List of Mayday episodes
Mayday, known as Air Crash Investigation(s) in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Asia and also known as Air Emergency or Air Disasters (Smithsonian Channel) in the United States, is a Canadian documentary television series produced by Cineflix that recounts air crashes, near-crashes, fires, hijackings, bombings and other mainly flight-related disasters and crises. It reveals the events that led to each crisis or disaster, their causes as determined by the official investigating body or bodies, and the measures they recommended to prevent a similar incident happening again. The programs use re-enactments, interviews, eyewitness testimony, computer-generated imagery, cockpit voice recordings and official reports to reconstruct the sequences of events.
As of 12 July 2016[update], a total of 136 episodes of Mayday have aired, including 5 Science of Disaster specials and 3 Crash Scene Investigation spin-offs, which do not examine aircraft crashes.
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD release dates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| 1 | 6 | 3 September 2003[1] | 22 October 2003[1] | 9 April 2009[2] | TBA | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 2 | 6 | 23 January 2005[4] | 27 February 2005 | TBA | TBA | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 3 | 13 | 14 September 2005[5] | 7 December 2005[5] | 15 May 2012[6] | TBA | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 4 | 10 | 15 April 2007[7] | 17 June 2007[5] | 15 May 2012[6] | 5 October 2015[8] | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 5 | 10 | 9 April 2008[5] | 11 June 2008[5] | TBA | 5 October 2015[9] | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 6 | 3 | 16 December 2007[5] | 2 March 2008[5] | TBA | TBA | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 7 | 8 | 4 November 2009[10] | 17 December 2009 | TBA | TBA | 6 May 2010[11] | |
| 8 | 2 | 10 June 2009[12] | 17 June 2009[12] | TBA | TBA | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 9 | 8 | 8 September 2010[13] | 27 October 2010 | TBA | TBA | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 10 | 6 | 27 February 2011 | 28 March 2011[14] | TBA | TBA | 7 March 2013[3] | |
| 11 | 13 | 12 August 2011 | 13 April 2012 | TBA | TBA | 5 September 2012[15] | |
| 12 | 13 | 3 August 2012 | 15 April 2013 | TBA | TBA | 14 August 2013[16] | |
| 13 | 11 | 16 December 2013 | 9 May 2014 | TBA | TBA | 2 December 2015[17] | |
| 14 | 11 | 5 January 2015 | 2 March 2015 | TBA | TBA | 1 June 2016[18] | |
| 15 | 10 | 4 January 2016 | 17 February 2016 | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
| 16 | 10 | 7 June 2016 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
Episodes
Note: Episodes are ordered by their production number, not by their original air date.
Season 1 (2003)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Unlocking Disaster" | United Airlines Flight 811 | 10 September 2003 | |
|
On 24 February 1989, United Airlines Flight 811 is flying above the Pacific Ocean, when part of the right-side fuselage is ripped off, ejecting nine people from the aircraft and causing explosive decompression. The flight later lands safely at Honolulu without any more loss of life. An electrical short circuit caused the cargo door to open, creating the explosive decompression. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-100 | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "Racing the Storm" | American Airlines Flight 1420 | 3 September 2003 | |
|
On 1 June 1999, American Airlines Flight 1420 tries to land at the Little Rock National Airport during a storm, but overruns the runway, killing 11 people. The crash was caused by the crew not arming the spoilers during their pre-landing checks. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | |||||
| 3 | 3 | "Fire on Board" | Swissair Flight 111 | 22 October 2003 | |
|
On 2 September 1998, a fire breaks out on Swissair Flight 111 while in-flight, damaging vital systems and causing the aircraft to crash into the sea off Peggys Cove with no survivors. The fire was caused by faulty wiring in the on-board first and business class entertainment system. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | |||||
| 4 | 4 | "Flying Blind" | Aeroperú Flight 603 | 17 September 2003 | |
|
On 2 October 1996, shortly after take off, the crew of Aeroperú Flight 603 is confused by false speed and altitude readings and contradictory warnings from the aircraft's air data system. In preparation for an emergency landing, the crew descends the aircraft, but unknowingly descend too far by relying on the false readings. The Boeing 757 crashes into the water, killing everyone on board. The false readings and contradictory warnings were caused by duct tape over the static ports—the duct tape was used to protect the ports during maintenance, but was not removed afterwards. Type of aircraft: Boeing 757-200 | |||||
| 5 | 5 | "Cutting Corners" | Alaska Airlines Flight 261 | 15 October 2003 | |
|
On 31 January 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261's trimmable horizontal stabilizer jams and breaks free from its control system. The aircraft dives inverted into the Pacific Ocean, causing the death of all 88 on board. The stabilizer failed due to an improperly maintained jack-screw assembly. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | |||||
| 6 | 6 | "Flying on Empty" | Air Transat Flight 236 | 8 October 2003 | |
|
On 24 August 2001, Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The pilots of the aircraft glide it to a safe landing on a runway at a naval base on an island in the Azores. The fuel starvation was caused by improper maintenance work which allowed a hydraulic oil pipe and a fuel pipe to rub together, resulting in the fracture of the fuel pipe and consequent leak. Type of aircraft: Airbus A330-200 | |||||
Season 2 (2004)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Blowout" | British Airways Flight 5390 | 23 January 2005 | |
|
On 10 June 1990, the cockpit window blows out on British Airways Flight 5390, partially ejecting and injuring the captain through the hole. A member of the cabin crew clings to his legs as the co-pilot completes an emergency landing without any fatality. The captain is found to be still alive after being outside the cockpit for 21 minutes. The window blowout was caused by a maintenance worker installing incorrectly sized bolts during maintenance work. Type of aircraft: BAC 1-11 528FL | |||||
| 8 | 2 | "A Wounded Bird" | Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 | 23 January 2005 | |
|
On 21 August 1995, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 is climbing to its cruising altitude, when a blade on the left-side propeller comes off. The imbalance of the rotating propeller causes the engine to partly tear itself from its mounting, creating excessive drag. The aircraft rapidly loses altitude and crashes, killing nine people. Metal fatigue in the propeller blade caused its failure. Type of aircraft: Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | |||||
| 9 | 3 | "The Killing Machine" | Air France Flight 8969 | 6 February 2005 | |
|
On 24 December 1994, Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Algiers Airport. The four terrorists demand the aircraft be allowed to depart for Paris so they can blow up the aircraft over the Eiffel Tower, but the Algerian Army blocks the aircraft with vehicles and refuse to allow it to take off. Unable to carry out their plans, the terrorists kill three passengers over the next two days. The aircraft is then cleared to take off, but the crew diverts to Marseille Provence Airport. The hostage rescue team of the French Gendarmerie storms the aircraft, and after a gun battle in the cabin, the four hijackers are killed and everyone else is evacuated. It is described as "one of the most successful anti-terrorist operations in history." Type of aircraft: Airbus A300B2 | |||||
| 10 | 4 | "Deadly Crossroads" | Überlingen mid-air collision | 13 February 2005 | |
|
On 1 July 2002, Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 collides with DHL Flight 611 in German airspace near Überlingen. Flight 2937 is destroyed instantly, and the DHL cargo aircraft crashes shortly afterwards, killing all 71 people on board the two aircraft. The crew of Flight 611 followed the on-board traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) instructions to initiate a descent. However, the crew of Flight 2937 followed the instructions of the air traffic controller instead of their TCAS and initiated a descent as well. Only one air traffic controller was on duty for that block of airspace at the time of the collision—his colleague, who was also meant to be on duty, was resting instead. Type of aircraft: Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937: Tupolev Tu-154M; DHL Flight 611: Boeing 757-200PF | |||||
| 11 | 5 | "Lost" | American Airlines Flight 965 | 20 February 2005 | |
|
On 20 December 1995, American Airlines Flight 965 is en route to Cali, Colombia. The crew members are asked if they would like to perform a straight-in approach to Cali. The pilots accept the offer, but as they are making the necessary changes, they inadvertently remove the waypoints from the flight plan in their flight management system (FMS), causing them to become unsure of their exact position. The crew members' mistakes leads them to fly the aircraft into a 9,000 foot mountain near Buga. Only four passengers and a dog survive. Type of aircraft: Boeing 757-200 | |||||
| 12 | 6 | "Missing over New York" | Avianca Flight 52 | 27 February 2005 | |
|
On 25 January 1990, Avianca Flight 52, a flight to New York City from Colombia, is delayed numerous times by bad weather en route and is dangerously low on fuel as it attempts a landing. Wind shear forces the crew to abort the approach just one mile from the runway. They initiate a go-around, but are directed back into a holding pattern by air traffic controllers who are unaware of the low fuel situation. The Boeing 707 then runs out of fuel, causing it to crash in Long Island near New York. Type of aircraft: Boeing 707-320B | |||||
Season 3 (2005)
Note: This is the first season produced in high definition, according to Cineflix.
