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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.
S2, EP8 "System Breakdown"
Five aviation disasters and the changes they have forced air-traffic controllers to make.
S5, EP4 "Tragedy on the Potomac"
On 13 January 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 stalls at 300 feet altitude, strikes a road bridge and crashes into the Potomac River, killing 78 people.
S18, EP18 "Missing Over New York"
Avianca Flight 52 is delayed numerous times by bad weather en route; it is dangerously low on fuel as it attempts a landing at New York City.
S5, EP7 "Massacre Over the Mediterranean"
On June 27, 1980, Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 crashes into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica, Italy; all 81 people on board are killed.
S21, EP6 "Falling Fast"
Investigators discover a shocking mistake when pilots must ditch their plane in the Mediterranean, killing 14 of the 34 passengers.
S21, EP5 "Operation Babylift"
A United States Air Force transport aircraft conducting the inaugural flight of Operation Babylift suffers an explosive decompression when the rear cargo door fails and crashes into a paddy field while attempting an emergency landing.
S21, EP4 "Sight Unseen"
Saudi Airways and Kazakhstan Airlines jets hit each other at 14,000 feet sending both planes spiraling to the ground.
