
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.

In one of the world's busiest airports, a large passenger plane crashes into a smaller one; a 1986 midair crash between planes near Los Angeles brings attention to disturbing congestion at airports.

Three aviation disasters are all linked to breakdowns in vital security measures.

A massive explosion tears a hole in a 747 over Hawaii, and the trail of clues ultimately leads investigators to a catastrophic short circuit.

While landing at a notoriously tricky Alaskan island airport, the pilots of a twin turboprop can't stop their plane.