So far, it is also the first season to include Crash Scene Investigation episodes.
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | "Hanging by a Thread" | Aloha Airlines Flight 243 | 14 September 2005 | |
|
On 28 April 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 is en route from Hilo to Honolulu in Hawaii, when the upper half of the front fuselage is torn off, blowing out a flight attendant. The aircraft subsequently lands safely at Kahului, Maui. The fuselage failed from corrosion damage and metal fatigue. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-200 | |||||
| 14 | 2 | "Attack over Baghdad" | 2003 Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown incident | 21 September 2005 | |
|
On 22 November 2003, a European Air Transport Airbus A300 operating on behalf of DHL is climbing away from Baghdad International Airport, when the left wing explodes, causing a massive loss of hydraulic fluid which immobilizes the flight control surfaces. The crew flies the aircraft by changing the engines' thrust for control and make a safe landing 16 minutes later. A surface-to-air missile had been launched at the aircraft. Type of aircraft: Airbus A300F4-203 | |||||
| 15 | 3 | "Out of Control" | Japan Airlines Flight 123 | 28 September 2005 | |
|
On 12 August 1985, the rear pressure bulkhead bursts on a Boeing 747SR operating as Japan Airlines Flight 123, destroying the vertical stabilizer and severing all four of the aircraft's hydraulic systems. The crew manages to keep the aircraft flying for 32 minutes until it clips Mount Osutaka and crashes, killing all but four people out of the 524 passengers and crew aboard. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747SR | |||||
| 16 | 4 | "Fight for Your Life" | Federal Express Flight 705 | 5 October 2005 | |
|
On 7 April 1994, Auburn Calloway, a disgruntled employee, attempts to hijack Federal Express Flight 705 armed with hammers and a speargun. Despite sustaining serious injuries, the crew successfully subdues Calloway and returns the aircraft safely to Memphis International Airport. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F | |||||
| 17 | 5 | "Bomb on Board" | Philippine Airlines Flight 434 | 12 October 2005 | |
|
On 11 December 1994, a bomb explodes on Philippine Airlines Flight 434 on the second leg of a service from Manila to Tokyo via Cebu City, killing a passenger, injuring many and damaging some of the aircraft's control systems. The crew successfully lands the aircraft at Naha Airport in Okinawa. Ramzi Yousef, a terrorist, smuggled the bomb aboard the aircraft on the first leg of its flight. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-200B | |||||
| 18 | 6 | "Mistaken Identity" | Iran Air Flight 655 | 19 October 2005 | |
|
On 3 July 1988, during the Iran–Iraq War, the USS Vincennes launches missiles which bring down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 people on board. The crew of the Vincennes claimed that, despite its high-tech equipment, it mistook the airliner for an Iranian Air Force Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighter. Iran believes that the US deliberately shot down its civilian airliner. Type of aircraft: Airbus A300B2-200 | |||||
| 19 | 7 | "Helicopter Down" | Bristow Flight 56C | 26 October 2005 | |
|
On 19 January 1995, the crew of Bristow Flight 56C is forced to perform an emergency autorotation to a ditching in the sea, after lightning damages the tail rotor of their helicopter. Despite the rough sea conditions, the 16 oil rig workers and pilots are rescued by nearby ships. Type of aircraft: Aérospatiale AS 332L Super Puma | |||||
| 20 | 8 | "Death and Denial" | EgyptAir Flight 990 | 2 November 2005 | |
|
On 31 October 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, from New York to Cairo, Egypt, dives out of the sky and crashes into the ocean, killing all 217 people. The cause of the crash is disputed: the Egyptian government claims mechanical failure associated with the elevator controls caused the crash, but the US government claims the aircraft was deliberately crashed by the Relief First Officer Gameel Al-Batouti in a suicide/homicide. Type of aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER | |||||
| 21 | 9 | "Runaway Train" | San Bernardino train disaster (SP 7551 East) | 30 November 2005 | |
|
On 12 May 1989, a 69-car freight train goes out of control while descending from California's Cajon Pass. It derails in a residential neighbourhood of San Bernardino after reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Two residents and two train crew members are killed in the initial crash. More than a week later, an underground gasoline pipeline, damaged by earth-moving equipment during the post-crash clean-up, ruptures and sparks a fire that kills another two people. A clerical error had caused the train's weight to be greatly underestimated, and it had been assembled without enough locomotives to provide adequate braking. Additionally, several of the engines had completely inoperable brakes, but this information was not passed on to the crews. Note: This is a Crash Scene Investigation episode. Type of train: Sixty-nine freight cars pulled by six locomotives (freight train) | |||||
| 22 | 10 | "Kid in the Cockpit" | Aeroflot Flight 593 | 9 November 2005 | |
|
On 23 March 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593 is en route to Hong Kong, when it stalls and crashes, killing all 75 people. The pilot's 15-year-old son accidentally disabled the autopilot while in the captain's seat, causing the aircraft to bank heavily to the right, inducing the stall. Type of aircraft: Airbus A310-300 | |||||
| 23 | 11 | "Collision Course" | The MS Express Samina sinking | 23 November 2005 | |
|
On 26 September 2000, waves push the MS Express Samina off course, causing it to hit a group of rocks off Paros and sink, killing 80 people. The ferry was on autopilot, with the crew not monitoring the ship's course. They were instead watching an association football match. Note: This is a Crash Scene Investigation episode. Type of ship: Passenger ferry (MS Express Samina) | |||||
| 24 | 12 | "Head-on Collision" | Hinton train collision | 16 November 2005 | |
|
On 8 February 1986, a Via Rail passenger train and a 118-car Canadian National Railway freight train collide, killing 23 people. The freight train crew did not stop at a red railway signal on a section of a passing loop, possibly because they were asleep. Note: This is a Crash Scene Investigation episode. Type of train: Via Rail passenger train (FP9A and F9B locomotives); 118-car freight train (one EMD GP38-2 and two EMD SD40 locomotives) | |||||
| 25 | 13 | "Ocean Landing" | Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 | 7 December 2005 | |
|
On 23 November 1996, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 is forced to ditch after running out of fuel. The aircraft breaks up as the wings hit the water, killing 125 people. The aircraft had been hijacked and ran out of fuel because the hijackers did not believe the pilot's insistence that there was not enough fuel aboard to make it to the hijackers' planned destination: Australia. Type of aircraft: Boeing 767-200ER | |||||
Spin-offs (2005)
Mayday has one episode that is not a part of any particular season: Crash of the Century, a 90-minute special investigating the infamous Tenerife airport disaster.
| # | Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special | "Crash of the Century" | The Tenerife airport disaster | 2005 | |
|
On 27 March 1977, the deadliest-ever aviation accident occurs at Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife-North Airport) in the Canary Islands, when Pan American World Airways Flight 1736 and KLM Flight 4805 collide on the runway in thick fog during the KLM aircraft's attempt to take off, killing 583 people. The poor weather played a part in the disaster, but the fundamental causes of the crash were numerous errors by the pilots of the two aircraft and the airport's air traffic control officers. Note: The television program was a co-production between French and Canadian companies, with Cineflix, Adélaïde Productions and Galaxie Production co-producing.[19] A derivative production for NOVA, The Deadliest Plane Crash, first aired on PBS on 17 October 2006.[19] The program is not branded as Mayday by Cineflix.[20] Type of aircraft: Flight 1736: Boeing 747-100; Flight 4805: Boeing 747-200B | ||||
Season 4 (2006)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident(s) | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "Desperate Escape" | Air France Flight 358 | 15 April 2007 | |
|
On 2 August 2005, Air France Flight 358 overruns the runway while attempting to land in a storm. The Airbus A340 travels through the airport perimeter fence into a small ravine and catches fire. The causes of the crash were the aircraft deviating above the required approach path for its landing, touching down too far along the runway and the crew deploying the thrust reversers too slowly. All 309 passengers and crew survived. Type of aircraft: Airbus A340-300 | |||||
| 27 | 2 | "Falling from the Sky" | British Airways Flight 9 | 22 April 2007 | |
|
On 24 June 1982, British Airways Flight 9 experiences St. Elmo's fire en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Perth, Australia. A few minutes later, all four engines flame out. After descending, the crew successfully restarts the engines and lands safely. The St. Elmo's fire and engine flame-outs were caused by volcanic ash spewed by Galunggung in Indonesia during a major eruption. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-200B | |||||
| 28 | 3 | "Fire Fight" | Air Canada Flight 797 | 29 April 2007 | |
|
On 2 June 1983, a fire breaks out on Air Canada Flight 797 in the aircraft's toilet. An emergency landing is made in Cincinnati, but the aircraft is engulfed by flames on the runway, killing 23 people. The opening of the aircraft's doors after the landing caused a flashover. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 | |||||
| 29 | 4 | "Final Approach" | Korean Air Flight 801 | 6 May 2007 | |
|
On 6 August 1997, the crew of Korean Air Flight 801 is unable to see the runway during final approach for a night landing in Guam. They initiate a missed approach, but the aircraft then flies into a low hill, killing 228 people. A combination of pilot error and the instrument landing system at Guam airport being temporarily out of service for maintenance work were blamed. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-300 | |||||
| 30 | 5 | "Hidden Danger" | United Airlines Flight 585, USAir Flight 427 and Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 | 13 May 2007 | |
|
On 3 March 1991, a Boeing 737 operating as United Airlines Flight 585 is on approach to land, when it suddenly rolls into a dive and crashes within eight seconds, killing all 25 people. On 8 September 1994, USAir Flight 427 is another Boeing 737 on approach to land, when it rolls and crashes within thirty seconds, killing all 132 people. On 9 June 1996, Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 is another Boeing 737 that unexpectedly rolls in similar circumstances, but the crew successfully regains control of the aircraft and lands safely. The cause of all three incidents was the rudder experiencing a "hardover" (suddenly going to full deflection) and jamming due to thermal shock of the hydraulic control valve. Type of aircraft: Flight 585: Boeing 737-200; Flight 427: Boeing 737-300; Flight 517: Boeing 737-200 | |||||
| 31 | 6 | "Panic over the Pacific" | China Airlines Flight 006 | 20 May 2007 | |
|
On 19 February 1985, China Airlines Flight 006's number four (right-side outer) engine flames out. As the crew tries to restart the engine, the Boeing 747SP stalls and enters into a spin. The crew successfully regains control, restarts the engine and lands safely at San Francisco International Airport. The incident was caused by pilot error. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747SP | |||||
| 32 | 7 | "Out of Sight" | 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision | 27 May 2007 | |
|
On 31 August 1986, Aeroméxico Flight 498, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, and a light aircraft collide over Cerritos, California, causing both to go out of control and crash, killing 82 people. The accident was caused by neither pilot making visual contact with the other aircraft and a lack of automated collision warning systems. The crash inspires the creation of the traffic collision avoidance system. Type of aircraft: Aeroméxico Flight 498: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32; light aircraft: Piper PA-28-181 Archer | |||||
| 33 | 8 | "Fog of War" | 1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash | 3 June 2007 | |
|
On 3 April 1996, while attempting to land at Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia during heavy fog, a United States Air Force Boeing CT-43 strays off course and flies into a mountain. All 35 people on board are killed, including the United States Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown. The non-precision approach procedure the crew needed to follow required the use of two automatic direction finders, but the aircraft was only fitted with one. Type of aircraft: Boeing CT-43 | |||||
| 34 | 9 | "Vertigo" | Flash Airlines Flight 604 | 10 June 2007 | |
|
On 3 January 2004, Flash Airlines Flight 604 banks to the right just after takeoff and crashes into the Red Sea, killing all 148 people. The cause of this disaster is disputed and suggested to be spatial disorientation on the part of the flight crew. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-300 | |||||
| 35 | 10 | "Ghost Plane" | Helios Airways Flight 522 | 17 June 2007 | |
|
On 14 August 2005, air traffic controllers lose radio contact with Helios Airways Flight 522. Two fighters from the Hellenic Air Force intercept and investigate the flight and find all but one person on board not moving. A few moments later, the aircraft runs out of fuel and crashes, killing all 121 people on board. An incorrect setting on the cabin pressurization panel caused the pilots and everyone else on board to succumb to hypoxia. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-300 | |||||
Season 5 (2007)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident(s) | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 1 | "Invisible Killer" | Delta Air Lines Flight 191 | 7 May 2008 | |
|
On 2 August 1985, Delta Air Lines Flight 191 crash-lands while on approach to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, killing 8 of the 11 crew members, 128 of the 152 passengers on board, and one person on the ground. This accident was one of the few commercial air crashes in which the meteorological phenomenon known as microburst-induced wind shear was a direct contributing factor. Type of aircraft: Lockheed L-1011-1 Tristar | |||||
| 37 | 2 | "Gimli Glider" | Gimli Glider | 14 May 2008 | |
|
On 23 July 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 runs out of fuel at 41,000 feet (12,500m) altitude, about halfway through its flight from Montreal to Edmonton. The crew is able to glide the aircraft safely to an emergency landing at Gimli Industrial Park Airport, a former airbase at Gimli, Manitoba. An unserviceable fuel gauge and an error in converting between metric and non-metric units caused the aircraft to be loaded with insufficient fuel prior to flight. Type of aircraft: Boeing 767-200 | |||||
| 38 | 3 | "Behind Closed Doors" | American Airlines Flight 96 and Turkish Airlines Flight 981 | 16 April 2008[21] | |
|
On 12 June 1972, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, just a few months old, operating as American Airlines Flight 96 from Detroit, Michigan, to Buffalo, New York, suffers an explosive decompression after a cargo door in the lower rear fuselage bursts open. The crew makes an emergency landing at Detroit without any loss of life. Two years later, on 3 March 1974, Turkish Airlines Flight 981 suffers a similar sequence of events during a flight from Paris to London. This time, the DC-10's hydraulic systems are damaged enough that the crew loses control, and the aircraft crashes in a forest near Senlis outside Paris, killing all 346 on board. At the time, it was the worst aviation disaster in history. A design fault with the cargo door mechanism was not rectified after the first accident, and the second DC-10's door opened during flight, causing the crash. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 (both aircraft) | |||||
| 39 | 4 | "Fanning the Flames" | South African Airways Flight 295 | 21 May 2008 | |
|
On 28 November 1987, South African Airways Flight 295 starts filling with smoke high above the Indian Ocean after a fire breaks out in the rear main deck cargo area of the Boeing 747 combined passenger/cargo aircraft (Combi). It crashes with no survivors. The exact cause of the crash is still unknown. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-200 Combi | |||||
| 40 | 5 | "Dead Weight" | Air Midwest Flight 5481 | 30 April 2008[21] | |
|
On 8 January 2003, Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashes into an aircraft hangar at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport seconds after takeoff on a flight to Greenville. All 21 people on board die, and one person on the ground is injured. Investigation showed that the pilots' controls had been improperly adjusted during maintenance, and that the aircraft was overloaded due to outdated formulae for calculation of passenger weights. Type of aircraft: Beechcraft 1900D | |||||
| 41 | 6 | "Southern Storm" | Southern Airways Flight 242 | 23 April 2008[21] | |
|
On 4 April 1977, Southern Airways Flight 242, a flight from Huntsville, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, flies through a severe thunderstorm and is hit by large hailstones. Both engines of the DC-9-31 fail, and the aircraft makes an emergency landing on a highway in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia. However, it collides with a gas station and explodes, killing 62 people on board and eight on the ground. Two more die later of injuries sustained during the crash. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | |||||
| 42 | 7 | "Air India: Explosive Evidence" | Air India Flight 182 | 9 April 2008[21] | |
|
On 23 June 1985, Air India Flight 182 explodes in mid-air and disintegrates over the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 passengers and crew members. Investigators discovered that a bomb from Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa caused the explosion. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-200B | |||||
| 43 | 8 | "Mixed Signals" | Birgenair Flight 301 | 4 June 2008 | |
|
On 6 February 1996, Birgenair Flight 301 is scheduled to fly from Puerto Plata to Frankfurt. On takeoff, the captain finds that his airspeed indicator (ASI) is not reading properly, though the co-pilot's ASI is showing the correct speed; the aircraft subsequently crashes in the Atlantic Ocean. The pilots became confused and believed that both ASIs were malfunctioning, leading to loss of control of the aircraft. All 13 crew members and 176 passengers died. The cause of the disaster was believed to be a wasp that built a nest in one of the aircraft's pitot tubes, which was incorrectly left uncovered during the aircraft's extended stay at Puerto Plata airport. Type of aircraft: Boeing 757-200 | |||||
| 44 | 9 | "Fatal Distraction" | Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 | 28 May 2008 | |
|
On 29 December 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 is on a flight to Miami International Airport. While making preparations to land, the crew is distracted by a faulty landing gear indicator light and accidentally disengages the autopilot while trying to resolve the problem. The aircraft descends until it crashes into the Everglades. Flying at night, the crew failed to notice their descent until only seconds before hitting the ground. 101 people died; 75 people survived. Type of aircraft: Lockheed L-1011-1 Tristar | |||||
| 45 | 10 | "Phantom Strike" | Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 | 11 June 2008 | |
|
On 29 September 2006, Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 and a brand new Embraer Legacy business jet (registered N600XL) on its delivery flight collide in mid-air over the Amazon rainforest. The Boeing 737 commercial flight crashes into the Amazon, but the Legacy manages to make a safe landing at an airbase. All 154 people on the Gol jet die. Air traffic controllers had cleared both aircraft to fly at the same altitude in opposite directions, and the transponder of the Legacy had either failed or had been switched off, making both aircraft's traffic collision avoidance systems useless in preventing the collision. Type of aircraft: Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907: Boeing 737-800; N600XL: Embraer Legacy 600 | |||||
Season 6 (2007) Special
Season 6 of Mayday is the first Science of Disaster season, consisting of three episodes.
