
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.

In 1978, PSA Flight 182 collides with a Cessna and crashes into a San Diego residential area killing people on both planes and seven people on the ground.

On July 11, 1991, the crew of Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 unsuccessfully tries to return to the airport after a burst tire creates an in-flight fire which causes 247 Nigerian pilgrims and 14 crew to perish.

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

Pilots of TACA Flight 110 make a remarkable landing on a narrow levee, but investigators must find out why the engines in a brand-new plane failed.