Air Disasters

Smithsonian Channel

Series

2011

TV14

Documentary

Aviation

Examining 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.

Compilation

8.8

Why
follow?

Cast & Crew

Bill Ratner Narrator

⨁Full Cast & Crew

Where to Stream

2003– Series 21 Seasons266 Episodes

Watch options by

Upcoming TV Airings

The airings below are based on a generic national schedule. Times and dates can vary by TV provider.

Friday, January 23

7:00 PM

Who's In Control

Season 18 • Episode 6

Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 stalls and crashes less than a mile from the runway.

Friday, January 23

8:00 PM

Without Warning

Season 2 • Episode 404

Friday, January 23

9:00 PM

Deadly Space

Season 12 • Episode 6

The aircraft breaks apart and falls from the sky, killing the flight's co-pilot.

Friday, January 23

10:00 PM

Out of Control

Season 6 • Episode 4

A simple error years prior causes the deadliest single-plane crash in history.

Friday, January 23

11:00 PM

Subtle Incapacitation

Season 4 • Episode 11

The 2010 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 sparks rumors of terrorism.

Saturday, January 24

12:00 AM

Fatal Distraction

Season 1 • Episode 9

Pilots try to determine why both landing-gear lights do not function on an L-1011.

Saturday, January 24

1:00 AM

Deadly Inclination

Season 12 • Episode 8

An Alitalia airliner crashes into a forested hillside just a few miles from a Zurich runway.

Saturday, January 24

2:00 AM

Fatal Friction

Season 14 • Episode 2

Human flaws cause three plane crashes in England, Colorado and Minnesota.

Saturday, January 24

3:00 AM

Seconds to Survive

Season 4 • Episode 12

Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518 disappears in the Andes Mountains.

Saturday, January 24

4:00 AM

Lethal Turn

Season 11 • Episode 5

Forest fires and a series of human errors lead to the deadliest air disaster in Indonesian history.

Saturday, January 24

5:00 AM

Impossible Landing

Season 3 • Episode 4

United Airlines Flight 232 crashes into Sioux City's runway in 1989.

Saturday, January 24

11:00 PM

Without Warning

Season 2 • Episode 404

Sunday, January 25

12:00 AM

Cutting Corners

Season 18 • Episode 11

The 2000 crash of an Alaska Airlines plane just off the California coast.

Sunday, January 25

1:00 AM

Fatal Flaw

Season 18 • Episode 23

Disasters that involved small components that failed; accidents caused by minor defects or errors.

Sunday, January 25

2:00 AM

Mountain Impact

Season 20 • Episode 15

Uncovering fatal flaws in the operations designed to prevent aircraft from flying into mountains.

Sunday, January 25

3:00 AM

Soccer Tragedy

Season 13 • Episode 9

A plane carrying a Brazilian soccer team crashes just ten miles from the airport in 2016.

Sunday, January 25

4:00 AM

Explosive Clues

Season 14 • Episode 5

A look at three commercial planes that became targets over the Sinai Desert and the Sea of Japan.

Sunday, January 25

5:00 AM

The Pentagon Attack

Season 10 • Episode 2

The FBI and NTSB join forces to determine how terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77.

Sunday, January 25

6:00 PM

Blind Landing

Season 4 • Episode 5

A violent hailstorm brings down a plane in the middle of the Amazon.

Sunday, January 25

7:00 PM

Without Warning

Season 2 • Episode 404

Sunday, January 25

8:00 PM

Eleven Deadly Seconds New

Season 2 • Episode 405

Sunday, January 25

9:00 PM

Heat of the Moment

Season 20 • Episode 11

Air Crash Investigation uncovers the truth behind the most legendary aviation disasters of all time.

Sunday, January 25

10:00 PM

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Season 2 • Episode 405

Sunday, January 25

11:00 PM

Lethal Limits

Season 13 • Episode 8

An investigation into a jet crash from 2008 leads to a change into the Russian aviation system.

Monday, January 26

12:00 AM

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Season 2 • Episode 405

Monday, January 26

1:00 AM

Fog of War

Season 7 • Episode 8

A U.S. military plane flies into a mountain while attempting to land in Croatia.

Monday, January 26

2:00 AM

The Heathrow Enigma

Season 18 • Episode 2

A plane engines failure to respond cause the plane to crash-land just short of the runway.

Monday, January 26

3:00 AM

Stormy Cockpit

Season 15 • Episode 10

Pilots steer their plane clear of a storm, but are unable to regain control of a dangerous roll.

Monday, January 26

4:00 AM

Split Decision

Season 3 • Episode 10

Arrow Air Flight 1285 with 248 American soldiers on board crashes after refueling in Newfoundland.

Monday, January 26

5:00 AM

Runway Runoff

Season 13 • Episode 7

Investigators research an airport after a passenger plane veers off the runway.

Monday, January 26

6:00 AM

Radio Silence

Season 20 • Episode 9

The deadliest aviation accidents in both Greek and Taiwanese history.

Monday, January 26

7:00 AM

Bad Attitude

Season 3 • Episode 9

A Korean Air Cargo flight crashes in a field moments after takeoff from England's Stansted Airport.