| № |
# |
Title | Incidents | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 1 | "Ripped Apart" | BOAC Flight 781 South African Airways Flight 201 Aloha Airlines Flight 243 British Airways Flight 5390 United Airlines Flight 811 Helios Airways Flight 522 | 16 December 2007 | |
|
This special looked at accidents and incidents where pressurization failure or explosive decompression played a part. Types of aircraft: Flights 781 and 201: de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1; Flight 243: Boeing 737-200; Flight 5390: BAC 1-11 528FL; Flight 811: Boeing 747-100; Flight 522: Boeing 737-300 | |||||
| 47 | 2 | "Fatal Flaw" | Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Japan Airlines Flight 123 Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 Swissair Flight 111 United Airlines Flight 585 USAir Flight 427 Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 | 16 December 2007 | |
|
This special looked at accidents caused by seemingly minor defects or errors. Types of aircraft: Flight 261: McDonnell Douglas MD-83; Flight 123: Boeing 747SR; Flight 529: Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia; Flight 111: McDonnell Douglas MD-11; Flight 585: Boeing 737-200; Flight 427: Boeing 737-300; Flight 517: Boeing 737-200 | |||||
| 48 | 3 | "Who's Flying the Plane?" | Aeroperú Flight 603 China Airlines Flight 006 Aeroflot Flight 593 Flash Airlines Flight 604 Air Transat Flight 236 | 2 March 2008 | |
|
This special looked at accidents and incidents where problems with the interface between crew members and on-board avionics were a factor and the causes of those problems. Types of aircraft: Flight 603: Boeing 757-200; Flight 006: Boeing 747SP; Flight 593: Airbus A310-300; Flight 604: Boeing 737-300; Flight 236: Airbus A330-200 | |||||
Season 7 (2008)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 1 | "Scratching the Surface" | China Airlines Flight 611 | 18 November 2009 | |
|
On 25 May 2002, China Airlines Flight 611 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes into the Taiwan Strait just 20 minutes after taking off from Taipei, killing all 225 people. A faulty repair to the lower rear skin of the aircraft more than 20 years earlier following a tailstrike had caused the entire tail section to weaken and fail. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-200B | |||||
| 50 | 2 | "Lockerbie Disaster" | Pan Am Flight 103 | 17 December 2009 | |
|
On 21 December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 explodes in mid-air, and the wreckage of the 747 falls on and around the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground. A terrorist bomb had caused the in-flight break-up. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-100 | |||||
| 51 | 3 | "Blown Apart" | Partnair Flight 394 | 11 November 2009 | |
|
On 8 September 1989, Partnair Flight 394 dives into the North Sea, killing all 55 people. The investigation showed that the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft had vibrated loose during flight due to sub-standard connecting bolts that had been fraudulently sold as aircraft grade. Type of aircraft: Convair 580 | |||||
| 52 | 4 | "Sight Unseen" | Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision | 11 November 2009 | |
|
On 12 November 1996, Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 collide in mid-air near New Delhi, India, killing all 349 people on both aircraft. The crash was caused by the crew members on the Kazakhstan Airlines aircraft failing to maintain the altitude assigned by air traffic control. Type of aircraft: Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763: Boeing 747-100B; Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907: Ilyushin Il-76 | |||||
| 53 | 5 | "Operation Babylift" | 1975 Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident | 4 November 2009 | |
|
On 4 April 1975, a United States Air Force transport aircraft conducting the inaugural flight of Operation Babylift suffers explosive decompression when the rear cargo door fails and crashes into a paddy field while attempting an emergency landing at Tan Son Nhut air base in South Vietnam. The investigation found that parts had been removed from the rear cargo doors and improperly replaced. Type of aircraft: Lockheed C-5A Galaxy | |||||
| 54 | 6 | "Falling Fast" | Tuninter Flight 1153 | 9 December 2009 | |
|
On 6 August 2005, Tuninter Flight 1153 runs out of fuel and ditches into the Mediterranean Sea, killing 16 people. It ran out of fuel because a fuel gauge for a different type of aircraft had been installed, misleading the crew about how much fuel was on board. Type of aircraft: ATR 72-200 | |||||
| 55 | 7 | "Flight 574: Lost" | Adam Air Flight 574 | 16 December 2009 | |
|
On 1 January 2007, Adam Air Flight 574 crashes into the Makassar Strait, killing all 102 people on board. The crew inadvertently disengaged the autopilot while trying to fix a problem with the aircraft's inertial reference system, causing it to roll into an uncontrolled dive and break up during flight. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-400 | |||||
| 56 | 8 | "Frozen in Flight" | American Eagle Flight 4184 | 16 December 2009 | |
|
On 31 October 1994, American Eagle Flight 4184 falls out of the sky, killing all 68 people. The crash was caused by ice developing on the wing in a manner that the on-board deicing system could not remove. Type of aircraft: ATR 72-200 | |||||
Season 8 (2009) Special
Season 8 of Mayday is the second Science of Disaster season, consisting of two episodes.
