airlines Flight 676 hinges on 11 baffling seconds when neither pilot controls the airplane.

Air Disasters

S24, EP6 "Fight For Survival"

With flames emerging through the cockpit floor, the pilots of Pilgrim Airlines 458 manage a heroic landing on a frozen Rhode Island reservoir.

Air Disasters

S24, EP7 "Pitch Battle"

After Colgan Air 9446 crashes off Cape Cod, investigators must determine what brought down a widely-used commuter aircraft in under three minutes.

Air Disasters

S16, EP10 "Deadly Delivery"

UPS Airlines Flight 1354 clips the tops of trees and crashes into a hillside about one nautical mile short of the runway during final approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama.

Air Disasters

S25, EP1 "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 it.

Statistically, traveling by airplane is safer than driving and other forms of transportation, but when something goes wrong during a flight, it can be catastrophic with potentially hundreds of lives at stake. This series examines some of the world's worst air disasters, using official reports, transcripts and interviews with people involved to tell the stories of midair mishaps and discover what went wrong in each case. Episodes include a discussion of how the weather affects flights -- including stories of aviation disasters and near-misses -- and a New Year's Eve flight that fell from the sky into the Florida Everglades.
Starring: Andrew Gillies, Bill Lake, Darryl Flatman, David Guthrie, Dom Fiore, Hannah Cheesman, Jeff Sinasac, Jonathan Aris, Kevin Bundy, Marc Devigne, Oliver Dawson, Peter Pasyk, Robert B. Kennedy, Sarah Slywchuk, Thom Marriott
Original Air Date: May 15, 2011
Genres: DocuseriesTV Series
Rating: TV14
Playback: HD
23 seasons available on demand
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