
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 1985, a DC-9 airliner crashes seconds after takeoff from Milwaukee.

Air Tahoma Flight 185, an overnight cargo flight from Memphis, Tenn., approaches its final destination, Cincinnati.

A C-130 firebomber crashes while battling an epic Australian wildfire; ATSB investigators must determine the cause within an active fire zone.

In Indonesia, a Boeing 737 spirals out of the sky and nosedives into the Java Sea.