| № |
# |
Title | Incidents | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | 1 | "System Breakdown" | 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision Avianca Flight 52 Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 Überlingen mid-air collision | 10 June 2009 | |
|
This special looked at the role of air traffic controllers in the airline industry and examines the Next Generation Air Transportation System, a new technology meant to eliminate mid-air collisions by reducing overall dependence on radar and radio, as well as delegating some of the air traffic controllers' tasks to computers on board each aircraft. Types of aircraft: Grand Canyon collision: Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation and Douglas DC-7; Cerritos collision: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 and Piper PA-28-181 Archer; Flight 52: Boeing 707-320B; Gol Transportes Aéreos collision: Boeing 737-800 and Embraer Legacy 600; Überlingen collision: Tupolev Tu-154M and Boeing 757-200PF | |||||
| 58 | 2 | "Cruel Skies" | Southern Airways Flight 242 Delta Air Lines Flight 191 American Airlines Flight 1420 British Airways Flight 9 | 17 June 2009 | |
|
This special looked at the role of bad weather in disasters and examines the US Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Missouri, to see how information on weather is transmitted to pilots in the sky. Types of aircraft: Flight 242: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32; Flight 191: Lockheed L-1011-1 Tristar; Flight 1420: McDonnell Douglas MD-82; Flight 9: Boeing 747-200B | |||||
Season 9 (2009)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident(s) | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | 1 | "Panic on the Runway" | British Airtours Flight 28M | 1 March 2010 | |
|
On 22 August 1985, an engine of British Airtours Flight 28M fails during takeoff, puncturing a hole in the wing fuel tank and starting a fire. The crew successfully abandons the takeoff and stops the aircraft on the runway, but the fire spreads to the cabin. 55 people die before they can evacuate, mainly due to inhaling toxic smoke. The investigation found that fatigue of a part in the engine caused it to fail. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-200 | |||||
| 60 | 2 | "Alarming Silence" | Northwest Airlines Flight 255 | 15 March 2010 | |
|
On 16 August 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 stalls as it lifts off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport and crashes just beyond the runway, killing 154 of the 155 people on board and two people on the ground. The investigation showed that the pilots failed to configure the aircraft's flaps and slats for takeoff. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | |||||
| 61 | 3 | "Pilot vs. Plane" | Air France Flight 296 | 8 March 2010 | |
|
On 26 June 1988, Air France Flight 296 fails to climb and crashes into trees after performing a flyby during an airshow at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport, killing three people. The cause of this crash remains in dispute. Type of aircraft: Airbus A320-100 | |||||
| 62 | 4 | "Cleared for Disaster" | USAir Flight 1493 | 22 March 2010 | |
|
On 1 February 1991, USAir Flight 1493 collides with a waiting SkyWest Airlines aircraft on the runway, killing 34 people. An air traffic controller mistakenly assigned the inbound Flight 1493 to land on a runway where SkyWest Flight 5569 was waiting to take off. Type of aircraft: Flight 1493: Boeing 737-300; Flight 5569: Fairchild Metro III | |||||
| 63 | 5 | "Target Is Destroyed" | Korean Air Lines Flight 007 | 29 March 2010 | |
|
In the early hours of 1 September 1983, during the Cold War, Korean Air Lines Flight 007 is shot down after violating Soviet Union airspace. The crew did not set the autopilot to the correct mode following takeoff, which caused the aircraft to deviate from its assigned flight path. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-200B | |||||
| 64 | 6 | "Cold Case" | Air Ontario Flight 1363 and USAir Flight 405 | 12 April 2010 | |
|
On 10 March 1989, Air Ontario Flight 1363 crashes just after takeoff, killing 24 people. Three years later, on 22 March 1992, USAir Flight 405 also crashes just after takeoff in similar conditions to Flight 1363. The cause of the crashes was ice on the wings, which significantly reduced lift. Type of aircraft: Flight 1363: Fokker F28-1000; Flight 405: Fokker F28-4000 | |||||
| 65 | 7 | "The Final Blow" | Air Inter Flight 148 | 5 April 2010 | |
|
On 20 January 1992, Air Inter Flight 148 flies into a peak in the Vosges Mountains while circling to land at Strasbourg Airport, killing 87 people. An error made in programing the aircraft's autopilot, combined with a sudden wind change, caused it to descend more rapidly than expected. Type of aircraft: Airbus A320-100 | |||||
| 66 | 8 | "Cracks in the System" | Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 | 19 April 2010 | |
|
On 19 December 2005, just seconds after takeoff from Miami, Florida, the right wing of Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 breaks off, causing the aircraft to crash into the sea, killing all 20 people. The causes of the crash were metal fatigue and poor maintenance. Type of aircraft: Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard | |||||
Season 10 (2010)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 1 | "Cockpit Failure" | Crossair Flight 3597 | 12 March 2011 | |
|
On 24 November 2001, Crossair Flight 3597 crashes into a hill during final approach to Zurich, killing 24 of the 33 passengers and crew members on board. The cause of the crash was the pilot descending the aircraft below the minimum safe altitude for the approach.[22] Type of aircraft: British Aerospace 146 | |||||
| 68 | 2 | "The Heathrow Enigma" | British Airways Flight 38 | 7 March 2011 | |
|
On 17 January 2008, British Airways Flight 38 is on its final approach to land, when the autothrottles command increased thrust from the engines. The engines do not respond to the control inputs and remain at idle. The captain raises one notch of flaps to give the aircraft a few more feet of flying distance; it crash-lands just short of the runway without causing any fatalities. The fuel flow to both engines was restricted because of ice crystals causing a blockage in the fuel-oil heat exchangers. Type of aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER | |||||
| 69 | 3 | "Pilot Betrayed" | Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 | 28 March 2011 | |
|
On 27 December 1991, Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 crash-lands without loss of life in Gottröra moments after taking off due to both engines failing. Clear ice from the tops of the wings had been sucked into both engines, causing internal damage. An automatic system (of which the pilots were unaware) to increase the engines' thrust contributed to their failure. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-81 (referred to in the episode as a McDonnell Douglas DC-9) | |||||
| 70 | 4 | "Dead Tired" | Colgan Air Flight 3407 | 21 March 2011 | |
|
On 12 February 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 stalls at low altitude and dives into a residential area near Buffalo, New York. All on board and one person on the ground are killed. Several critical errors made by the flight crew might have been the result of their fatigue. Type of aircraft: Bombardier Q400 | |||||
| 71 | 5 | "Hudson River Runway" | US Airways Flight 1549 | 14 March 2011 | |
|
On 15 January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 suffers a bird strike with a flock of Canada geese approximately 1.5 minutes after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Both engines fail, and less than two minutes later, the crew members successfully ditch the aircraft in the Hudson River. All on board survive. Type of aircraft: Airbus A320-200 | |||||
| 72 | 6 | "Who's in Control?" | Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 | 28 February 2011 | |
|
On 25 February 2009, Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 is on approach to land at Schiphol in Amsterdam, when it stalls and crashes 1.5 kilometres from the runway. Nine people, including the three cockpit crew members, are killed. A faulty radar altimeter caused the aircraft's flight control computer to automatically reduce engine thrust prematurely, and the flight crew failed to notice the resulting drop in airspeed until it was too late. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-800 | |||||
Season 11 (2011)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | 1 | "Deadly Reputation" | TAM Airlines Flight 3054 | 12 August 2011 | |
|
On 17 July 2007, TAM Airlines Flight 3054 careens off runway 35L at Brazil's Congonhas Airport, crashes at high speed into a warehouse adjacent to a filling station and explodes. A total of 199 people on board the aircraft and on the ground are killed. Incorrect engine throttle settings upon landing caused one engine to reverse thrust while the other increased power, resulting in the loss of control. Type of aircraft: Airbus A320-200 | |||||
| 74 | 2 | "The Plane That Flew Too High" | West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 | 19 August 2011 | |
|
On 16 August 2005, West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 stalls while cruising and crashes in rural Venezuela during a severe thunderstorm. Investigations revealed there were no faults with the engines. Pilot error led to the stall which was misinterpreted by the crew members, who took no recovery action until it was too late. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | |||||
| 75 | 3 | "Split Decision" | Arrow Air Flight 1285 | 26 August 2011 | |
|
On 12 December 1985, Arrow Air Flight 1285, carrying troops of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division, stalls and crashes just seconds after taking off from Gander International Airport in Canada, killing all 256 people on board. The cause of the crash remains disputed. Type of aircraft: Douglas DC-8-63CF | |||||
| 76 | 4 | "Breakup over Texas" | Continental Express Flight 2574 | 29 December 2011 | |
|
On 11 September 1991, Continental Express Flight 2574 is nearing the end of its intra-state flight from Laredo, Texas, to Houston. As the pilots are preparing to land, the aircraft tips into a dive and falls out of the sky as the left wing tears apart. All 14 people on board die. Improper maintenance caused a section of the horizontal stabilizer to break loose during flight, after which the pilots had no control. Type of aircraft: Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | |||||
| 77 | 5 | "Munich Air Disaster" | The Munich air disaster | 29 December 2011 | |
|
