Air Disasters

Air Disasters - Smithsonian Channel

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.

Upcoming TV Airings

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

Thursday, July 3

Deadly Mission

Season 9 • Episode 10

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

Thursday, July 3

What Happened To Malaysian 370?

Season 8 • Episode 11

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

Thursday, July 3

Cockpit Killer

Season 15 • Episode 9

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

Thursday, July 3

Turning Point

Season 3 • Episode 5

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

Thursday, July 3

Cleared for Disaster

Season 2 • Episode 10

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

Monday, July 7

Fuel Trouble

Season 20 • Episode 5

Monday, July 7

Perilous Payload

Season 20 • Episode 6

Three planes fatally out of balance force investigators to question every calculation.

Monday, July 7

Deadly Myth

Season 11 • Episode 3

After a commuter flight crashes, it's up to investigators to determine the cause.

Monday, July 7

Edge of Disaster

Season 9 • Episode 9

Atlantic Airways Flight 670 careened off the runway and became engulfed in flames.

Monday, July 7

Runway in Sight

Season 20 • Episode 7

If pilots aren't prepared when the runway is in sight, a landing can quickly become a tragedy.

Monday, July 7

Holding Pattern

Season 17 • Episode 1

A plane enters a rapid descent and crashes nose-first at Rostov-on-Don Airport in Russia.

Monday, July 7

Courage in the Cockpit

Season 20 • Episode 18

Devastating failures in the air put pilots to the test and shine a light on three feats of flying.

Monday, July 7

I'm the Problem

Season 3 • Episode 3

Moments before a Pacific Southwest flight crashes in California, gunshots are heard in the cabin.

Monday, July 7

Tragic Takeoff

Season 16 • Episode 3

Investigators must determine why a twin-engine jet failed to take off.

Monday, July 7

Lockerbie Disaster

Season 21 • Episode 2

The tragic circumstances surrounding the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 by terrorists.

Monday, July 7

Testing the Limits

Season 8 • Episode 2

The first-ever 767 plane crash in history: Lauda Air Flight 004.

Monday, July 7

Time Critical

In a rush to complete their flights, three different flight crews skip key procedures.

Monday, July 7

Time of War

Mistaken identity and hostile fire over enemy territory are among the many risks that pilots face.

Monday, July 7

Ticking Time Bomb

From corrosion and metal fatigue to faulty repairs, three doomed airlines are brought down.

Monday, July 7

Impossible Landing

Season 3 • Episode 4

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

Monday, July 7

Trained to Fail

Pilots are prepared to cope with a range of emergency scenarios.

Monday, July 7

Deadly Data

With hidden flaws buried in their navigation systems, three planes suffer tragic computer errors.

Monday, July 7

Seconds From Touchdown

Season 16 • Episode 9

A turboprop is just seconds from landing when it flips over and crashes.

Monday, July 7

Blown Away

Season 12 • Episode 2

The investigation into the 2014 crash of a TransAsia flight uncovers a systemic problem.

Monday, July 7

Splash Down

Season 20 • Episode 29

Three last-resort water landings-all handled differently yet each one crucial.

Tuesday, July 8

Slam Dunk

Season 13 • Episode 10

A quick trip from Washington D.C. to Ohio in 1994 turns deadly.

Tuesday, July 8

Killer Attitude

Season 11 • Episode 2

The pairing of a domineering pilot and an inexperienced first officer has deadly consequences.

Tuesday, July 8

Deadly Go Round

Season 12 • Episode 9

After a plane crashes just before landing in Japan, fears arise about its complex automated systems.

Tuesday, July 8

Cockpit Breakdown

Season 20 • Episode 28

Three flights end in tragedy after miscommunication mix-ups and personality clases.

Tuesday, July 8

Atlantic Ditching

Season 15 • Episode 7

A helicopter carrying offshore drilling workers crashes into the ocean, leading to an investigation.

Tuesday, July 8

Flying Blind

Season 18 • Episode 10

A crew makes an error while cleaning a Boeing 757, causing it to crash into the Pacific Ocean.

Wednesday, July 9

Stealth Bomber Down

Season 17 • Episode 3

When a USAF stealth bomber crashes after takeoff, investigators search for a reason.

Wednesday, July 9

Panic on the Runway

Season 2 • Episode 4

In August, 1985, an airplane's engine catches fire as it accelerates.

Wednesday, July 9

The Lost Plane

Season 11 • Episode 10

Investigators struggle to understand the crash of Thai Airways Flight 311.

Wednesday, July 9

Vanished

Season 4 • Episode 13

On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447 stalls and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean.

Wednesday, July 9

Mistaken Identity

Season 6 • Episode 1

The captain of a Navy cruiser must quickly determine if an approaching plane is friendly.

