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TVGHDAir Disasters1hSmithsonian Channel

Design innovations evolve as a result of terrible air disasters due to pressurization failure or explosive decompression.

Design innovations evolve as a result of terrible air disasters due to pressurization failure or explosive decompression.

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Air Disasters

S3, EP3 "I'm the Problem"

Moments before Pacific Southwest Flight 1771 crashes on a cattle ranch in California, gunshots are heard in the cabin.

Air Disasters

S16, EP3 "Tragic Takeoff"

When a twin-engine jet careens off the runway in Kentucky, investigators must determine why the plane failed to take off.

Air Disasters

S7, EP5 "Hidden Danger"

In 1991, a Boeing 737 operating as United Airlines Flight 585 suddenly rolls into a dive and crashes within eight seconds, killing all 25 people on board.

Air Disasters

S10, EP7 "Murder in the Skies"

When Germanwings Flight 9525 crashes in the French Alps, investigators discover shocking truths about the co-pilot's mental health.

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, Brad Borbridge, Clinton Lee Pontes, Jeanie Calleja, Jim Annan, Johnathan Sousa, Jonathan Aris, Kris Saric, Luke Marty, Marc Devigne, Peter Nelson, Shauna Bradley, Stephen Sparks, Tre Smith, Tufford Kennedy
Original Air Date: May 15, 2011
Genres: DocuseriesTV Series
Rating: TV14
Playback: HD
22 seasons available on demand
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