On 6 February 1958, British European Airways Flight 609, carrying members of the famed Manchester United association football team, club officials and journalists, crashes into a house about 300 meters from the end of the runway in Munich after it fails to become airborne, killing 23 of the 44 people on board. The cause of the crash was slush on the runway, which slowed the aircraft down and prevented it from reaching takeoff speed. Type of aircraft: Airspeed Ambassador | |||||
| 78 | 6 | "Turning Point" | Northwest Airlines Flight 85 | 29 December 2011 | |
|
On 9 October 2002, Northwest Airlines Flight 85 is cruising above the Bering Sea, when the lower rudder segment suddenly deflects to the left. The pilots divert the aircraft to a successful emergency landing at Anchorage, Alaska, by using engine thrust for control. The incident was attributed to a fatigue failure of the rudder hydraulic control module, resulting in part of the module's metal casing breaking off. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-400 | |||||
| 79 | 7 | "Bad Attitude" | Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 | 20 January 2012 | |
|
On 22 December 1999, Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, en route from London Stansted Airport to Milan, Italy, crashes into a field about 55 seconds after taking off, killing all four crew members on board. The causes of the crash were the captain following the indications of a malfunctioning attitude indicator and lack of communication amongst the crew members. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-200F | |||||
| 80 | 8 | "Blind Spot" | PSA Flight 182 | 27 January 2012 | |
|
On 25 September 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) Flight 182 collides with a light aircraft while approaching Lindbergh Field and crashes in a residential area in San Diego. All 137 people on both aircraft and seven people on the ground die. Type of aircraft: Flight 182: Boeing 727-200; light aircraft: Cessna 172 | |||||
| 81 | 9 | "Under Pressure" | Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 | 3 February 2012 | |
|
On 11 July 1991, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 is taking off from Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport with 247 Nigerian Hajj pilgrims and 14 crew members on board. A tire bursts during the takeoff, starting a fire on the landing gear. The crew is unaware of the fire and retracts the gear after takeoff; and the fire spreads. Encountering problems, the crew then tries to return the aircraft to the airport, but it breaks up during flight and crashes about three kilometres from the runway. Type of aircraft: Douglas DC-8-61 | |||||
| 82 | 10 | "I'm the Problem" | Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 | 10 February 2012 | |
|
On 7 December 1987, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, on a flight to San Francisco, crashes at the speed of sound on a mountainside in rural San Luis Obispo County, California. All 43 people on board are killed. Investigators found that passenger David Burke, a former USAir employee, took a gun on board the aircraft and shot the pilots in a murder-suicide plot to kill his former supervisor (who was also a passenger on board) after being fired from his job days earlier. USAir was in the process of merging with PSA at the time of the crash. Type of aircraft: British Aerospace 146 | |||||
| 83 | 11 | "Nowhere to Land" | TACA Flight 110 | 9 March 2012 | |
|
On 24 May 1988, TACA Airlines Flight 110, a near-new Boeing 737, flies through a thunderstorm and suffers a dual engine flameout. The captain, Carlos Dardano, manages to make a successful deadstick landing on a narrow grass levee in the Michoud area of eastern New Orleans. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-300 | |||||
| 84 | 12 | "The Invisible Plane" | The Linate Airport disaster | 23 March 2012 | |
|
On 8 October 2001, Scandinavian Airlines Flight 686, carrying 110 people bound for Copenhagen, Denmark, is taking off at Milan's Linate Airport in thick fog. On the runway, it collides with an Air Evex business jet carrying four people bound for Paris, France. The airliner suffers major damage and crashes into a building shortly afterwards. All 114 people on board the two aircraft are killed, along with four on the ground. The crew of the business jet had made a wrong turn while taxiing in the fog and inadvertently taxied onto the runway. Type of aircraft: Flight 686: McDonnell Douglas MD-87; business jet: Cessna Citation CJ2 | |||||
| 85 | 13 | "Impossible Landing" | United Airlines Flight 232 | 13 April 2012 | |
|
On 19 July 1989, the tail-mounted number two engine of United Airlines Flight 232 explodes, causing serious damage to the aircraft's hydraulic systems and leaving the flight controls unusable. By varying engine thrust, the pilots manage to crash-land the aircraft at Sioux City, Iowa, saving the lives of 185 of the 296 people on board. The investigation traced the engine failure to a fatigue crack in the front fan disk which had developed from a defect introduced before the disk was even made, when the original titanium ingot used to make it was formed. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | |||||
Season 12 (2012)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 1 | "Fight for Control" | Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 | 3 August 2012 | |
|
On 8 June 1983, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8's propeller separates from the aircraft over Cold Bay, Alaska, causing an explosive decompression and loss of control. The pilots manage to land the aircraft safely at Anchorage, Alaska. The propeller fell into the sea, and the cause of the separation is undetermined. Type of aircraft: Lockheed L-188 Electra | |||||
| 87 | 2 | "Fire in the Hold" | ValuJet Flight 592 | 10 August 2012 | |
|
On 11 May 1996, 10 minutes after takeoff, ValuJet Flight 592 crashes into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. The cause was an in-flight fire which was started by the accidental triggering of a chemical oxygen generator improperly shipped as cargo. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 | |||||
| 88 | 3 | "Caution to the Wind" | Singapore Airlines Flight 006 | 17 August 2012 | |
|
On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei while attempting to take off on the wrong runway in a typhoon. 83 of the 179 passengers and crew members perish. Investigators concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-400 | |||||
| 89 | 4 | "Pushed to the Limit" | SilkAir Flight 185 | 24 August 2012 | |
|
On 19 December 1997, SilkAir Flight 185, en route to Singapore, crashes into the Musi River in Indonesia after abruptly diving from its cruise altitude, killing all 104 passengers and crew members on board. The cause of the crash was disputed: a US investigation concluded that it was an act of murder–suicide by the captain; however, the Indonesian investigators were undetermined, and the Los Angeles Court concluded that it was a servo valve failure. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-300 | |||||
| 90 | 5 | "Blind Landing" | TANS Perú Flight 204 | 31 August 2012 | |
|
On 23 August 2005, TANS Perú Flight 204 attempts to make a landing at Pucallpa Airport, Peru, in a severe thunderstorm, but crashes into a muddy swamp four miles (6.4 km) away. The cause was the pilots not following visual flight rules that could have prevented the crash while the aircraft was being pushed by a downdraft. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-200 Advanced | |||||
| 91 | 6 | "Grand Canyon Disaster" | 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision | 24 January 2013 | |
|
On 30 June 1956, United Airlines Flight 718 collides with Trans World Airlines Flight 2 over the Grand Canyon in Arizona. All 128 occupants on both flights are killed. At the time, it was the deadliest airline crash in history, and would lead to sweeping changes in the regulation of flight operations over the US. Note: This accident was previously featured as a special in the episode "System Breakdown" (S08E01). Type of aircraft: Flight 718: Douglas DC-7; Flight 2: Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation | |||||
| 92 | 7 | "Catastrophe at O'Hare" | American Airlines Flight 191 | 25 February 2013 | |
|
On 25 May 1979, the left engine of American Airlines Flight 191 falls off moments after takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The aircraft crashes into an open field shortly thereafter, killing all 271 people on board and two people on the ground. The engine fell off because the pylon attaching it to the wing had suffered damage caused by improper maintenance procedures. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | |||||
| 93 | 8 | "Focused on Failure" | United Airlines Flight 173 | 11 March 2013 | |
|
On 28 December 1978, the crew of United Airlines Flight 173 is preoccupied with a landing gear problem as the aircraft circles in a holding pattern in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon. It runs out of fuel and crashes in a sparsely populated area, killing 10 and seriously injuring 24 of the 189 on board. According to the NTSB, the flight crew failed to check the aircraft's fuel state, causing it to crash. Type of aircraft: Douglas DC-8-61 | |||||
| 94 | 9 | "Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster" | 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster | 4 March 2013 | |
|
On 7 September 2011, an aircraft carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team crashes shortly after takeoff at Yaroslavl, Russia, killing all but one of the 45 occupants. The investigation found that the pilots were not properly trained on the aircraft type and mishandled the aircraft during the takeoff. Type of aircraft: Yakovlev Yak-42D | |||||
| 95 | 10 | "Death of the President" | 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash | 27 January 2013 | |
|
On 10 April 2010, a Polish Air Force VIP aircraft carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński, his wife Maria Kaczyńska and other top officials, crashes short of the runway in a wooded area while on final approach to Smolensk North Airport in heavy fog and low visibility. All 96 passengers and crew members on board are killed. Type of aircraft: Tupolev Tu-154M | |||||
| 96 | 11 | "Heading to Disaster" | Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 | 25 March 2013 | |
|
On 25 January 2010, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, en route to Addis Ababa, plunges into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport during a thunderstorm, killing all 90 people on board. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-800 | |||||
| 97 | 12 | "28 Seconds to Survive" | Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518 | 1 April 2013 | |