Monday, January 26

8:00 AM

Blind Spot

Season 3 • Episode 1

In 1978, PSA Flight 182 collides with a Cessna and crashes into a San Diego residential area.

Monday, January 26

9:00 AM

Dead Weight

Season 1 • Episode 5

Just after takeoff, Air Midwest Flight 5481 plummets to the ground, killing all on board.

Monday, January 26

10:00 AM

The Plane That Flew Too High

Season 2 • Episode 11

The West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crash leads to bankruptcy of the troubled airline.

Monday, January 26

11:00 AM

Hockey Team Tragedy

Season 4 • Episode 9

A Russian passenger jet crashes into the Volga River, killing almost everyone on board.

Monday, January 26

12:00 PM

Deadly Confusion

Season 20 • Episode 8

JFK Jr. disappears on the way to Martha's Vineyard; a captain loses his bearings and crashes.

Monday, January 26

1:00 PM

Missing Pieces

Season 14 • Episode 7

Three air crash investigations in which examiners are pushed to the limit to crack the cases.

Monday, January 26

2:00 PM

Missed Opportunities

Season 19 • Episode 2

Monday, January 26

3:00 PM

Fire on Board

Season 18 • Episode 9

A Swissair passenger jet catches fire midflight and crashes into the Atlantic.

Monday, January 26

4:00 PM

Kathmandu Descent

Season 15 • Episode 1

A challenging descent turns tragic when the pilots miscalculate their approach to an airport.

Monday, January 26

5:00 PM

Dangerous Winds

Three planes fall prey to deadly winds, and it is up to investigators to find out why.

Monday, January 26

6:00 PM

Tree Strike Terror

Season 17 • Episode 7

A passenger jet miraculously survives a collision with trees while landing.

Monday, January 26

7:00 PM

Lethal Choices

Season 20 • Episode 23

Pilots must make a life or death decision, the wrong approach can trigger a more serious problem.

Monday, January 26

8:00 PM

Concorde: Up in Flames

Season 8 • Episode 7

An Air France Concorde crashes into a Paris hotel after takeoff on July 25, 2000.

Monday, January 26

9:00 PM

Into the Eye of the Storm

Season 5 • Episode 6

Hugo, a Category 5 hurricane, threatens to rip a plane apart.

Monday, January 26

10:00 PM

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Season 2 • Episode 405

Monday, January 26

11:00 PM

Kid in the Cockpit

Season 6 • Episode 9

A pilot's decision to let his 15-year-old son fly has disastrous consequences.

Tuesday, January 27

12:00 AM

Deadly Solution

Season 10 • Episode 9

A captain's decision leads to a deadly stall over the Java Sea.

Tuesday, January 27

1:00 AM

North Sea Nightmare

Season 16 • Episode 1

A modern turboprop nosedives towards the North Sea after being struck by lightning.

Tuesday, January 27

2:00 AM

Pushed to the Limit

Season 4 • Episode 4

Investigators try to determine what a brand new airliner fell out of the sky on a clear day.

Tuesday, January 27

3:00 AM

Hero Pilots

Season 14 • Episode 3

Three flights headed for disaster are saved at the last moment by heroes in the cockpit.

Tuesday, January 27

4:00 AM

Risky Runways

Season 20 • Episode 24

The toughest landings on earth pushed three fight crews to the limit.

Tuesday, January 27

5:00 AM

Nowhere to Land

Season 3 • Episode 11

An emergency landing during a violent storm kills the engines of a 737.

Wednesday, January 28

9:00 PM

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Season 2 • Episode 405

Wednesday, January 28

10:00 PM

Deadly Reputation

Season 2 • Episode 12

TAM Airlines Flight 3054 slides off a runway and crashes into a warehouse next to a petrol station.

Wednesday, January 28

11:00 PM

Pilot Betrayed

Season 18 • Episode 3

Following the story of the Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 and Captain Rasmussen.

Thursday, January 29

12:00 AM

Deadly Crossroads

Season 18 • Episode 16

A Bashkirian Airlines Flight collides with a DHL Flight in German airspace near Überlingen.

Thursday, January 29

1:00 AM

Operation Babylift

Season 21 • Episode 5

A United States Air Force transport aircraft suffers an explosive decompression.

Thursday, January 29

2:00 AM

Falling Fast

Season 21 • Episode 6

Pilots must ditch their plane in the Mediterranean, killing 14 of the 34 passengers.

Thursday, January 29

3:00 AM

Deadly Distraction

Season 12 • Episode 3

A 1988 commercial flight crashes just moments after liftoff and erupts in flames.

Thursday, January 29

4:00 AM

Taxiway Turmoil

Season 15 • Episode 4

A departing DC-9 in Detroit gets lost in the fog and ends up in the path of an oncoming 727.

Thursday, January 29

5:00 AM

Getting Out Alive

Season 5 • Episode 9

Air accident survival stories; keeping passengers and crews alive when disaster strikes.

Friday, January 30

1:00 PM

Power Play

Season 19 • Episode 4

A turboprop loses engine power and crashes; investigators discover a fatal defect.