Wednesday, July 9

Helicopter Down

Season 6 • Episode 7

A helicopter carrying oil workers to an offshore drilling platform crashes.

Wednesday, July 9

Fatal Delivery

Season 9 • Episode 5

The two-man crew of a UPS cargo jet must attempt an emergency landing.

Thursday, July 10

Scratching the Surface

Season 21 • Episode 1

A China Airlines 747 suddenly disappears from radar and crashes, killing 225 people.

Thursday, July 10

Unlocking Disaster

Season 18 • Episode 7

Thursday, July 10

Hidden Danger

Season 7 • Episode 5

A Boeing 737 rolls into a dive and crashes within eight seconds, killing all 25 people on board.

Thursday, July 10

Delivery to Disaster

Season 19 • Episode 9

Thursday, July 10

Murder in the Skies

Season 10 • Episode 7

Following a crash, investigators make a shocking discovery about a co-pilot's mental health.

Friday, July 11

The Final Push

Season 8 • Episode 5

Investigators try to find the cause of two similar air crashes that happened nearly 12 years apart.

Friday, July 11

Playing Catch Up

Season 16 • Episode 2

A private jet slams into an Ohio apartment building just a couple of miles from the runway.

Friday, July 11

Deadly Display

Season 12 • Episode 5

A high-stakes demonstration flight turns catastrophic when a Russian jet slams into a mountain.

Saturday, July 12

Fanning the Flames

Season 1 • Episode 4

A recovery operation is launched to find out if a 747 was carrying illegal weapons.

Saturday, July 12

Sideswiped

Season 8 • Episode 4

A Boeing 737 leaving Panama City crashes into one of the most remote jungles on the planet.

Saturday, July 12

Imperfect Pitch

Season 5 • Episode 8

A passenger plane plunges into the sea during an in-flight test.

Saturday, July 12

Death and Denial

Season 6 • Episode 8

In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 217 people on board.

Saturday, July 12

Alarming Silence

Season 2 • Episode 5

Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes shortly after take-off in Detroit.

Saturday, July 12

Flying on Empty

Season 18 • Episode 12

When Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel, its pilots desperately try to keep it in the air.

Sunday, July 13

Headline News

Season 20 • Episode 1

Three devastating crashes make front-page news around the globe.

Sunday, July 13

Cruel Skies

Season 2 • Episode 3

The importance of weather forecasting to the aviation industry.

Sunday, July 13

Deadly Disturbance

Season 14 • Episode 9

How routine flights can turn catastrophic in mere seconds when the pilots become distracted.

Sunday, July 13

Deadly Delay

Season 9 • Episode 7

Spanair Flight 5022 banked to the right, slammed into a creek and burst into flames.

Monday, July 14

No Control

Season 14 • Episode 4

Three crashes occur as pilots battle against their sophisticated aircraft.

Monday, July 14

Mayday Munich

Season 3 • Episode 2

Manchester United football team's plane crashes while returning from Yugoslavia, killing 23 aboard.

Monday, July 14

Focused on Failure

Season 4 • Episode 8

United Airlines Flight 173 runs out of fuel and crashes in a sparsely populated area.

Monday, July 14

Lost in Translation

Season 5 • Episode 3

The crash of a small commuter jet in Switzerland has plenty of clues but not enough answers.

Monday, July 14

Risky Runways

Season 20 • Episode 24

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

Monday, July 14

Nowhere to Land

Season 3 • Episode 11

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

Monday, July 14

Deadly Reputation

Season 2 • Episode 12

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

Monday, July 14

Kid in the Cockpit

Season 6 • Episode 9

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

Monday, July 14

Explosive Clues

Season 14 • Episode 5

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

Monday, July 14

The Pentagon Attack

Season 10 • Episode 2

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

Monday, July 14

Fatal Focus

Season 9 • Episode 4

When a 737 careens off the runway in Indonesia, investigators uncover a shocking explanation.

Monday, July 14

VIP on Board

Season 20 • Episode 13

Airplane crashes involving high-profile passengers put added pressure on investigators.

Monday, July 14

Rookie Errors

Season 20 • Episode 2

Monday, July 14

Turboprop Terror

Season 17 • Episode 9

A turboprop stalls and crashes into a North Carolina forest; investigators uncover a safety problem.

Monday, July 14

Engine Gone

Season 20 • Episode 22

Three crews experience the same devastating event; an engine falls off their commercial airplane.

Monday, July 14

The Death of JFK Jr.

Season 8 • Episode 6

John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Piper Saratoga crashed in 1999 and the NTSB faces enormous pressure.

Monday, July 14

Fatal Approach

Season 13 • Episode 3

A false warning in the cockpit triggers a series of pilot errors, sending a commuter plane crashing.