|
On 21 February 2008, Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518, en route from Mérida, Venezuela, to Caracas, veers off course and flies into the side of a mountain shortly after takeoff. All 46 passengers and crew members on board die. Investigators determined that the aircraft took off with inoperative navigation equipment due to the pilots' failure to do their pre-flight checklist. Type of aircraft: ATR 42-300 | |||||
| 98 | 13 | "Air France 447: Vanished" | Air France Flight 447 | 15 April 2013 | |
|
On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447, a scheduled flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, stalls and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying through a thunderstorm, killing all 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The causes of the crash were incorrect airspeed readings due to ice blockage of the aircraft's pitot tubes, inappropriate control inputs and the pilots not taking recovery action until it was too late. Type of aircraft: Airbus A330-200 | |||||
Season 13 (2013)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident(s) | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 1 | "Fight to the Death" | British European Airways Flight 548 | 16 December 2013 | |
|
On 18 June 1972, British European Airways Flight 548 stalls and crashes in a field near Staines-upon-Thames shortly after takeoff from London Heathrow Airport, killing all 118 people on board. The crash was attributed to the pilot retracting the aircraft's droops at too low an airspeed and failing to recognise the stall warnings. Type of aircraft: Hawker Siddeley Trident 1C | |||||
| 100[23] | 2 | "Speed Trap" | Hughes Airwest Flight 706 | 30 December 2013 | |
|
On 6 June 1971, Hughes Airwest Flight 706 collides with a United States Marine Corps (USMC) jet fighter above the San Gabriel Mountains. A total of 50 people from the two aircraft are killed, with the backseat crewman of the USMC aircraft the only survivor. Type of aircraft: Flight 706: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31; USMC jet: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II | |||||
| 101 | 3 | "Lost in Translation" | Crossair Flight 498 | 13 January 2014 | |
|
On 10 January 2000, Crossair Flight 498 crashes just two minutes after takeoff from Zurich, Switzerland, while heading for Dresden, Germany, killing all 10 people on board. The investigation found that the pilots had suffered spatial disorientation. Type of aircraft: Saab 340 | |||||
| 102 | 4 | "Disaster on the Potomac" | Air Florida Flight 90 | 23 December 2013 | |
|
On 13 January 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 takes off from a snowy runway in Washington D.C, stalls at 300 feet altitude, strikes a road bridge and crashes into the Potomac River, killing a total of 78 people. The causes were ice on the wings and the pilots' failure to turn on the engines' anti-freeze system, causing erroneous engine instrument readings. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-200 | |||||
| 103 | 5 | "Queens Catastrophe" | American Airlines Flight 587 | 6 January 2014 | |
|
On 12 November 2001, just two months after the September 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 587 spirals out of control after taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport. Shortly after, the aircraft crashes into the suburb of Queens, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground. The vertical stabilizer had detached from the aircraft because of improper rudder use by the first officer, after encountering wake turbulence from a Boeing 747-400 that had taken off minutes earlier. Type of aircraft: Airbus A300-600 | |||||
| 104 | 6 | "Into the Eye of the Storm" | Hurricane Hunters NOAA42 incident | 10 February 2014 | |
|
On 15 September 1989, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aircraft tasked with intercepting Hurricane Hugo over the Caribbean islands is jolted by strong winds, causing an engine to catch fire and fail. The pilots of the aircraft manage to make a safe emergency landing. Type of aircraft: Lockheed WP-3D Orion | |||||
| 105 | 7 | "Massacre over the Mediterranean" | Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 | 20 January 2014 | |
|
On 27 June 1980, Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 crashes into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica, Italy. All 81 people on board are killed. The top Italian criminal court eventually ruled on 23 January 2013 that a missile strike brought down the aircraft,[24] but controversy remains; some experts dispute this conclusion, arguing that an on-board bomb in the rear toilet was the cause. No definitive accident report was published. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 | |||||
| 106 | 8 | "Imperfect Pitch" | XL Airways Germany Flight 888T | 3 February 2014 | |
|
On 27 November 2008, an aircraft on a post-maintenance test flight operating as XL Airways Germany Flight 888T crashes into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of France, killing all seven people on board. The investigators determined that improper maintenance work allowed water to enter the aircraft's angle of attack (AOA) sensors. The water then froze during flight, causing the sensors to stop working. The crew tried to test the stall warning system during flight, and the aircraft entered a low-speed stall. Type of aircraft: Airbus A320-200 | |||||
| 107 | 9 | "Terror in Paradise" | Air Moorea Flight 1121 | 27 January 2014 | |
|
On 9 August 2007, Air Moorea Flight 1121 crashes shortly after taking off from Moorea Airport in French Polynesia. All 19 passengers and the pilot died. The cause was a badly worn and partly broken elevator control cable failing completely in flight. It was put under more strain than it could handle as the force on the elevators changed with flap retraction. The situation was likely aggravated by the aircraft being repeatedly buffeted by jet exhaust while parked, stressing the cables further. Type of aircraft: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | |||||
| 108 | 10 | "Titanic in the Sky" | Qantas Flight 32 | 17 February 2014 | |
|
On 4 November 2010, Qantas Flight 32, en route to Sydney Airport in Australia, suffers an uncontained engine failure in its number two engine and serious damage to its left wing shortly after takeoff from Singapore. The crew members overcome a number of resulting failures and make a safe emergency landing back at Singapore with no injuries among the 469 passengers and crew members. Investigators found that a manufacturing fault in an oil pipe caused the engine failure. Note: This is the 100th aircraft case investigated on Mayday. Type of aircraft: Airbus A380-800 | |||||
| 109 | 11 | "Getting out Alive" | Asiana Airlines Flight 214 Air France Flight 358 Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 Air Canada Flight 797 US Airways Flight 1549 | 9 May 2014 | |
|
This special looked at how people survive aviation accidents, in part with demonstrations at the Czech Airlines Training Centre. Types of aircraft: Flight 214: Boeing 777-200ER; Flight 358: Airbus A340-300; Flight 8: Lockheed L-188 Electra; Flight 797: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32; Flight 1549: Airbus A320-200 | |||||
Season 14 (2014)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident(s) | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | 1 | "Choosing Sides" | Kegworth air disaster | 5 January 2015 | |
|
On 8 January 1989, British Midland Flight 92 crashes onto the embankment of the M1 motorway near Kegworth, Leicestershire, UK. The aircraft was attempting to conduct an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport after one of its engines failed. Of the 126 people on board, 47 died and 74, including 7 members of the flight crew, sustained serious injuries. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-400 | |||||
| 111 | 2 | "Niki Lauda: Testing the Limits" | Lauda Air Flight 004 | 12 January 2015 | |
|
On 26 May 1991, the thrust reverser of the number one engine of Lauda Air Flight 004 deploys without being commanded during mid-flight, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control and disintegrate about 100 miles northwest of Bangkok. All of the 223 passengers and crew members die in the crash. Type of aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER | |||||
| 112 | 3 | "Vanishing Act" | Varig Flight 254 | 10 February 2015 | |
|
On 3 September 1989, the pilots of Varig Flight 254 enter an incorrect compass heading into their instruments before takeoff. Flying on autopilot once airborne, the aircraft heads west instead of north-northeast towards its destination; after some time, it is over a remote area of the Amazon jungle. Attempts to reach an alternative airport are unsuccessful, and the aircraft eventually runs out of fuel. The pilot makes a belly landing in the jungle, during which the aircraft breaks up, killing 13 people. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-200 | |||||
| 113 | 4 | "Sideswiped" | Copa Airlines Flight 201 | 2 March 2015 | |
|
On 6 June 1992, Copa Airlines Flight 201 rolls almost vertically, enters a high-speed dive, causing it to disintegrate in mid-air, and crashes into the Darien Gap 29 minutes after takeoff, killing all 47 people on board. The incident was caused by faulty instrument readings and several other contributing factors, including incomplete training. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-200 Advanced | |||||
| 114 | 5 | "The Final Push" | FedEx Express Flight 14 and FedEx Express Flight 80 | 16 February 2015 | |
|
On 31 July 1997, FedEx Express Flight 14 crashes at Newark Liberty International Airport, United States. On landing, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F bounces, rolls to the right and flips over, bursting into flames. All five of the people on board survive. On 23 March 2009, FedEx Express Flight 80 crashes on landing at Narita International Airport, Japan, in similar circumstances to that of Flight 14. Both of the pilots are killed in the crash. Type of aircraft: Flight 14: McDonnell Douglas MD-11F; Flight 80: McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (freighter conversion) | |||||
| 115 | 6 | "The Death of JFK Jr." | John F. Kennedy Jr. plane crash | 20 January 2015 | |
|
On 16 July 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. dies when the Piper Saratoga light aircraft he is piloting crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in hazy conditions. His wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, are on board and are also killed. The NTSB concluded that the crash was caused by spatial disorientation resulting in pilot error. Type of aircraft: Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga II | |||||
