Terror in the Skies

Technical Meltdown (1x2)

Air date: Jun 16, 2013

This opening programme asks: as planes get more and more technologically complex, have we reached the point where there's always a chance that something could go wrong? In recent years, two new airliners have been grabbing the headlines and not always for the right reasons. The Boeing Dreamliner and the Airbus A380 have both suffered disastrous technical failures. The Dreamliner is the first plane to be grounded for safety reasons in 30 years. Amazingly, the batteries that have been causing all the problems are considered so dangerous that they cannot be carried in the hold; the only problem is that they are essential to power the plane's systems. Meanwhile, the A380 has suffered engine explosion, tyre burst and wing cracks, all within weeks of coming into service. As fail safes fail, and tried and tested designs break down in unexpected ways, are airplanes now too complex ever to be 100% safe?