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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

S12, EP9 "Deadly Go Round"

When an A300 stalls and crashes just before landing in Japan, fears arise about the plane's complex automated systems.

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

S17, EP1 "Holding Pattern"

Flydubai Flight 981 enters a rapid descent and crashes nose-first at Rostov-on-Don Airport in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, after aborting its second landing attempt in poor weather conditions.

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

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: Damir Andrei, Dom Fiore, Jean-Michel Le Gal, Jeanie Calleja, Joel Rinzler, Jonathan Aris, Kevin Bundy, Kris Saric, Marc Devigne, Peter Nelson, Peter Pasyk, Ryan Hollyman, Thomas Hauff, Tre Smith, Tufford Kennedy
Original Air Date: May 15, 2011
Genres: DocuseriesTV Series
Rating: TV14
Playback: HD
21 seasons available on demand
Available on

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