Friday, January 30

2:00 PM

Mystery Over the Mediterranean

Season 19 • Episode 10

When an Airbus crashes, authorities theorize different causes for the accident.

Friday, January 30

3:00 PM

Terror Over Egypt

Season 11 • Episode 8

When a plane carrying Russian tourists crashes in Egypt, investigators face political tensions.

Friday, January 30

4:00 PM

Dead of Winter

Season 12 • Episode 10

Continental Airlines Flight 1713 crashes on takeoff from Denver during a snowstorm in 1987.

Friday, January 30

5:00 PM

Hanging by a Thread

Season 6 • Episode 6

The roof of an Aloha Airlines 737 tears off the plane at 24,000 feet in the sky.

Friday, January 30

6:00 PM

Gimli Glider

Season 1 • Episode 2

A pilot heads for a decommissioned air force base when the 767 he is flying runs out of fuel.

Friday, January 30

7:00 PM

Hudson River Runway

Season 18 • Episode 5

US Airways flight suffers a bird strike with a flock of Canada geese, causing both engines to fail.

Friday, January 30

8:00 PM

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Season 2 • Episode 405

Friday, January 30

9:00 PM

Deadly Detour

Season 10 • Episode 5

A commuter flight over France makes a sight-seeing detour that sets off a deadly chain of events.

Friday, January 30

10:00 PM

Icy Descent

Season 15 • Episode 6

After experiencing icing conditions, a turboprop slams into an Argentine desert.

Friday, January 30

11:00 PM

System Breakdown

Season 2 • Episode 8

Five aviation disasters and the changes they have forced air-traffic controllers to make.

Saturday, January 31

12:00 AM

Tragedy on the Potomac

Season 5 • Episode 4

Air Florida Flight 90 stalls, strikes a road bridge and crashes into the Potomac River.

Saturday, January 31

1:00 AM

Free Fall

Season 12 • Episode 7

A computer glitch causes a highly automated Qantas Airways flight to nearly fall out of the sky.

Saturday, January 31

2:00 AM

Sabotage

From delusional hijackers to suicidal pilots, three flights fall victim to acts of sabotage.

Saturday, January 31

3:00 AM

Deadly Mission

Season 9 • Episode 10

An investigation sheds light on the plane crash that killed U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld.

Saturday, January 31

4:00 AM

What Happened To Malaysian 370?

Season 8 • Episode 11

Leading aviation experts investigate one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time.

Saturday, January 31

5:00 AM

Cockpit Killer

Season 15 • Episode 9

Investigators have to figure out the cause of an African airliner's mysterious crash.

Saturday, January 31

11:00 PM

Turning Point

Season 3 • Episode 5

A Northwest Airlines flight above the Bering Sea must make an emergency landing in Anchorage.

Sunday, February 1

12:00 AM

Cleared for Disaster

Season 2 • Episode 10

An air traffic controller's mistake causes two planes to collide on the runway.

Sunday, February 1

1:00 AM

Titanic in the Sky

Season 5 • Episode 11

An emergency landing is forced by pilots after an engine explodes.

Sunday, February 1

2:00 AM

Falling From the Sky

Season 7 • Episode 2

A British Airways flight to Australia in 1982 crashes into the Indian Ocean.

Sunday, February 1

3:00 AM

Miracle Escape

Season 7 • Episode 1

Passengers and crew escape a jet that skid off the runway before catching fire.

Sunday, February 1

4:00 AM

Deadly Descent

Season 13 • Episode 1

When an airbus A330 loses both engines, its pilots must think of a solution before they crash.

Sunday, February 1

5:00 AM

Deadly Detail

Season 10 • Episode 4

A Boeing 737 erupts in flames, putting 165 debarking passengers and crew in jeopardy.

Sunday, February 1

6:00 PM

Fight for Your Life

Season 6 • Episode 3

Three FedEx employees must regain control of their plane when a coworker attacks them in midair.

Sunday, February 1

7:00 PM

Design Flaws

Season 20 • Episode 10

Former race car driver Niki Lauda's planes nosedives into a Thai jungle.

Sunday, February 1

9:00 PM

Blow Out

Season 18 • Episode 13

A cockpit window on British Airways Flight blows out, partially ejecting and injuring the captain.

Sunday, February 1

11:00 PM

Catastrophe at O'Hare

Season 4 • Episode 7

The 1979 crash in Chicago nearly grounded DC-10's forever.

Monday, February 2

1:00 AM

Invisible Killer

Season 1 • Episode 1

A strong gale slams Delta Airlines Flight 191 to the ground, killing most people on board.

Monday, February 2

2:00 AM

A Wounded Bird

Season 18 • Episode 14

A blade on the left-side propeller of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 breaks off.

Monday, February 2

3:00 AM

Deadly Exchange

Season 19 • Episode 1

A commuter flight crashes mysteriously and investigators examine the final seconds in the cockpit.

Monday, February 2

4:00 AM

Fire Fight

Season 7 • Episode 3

A mechanical problem aboard an Air Canada plane turns into an all-out emergency.

Monday, February 2

5:00 AM

Deadly Delivery

Season 16 • Episode 10

A plane crashes into a hillside about one nautical mile short of the runway during final approach.