Air Disasters

The Lockheed Electra was the workhorse of Reeve Aleutian Airways, one of the few links from Cold Bay, Alaska, to the outside world. But on June 8, 1983, the plane nearly plunged 19,000 feet into the Pacific Ocean after one of its propellers tore from the aircraft and cut a hole through the cabin. Join us as we document this incredible story of survival, from the cockpit to the cabin, with witness accounts, official records, and dramatic recreations.

The worst aviation disaster in Florida's history occurred on May 11, 1996. ValuJet Flight 592 mysteriously crashed into the alligator-infested swamps of the Everglades, killing all 110 aboard. Had the FAA implemented safety regulations instated after a similar crash eight years earlier, the tragedy would never have happened. Follow the investigation that would outrage a nation, cost the Secretary of Transportation and an FAA administrator their jobs, and ultimately doom ValuJet Airlines.

On October 31, 2000, Singapore Flight 6, a 747 in Taipei enroute to Los Angeles, taxis to the wrong runway during heavy rainstorms caused by a nearby typhoon. After crashing during takeoff at Chiang Kai-shek airport, it's engulfed in flames killing 83 people.

It's a clear and calm December day in 1997 when a Boeing 737 suddenly plummets from the sky into an Indonesian jungle at supersonic speed. All 104 aboard are killed on impact, their bodies lost in the muddy Musi River. Evidence points to a serious mechanical failure, but when the full story of SilkAir Flight 185 is finally revealed, the cause is far more troubling than anyone could have imagined.

Just three miles from its destination and assaulted by severe weather, TANS Peru Flight 204, crashes in Peru's Amazon jungle, leaving a one-mile-long trail of luggage, bodies, and torn aircraft. But the cause for this air disaster proves even more mysterious when it's discovered that the crash site has been scavenged by looters. Join the 312-day investigation, as examiners use all of their creativity to determine why this Boeing 737 fell from the sky, taking the lives of nearly half of those aboard.

Two commercial airliners go missing over the Arizona desert, and are later found in pieces, scattered along the Grand Canyon floor. It's 1956, and air disaster examiner Jack Parshall is pressed for answers. There are no black boxes or any of the advanced technology used by modern day investigators. And all he has to go on are plane fragments and his own expertise. See how Parshall and his team of experts literally pieced the accident together, and how their findings helped transform air travel as we currently know it.

It was the deadliest aviation disaster in U.S. history of its time. The 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191 terrified a nation and nearly put the DC-10 out of commission forever. Relive the horrific crash at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that claimed 273 lives, and see how investigators, under intense pressure from the FAA, the media, and airline companies across the globe, finally identified the cause.

Just minutes before touching down in Portland International Airport, all four engines of a DC-8 mysteriously flame out. With the aircraft dropping 3,000 feet per minute, the pilots realize they have no option but to crash land in the middle of a major American city. Witness the harrowing emergency landing of United Airlines Flight 173 in Portland, Oregon, and uncover the shocking reasons for its massive engine failure.

On 7 September 2011, Yak-Service Flight 9633, a Yakovlev Yak-42 Russian passenger jet, crashes into the Volga River, killing almost everyone on board. The incident turns into a national tragedy when rescuers discover the plane carried some of the country's most famous athletes, the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team. What caused one of the worst disasters in sports history? Was it the crew's fault or would the blame be cast on an aviation industry that isn't up to European and American standards? Investigators are under extreme pressure to find out. The reason is almost too simple to believe.

It was an air disaster that crippled a country, heightened tensions between two nations, and ignited conspiracy theories worldwide. On April 10, 2010, Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M, carrying Poland's president, Lech Kaczynski, crashed on Russian soil, killing everyone aboard. Russian experts pinned the blame on the pilots, but Poland's Interior Minister examined the evidence and reached a far different conclusion. Experience the tragedy that shocked the world and follow the investigation that remains steeped in controversy.

Five minutes into Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, something goes wrong. The pilots lose control of their aircraft, and before they can regain command, they begin an unstoppable descent into the Mediterranean Sea. All 90 aboard are dead and experts are scrambling for answers. There was a storm, but was it big enough to take down a 737? Or was there a more ominous explanation? Experience the terrifying disaster of January 25, 2010, and follow the investigation that led to a finding so controversial, some still refuse to believe it.

Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518, an ATR 42-300 twin-turboprop, is about to embark on a difficult, but common, trip from Merida, Venezuela to Caracas. Minutes after leaving the ground, all aboard are killed when the aircraft crashes into a mountaintop, miles off course. What happened? Relive this devastating 2008 air disaster and witness the demanding recovery mission at an altitude of 14,000 feet. Then join the investigation as experts comb through evidence and discover a lethal combination of bad equipment and bad decisions.

On June 1, 2009, a modern Airbus A330, traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, vanished somewhere over the Atlantic. The families of the 228 presumed victims demanded answers, but would have to wait two years to get them. This is the story of Air France Flight 447, which came to rest 13,000 feet below the ocean's surface in an area deeper than the resting place of the Titanic. The effort to find and reach the aircraft was a miracle. And what investigators discovered in the wreckage would send shockwaves throughout the aviation industry.