
Catastrophic incidents in aviation history are meticulously re-enacted, providing insight into what went wrong and if the crashes and near-disasters could have been prevented; accounts from survivors combine with cockpit recordings and computer images to weave the gripping tales and expert testimony reveals the hows and whys behind the events, some of which have resulted in important changes to aviation safety and regulations.

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

Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes shortly after takeoff in Detroit in 1987, proving to be one of the worst aviation disasters in U.S. history.

Air France Flight 296 fails to regain altitude after performing a flyby during an air show at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport.

An air traffic controller's mistake causes a Boeing 737 to land on a runway already occupied by another aircraft.