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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

S19, EP10 "Mystery Over the Mediterranean"

When an Airbus crashes into the Mediterranean Sea, Egyptian authorities, French investigators and an Italian journalist theorize different causes for the accident.

Air Disasters

S12, EP10 "Dead of Winter"

An investigation into Continental Airlines Flight 1713, which crashed on takeoff from Denver during a snowstorm in 1987, changes commercial flight forever.

Air Disasters

S4, EP7 "Catastrophe at O'Hare"

On 25 May 1979, the number-one engine on American Airlines Flight 191 detaches moments after taking off from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The aircraft banks to the left and crashes into an open field, killing all 271 people on board.

Air Disasters

S18, EP14 "A Wounded Bird"

A blade on the left-side propeller of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight breaks off; the imbalance of the rotating propeller causes the engine to partly tear itself from its mounting.

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, EP4 "Without Warning"

Two float planes collide midair near an Alaskan waterfall. One shatters; the other crash-lands intact. With no warning before impact, investigators use wreckage clues and 3D tech to uncover how-and why-the deadly crash occurred.

Air Disasters

S24, EP3 "Deadly Departure"

After a DC-8 cargo plane with only three working engines crashes on takeoff in Kansas City, investigators uncover a flaw in the pilots' training.

Air Disasters

S24, EP2 "Disaster At Dutch Harbor"

While landing at a notoriously tricky Alaskan island airport, the pilots of a twin turboprop can't stop their plane.

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: Caden Douglas, David Guthrie, Dom Fiore, Eric Craig, Jim Annan, Jonathan Aris, Kris Saric, Marc Devigne, Patrick Galligan, Sarah Slywchuk, Sean Baek, Shauna Bradley, Tre Smith, Tufford Kennedy, Tyler McMaster
Original Air Date: May 15, 2011
Genres: DocuseriesTV Series
Rating: TV14
Playback: HD
21 seasons available on demand
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