Terror in the Skies

Pilot Error (1x1)

: 09, 2013

Pilots can make mistakes, but as planes become more complex and automation becomes more advanced, they're making different kinds of errors. As more and more incidents are caught on camera by passengers, what's being discovered behind the cockpit door can be shocking: pilots falling asleep, having breakdowns, sometimes forgetting to land; and some of them don't have the experience to know what to do when things go wrong. These are the people we trust with our lives every time we board a plane, but they're more and more reliant on computers, and sometimes too tired to fly safely. Is flying becoming more pressurised and are we asking pilots to do the impossible? As well as examining shocking video and audio footage, Brendan visits some of the world's leading aviation research centres to take part in hands-on experiments that give an insight into the near misses that can put passengers' lives in danger.