Plane Crash Recreated

Lion Air Flight 610 was just 13 minutes into flight from Jakarta, Indonesia, when it plunged into the sea on 29 October 2018. This was the first fatal aviation accident for the 737 MAX, killing all 189 people on board. Just 5 months later, tragedy struck again on 10 March 2019, when the 737 Max serving Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, crashed approximately 6 minutes after takeoff from Ethiopia, once again, killing all passengers and crew. What followed was an intense investigation into what caused these two devastating crashes. In this episode former NTSB investigators talk us through how these tragedies could have been avoided.

On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport when it collided with a flock of birds, destroying both engines. With all engine power lost, Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeffrey Skyles were forced to glide the plane and perform an emergency ditching in the Hudson River. All 155 people on board survived the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ thanks to the quick thinking by the crew. This episode features the accounts of three passengers who survived what could have been a fatal crash.

A routine flight from London Heathrow to Belfast International Airport, ended in tragedy when British Midland Flight 92 crashed onto a motorway embankment near the town of Kegworth on 8th January 1989. An engine failure meant the crew would have to make what should have been a straight forward emergency landing. Tragically, the pilots mistakenly identified and shut-off the wrong engine leading to a catastrophic crash near the M1. In this episode, survivors give us their first-hand account of the horrific accident.

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 was near the end of it’s 90-minute journey from Lahore to Karachi when it dramatically crashed on 22 May 2020. While attempting a second approach after a failed landing, the Airbus A320 tragically collided with a densely populated residential area of Karachi only a few kilometres from the runway. In this episode, we hear from one of only two survivors of the horrific crash.

On 19 July 1989, United Airlines Flight 232 was making its regularly scheduled flight from Denver to Chicago when the DC-10 aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure to the tail-engine. The crew onboard faced the impossible task of landing with a total loss of control. 112 passengers perished in the horrific crash but thanks to the incredible crew, 184 people survived the fifth-deadliest crash involving a DC-10. In this episode we hear from multiple survivors as well as the first-officer, Bill Records, who gives a rare first-hand account from the cockpit, of what could have been the crew’s final moments.

12 August, 1985 saw the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history. Japan Airlines Flight 123 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight carrying 524 people from Tokyo to Osaka. Just 12 minutes into the flight, the Boeing 747 jumbo-jet suffered a fatal decompression that ripped off most of the tail. With a total loss of hydraulics, the crew were unable to control the aircraft which tragically crashed into a mountainside. This episode features the account of a widowed partner of one passenger who perished in the crash, on why the grief from the tragedy still lives on.

On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447, a scheduled passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, dramatically vanished over the Atlantic Ocean. With little trace of the aircraft, an intense sea search commenced with the wreckage only being found nearly two years after the initial disappearance. Salvaged flight recorders revealed a tragic series of events that led to the aircraft plummeting into the ocean, killing everyone onboard. In this episode, BEA investigators give insight into the intense case of the missing Airbus A330.

Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 was less than a mile from the runway at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport when it catastrophically crashed on 25th February 2009. The aircraft broke into 3 pieces on impact, killing 9 passengers and crew and all three pilots. A faulty radio altimeter was the initial catalyst in a chain of errors that led to the horrific crash. In this episode, survivors tell their story of escaping from the wreckage of what should have been a normal commute home to Amsterdam.

Just 4 minutes after take-off from Singapore Changi Airport, on 4 November 2010, Qantas Flight 32 suffered an uncontained failure in one of its engines. The failure was the first of its kind for the Airbus A380, the world’s first double-deck jet airliner. Shrapnel from the engine damaged the fuel system and led to a series of failures, severely compromising the aircraft. The crew spent almost two tense hours in the air before navigating a successful emergency landing, saving everyone onboard. In this episode, Captain Richard de Crespigny shares his account of heroically handling what could have been certain disaster.

British Airways Flight 38 was on final approach into London Heathrow Airport when it crashed just short of the runway on 17 January 2008. What had been an uneventful passenger flight from Beijing, China, soon turned almost fatal just moments before landing when a lack of power to both engines caused the Boeing 777 to crash. The quick thinking by the crew led by Captain Peter Burkill prevented the incident from being fatal and saved all 152 people on board. This episode includes one survivor’s account of the terrifying touchdown.