Monday, July 14

Controversial Crashes

Season 14 • Episode 8

Seeing how international investigative teams solve controversial plane crashes.

Monday, July 14

Out of Sight

Season 7 • Episode 7

In one of the world's busiest airports, a large passenger plane crashes into a smaller one.

Monday, July 14

Dead Tired

Season 18 • Episode 4

Colgan Air Flight 3407 stalls at low altitude and crashes in a residential area near Buffalo.

Tuesday, July 15

Fire in the Hold

Season 4 • Episode 2

A plane sustains electrical failures and crashes in the Florida Everglades.

Tuesday, July 15

Lost

Season 18 • Episode 17

An American Airlines Flight en route to Cali, Colombia loses their exact position.

Tuesday, July 15

Deadly Pitch

Season 13 • Episode 5

An anonymous tip helps uncover the cause of a cargo plane crash in Miami.

Tuesday, July 15

Communication Breakdown

Season 14 • Episode 1

Misunderstandings between pilots and air traffic controllers cause deadly air disasters.

Tuesday, July 15

Caught in a Jam

Season 16 • Episode 8

When a commuter turboprop crashes onto hilly terrain in New Zealand, a search for answers ensues.

Tuesday, July 15

Speed Trap

Season 5 • Episode 2

A deadly midair collision between a commercial airliner and a F-4 Phantom.

Wednesday, July 16

Racing the Storm

Season 18 • Episode 8

A plane crashes during a thunderstorm, but investigators don't believe weather caused the crash.

Wednesday, July 16

Missing Over New York

Season 18 • Episode 18

Avianca Flight 52 is delayed numerous times is low on fuel as it attempts to land in New York City.

Wednesday, July 16

Frozen Wings

Season 20 • Episode 26

Investigators determine how modern aircraft could possibly end up with frozen wings.

Wednesday, July 16

Landings Gone Wrong

Season 20 • Episode 25

Three flights end in tragedy when crews improvise on their final approach.

Wednesday, July 16

Collision Course

Season 20 • Episode 3

A passenger ferry sinks after crashing into rocks off the coast of a Greek island, killing 82.

Wednesday, July 16

Break Up Over Texas

Season 3 • Episode 6

Continental Express Flight 2574 suffers wing damage and goes into a dive falling out of the sky.

Wednesday, July 16

Nuts and Bolts

Season 12 • Episode 1

When a cargo plane crashes moments after takeoff, investigators find a systematic problem.

Thursday, July 17

Miracle Escape

Season 7 • Episode 1

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

Thursday, July 17

Deadly Descent

Season 13 • Episode 1

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

Thursday, July 17

Deadly Detail

Season 10 • Episode 4

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

Thursday, July 17

Dead of Winter

Season 12 • Episode 10

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

Thursday, July 17

Blow Out

Season 18 • Episode 13

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

Friday, July 18

The Turning Point

Season 11 • Episode 4

A Boeing 767 crashes miles from a South Korean runway; the investigation leads to differing stories.

Friday, July 18

Fire on Board

Season 14 • Episode 10

Three flights that erupted in flames, and the investigations that changed aviation forever.

Friday, July 18

Under Pressure

Season 3 • Episode 7

A burst tire creates an in-flight fire on flight 2120 which causes passengers and crew to perish.

Saturday, July 19

Steep Impact

Season 9 • Episode 8

The crash of a commuter plane in Georgia killed a NASA astronaut and a four-term U.S. senator.

Saturday, July 19

Dead of Night

Season 20 • Episode 21

Three crews lose site of the horizon and fall into the same deadly trap.

Saturday, July 19

Mixed Signals

Season 1 • Episode 8

Watch how a series of confusing signals make a plane crash into the Atlantic Ocean.

Saturday, July 19

Cold Case

Season 2 • Episode 6

A design flaw on the Fokker F28 causes two similar plane crashes in Ontario and New York.

Saturday, July 19

Target Is Destroyed

Season 2 • Episode 2

Korean Airlines Flight 007 is shot down by a fighter jet when it enters Soviet airspace.

Saturday, July 19

Panic Over the Pacific

Season 7 • Episode 6

A miraculous rescue is launched after a 747 plummets toward the Pacific.

Sunday, July 20

Vanishing Act

Season 8 • Episode 3

Varig Flight 254 disappears without a trace over the jungles of Brazil.

Sunday, July 20

Massacre Over The Mediterranean

Season 5 • Episode 7

An Italian passenger plane is blown out of the sky.

Sunday, July 20

Dangerous Approach

Season 10 • Episode 6

A Colorado commuter flight crashes five miles short of the runway.

Sunday, July 20

Pitch Black

Season 17 • Episode 8

An Illinois turboprop crashes after losing battery power; investigators uncover a series of errors.

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