| 116 | 7 | "Concorde - Up in Flames" | Air France Flight 4590 | 13 January 2015 | |
|
On 25 July 2000, a Concorde operating as Air France Flight 4590, en route to New York City, United States, stalls and crashes into a hotel in Gonesse shortly after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle Airport. All of the 109 passengers and crew members and 4 people on the ground die. The aircraft had struck foreign debris left on the runway from a Continental Airlines DC-10, rupturing and igniting its fuel tanks and causing the engines to fail. Type of aircraft: Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde | |||||
| 117 | 8 | "Accident or Assassination" | 2008 Mexico City plane crash | 17 February 2015 | |
|
On 4 November 2008, an official Mexican Interior Ministry Learjet 45 crashes in rush-hour traffic in central Mexico City. All nine occupants, including Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño, are killed in the crash, along with seven people on the ground. The aircraft crashed due to a loss of control from wake turbulence. Type of aircraft: Learjet 45 | |||||
| 118 | 9 | "No Clear Options" | Manx2 Flight 7100 | 9 February 2015 | |
|
On 10 February 2011, Manx2 Flight 7100 crashes at Cork Airport in Ireland after the pilots lose control of the aircraft in an attempted go-around in low visibility. Six of the twelve people on board are killed in the crash. Note: The investigative team of this incident declined to co-operate with the program out of respect to the family members.[25] Type of aircraft: Fairchild SA227-BC Metro III | |||||
| 119 | 10 | "Death in the Arctic" | First Air Flight 6560 | 24 February 2015 | |
|
On 20 August 2011, First Air Flight 6560, a charter flight, crashes near its destination of Resolute Bay Airport, Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, in poor weather conditions. Out of the fifteen passengers and crew members, only three survived. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-200C | |||||
| 120 | 11 | "What Happened to Malaysian 370?" | Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 | 15 February 2015 | |
|
On 8 March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board. As of February 2015[update], no trace of the Boeing 777-200ER had been found, and speculation is that it crashed in the southern part of the Indian Ocean. Note: This is the first time the series broadcast an episode about an accident not yet fully investigated. This episode will not air in Malaysia. Type of aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER | |||||
Season 15 (2015)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 121 | 1 | "Fatal Transmission" | United Express Flight 5925 | 6 January 2016 | |
|
On 19 November 1996, United Express Flight 5925, operating for Great Lakes Airlines, lands at Quincy Regional Airport and collides with a light aircraft taking off from an intersecting runway, killing all 14 occupants on both aircraft. Type of aircraft: Flight 5925: Beechcraft 1900C; light aircraft: Beechcraft 65-A90 King Air | |||||
| 122 | 2 | "Terror in San Francisco" | Asiana Airlines Flight 214 | 13 January 2016 | |
|
On 6 July 2013, on landing at San Francisco International Airport, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 strikes a seawall and crashes short of the runway. Of the 307 people on board, 2 passengers die at the crash scene; another dies shortly after in hospital. Note: This accident was previously featured as a special in the episode "Getting out Alive" (S13E11). Type of aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER | |||||
| 123 | 3 | "High Rise Catastrophe" | El Al Flight 1862 | 1 February 2016 | |
|
On 4 October 1992, after taking off from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, El Al Flight 1862 declares an emergency. The crew do their best to make an emergency landing, but the 747 cargo jet rolls violently to the right and crashes into an apartment complex, killing 43 people. The two engines on the right wing had separated from the aircraft, causing the loss of control. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-200F | |||||
| 124 | 4 | "Fatal Delivery" | UPS Airlines Flight 6 | 11 January 2016 | |
|
On 3 September 2010, the pilots of UPS Airlines Flight 6 report a fire and declare an emergency shortly after taking off from Dubai International Airport. The crew tries to land back at the airport, but are unsuccessful. The aircraft flies over the airport and crashes into an unpopulated area nearby. Both of the pilots die. The fire was caused by the combustion of lithium-ion batteries. Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-400F | |||||
| 125 | 5 | "Deadly Mission" | 1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash | 3 February 2016 | |
|
On 18 September 1961, a Douglas DC-6 operated by Transair Sweden, carrying Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, crashes en route to cease-fire negotiations in Zambia during the Congo Crisis. All of the 16 passengers and crew members are killed. Type of aircraft: Douglas DC-6B | |||||
| 126 | 6 | "Edge of Disaster" | Atlantic Airways Flight 670 | 10 February 2016 | |
|
On 10 October 2006, Atlantic Airways Flight 670 lands at Stord Airport, but the aircraft overruns the runway and crashes after careening off a steep embankment. Four of the sixteen people on board are killed. The causes of the crash were a malfunction of the aircraft's spoilers and hydroplaning. Type of aircraft: British Aerospace 146-200A | |||||
| 127 | 7 | "Deadly Delay" | Spanair Flight 5022 | 17 February 2016 | |
|
On 20 August 2008, Spanair Flight 5022 attempts to takeoff from Barajas Airport, but stalls immediately, banks to the right and crashes, killing 154 people out of the 172 on board. The pilots aborted the first takeoff attempt, and the second attempt resulted in the crash. Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | |||||
| 128 | 8 | "Fatal Focus" | Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 | 4 January 2016 | |
|
On 7 March 2007, while landing at Yogyakarta at the end of a routine domestic flight from Jakarta, Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 hits the ground so hard that it bounces violently before running off the end of the runway, killing 21 of the 140 people on board. The aircraft was meant to land with the flaps extended to an angle of 40°, but it landed with flap extension of only 5°, which was aggravated by the Captain's insistence on landing the aircraft, even when it was travelling too fast. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-400 | |||||
| 129 | 9 | "Steep Impact" | Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 | 25 January 2016 | |
|
On 5 April 1991, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311, a flight from Atlanta, suddenly nose-dives into the ground while on landing approach to Glynco Jetport, killing all 23 people on board, including US Senator John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter. The accident was caused by a malfunction of the left engine propeller control unit. Type of aircraft: Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | |||||
| 130 | 10 | "Carnage in Sao Paulo" | TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 | 15 February 2016 | |
|
On 31 October 1996, TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 crashes seconds after takeoff from São Paulo–Congonhas Airport into a heavily populated residential area, killing all 96 people on board and 3 on the ground. The crash was attributed to the uncommanded deployment of a faulty thrust reverser on the right engine. Type of aircraft: Fokker 100 | |||||
Season 16 (2016)
| № |
# |
Title | Incident | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | 1 | "Deadly Silence" | 1999 South Dakota Learjet crash | 7 June 2016 | |
|
On 25 October 1999, a chartered Learjet 35 operated by Sunjet Aviation, carrying golfer Payne Stewart and his agents, runs out of fuel and crashes into a field in South Dakota after flying off course, killing all 6 occupants on board. The investigation concluded that everyone on board suffered hypoxia. Type of aircraft: Learjet 35 | |||||
| 132 | 2 | "9/11: The Pentagon Attack" | American Airlines Flight 77 | 14 June 2016 | |
|
On 11 September 2001, during the September 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 77 flies off course and crashes into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, after being hijacked. All the 64 people on board the aircraft, including the 5 hijackers, are killed, along with 125 people in the building. Type of aircraft: Boeing 757-200 | |||||
| 133 | 3 | "Disaster at Tenerife" | Tenerife airport disaster | 21 June 2016 | |
|
On 27 March 1977, the deadliest-ever aviation accident occurs at Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife-North Airport) in the Canary Islands. KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 collide on the runway in thick fog during the KLM aircraft's attempt to take off, killing 583 people. Note: This accident was previously featured in the special episode "Crash of the Century". Type of aircraft: Flight 4805: Boeing 747-200B; Flight 1736: Boeing 747-100 | |||||
| 134 | 4 | "Deadly Detail" | China Airlines Flight 120 | 28 June 2016 | |
|
On 20 August 2007, China Airlines Flight 120 catches fire and explodes shortly after landing and taxiing to the gate area at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan. All of the 165 passengers and crew members survive. The incident was attributed to a fuel leak caused by a bolt from the right wing slat puncturing the fuel tank. Type of aircraft: Boeing 737-800 | |||||
| 135 | 5 | "Deadly Detour" | Proteus Airlines Flight 706 | 5 July 2016 | |
|
On 30 July 1998, Proteus Airlines Flight 706 collides with a light aircraft during a detour over an ocean cruise liner and crashes into Quiberon Bay off the coast of Lorient, France. All fifteen occupants on board the two aircraft are killed. Type of aircraft: Flight 706: Beechcraft 1900D; light aircraft: Cessna 177 Cardinal | |||||
| 136 | 6 | "Dangerous Approach" | Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 | 12 July 2016 | |
|
On 19 January 1988, Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286, operating for Continental Express, crashes near Bayfield, Colorado, while on final approach to Durango. Both crew members and seven of the fifteen passengers on board die. Type of aircraft: Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III | |||||
Alternate titles
The following lists the alternate titles that broadcasters use in Mayday for the Canadian (Original), UK, Australian/Asia (National Geographic Channel) and the US show (Air Emergency/Air Disasters). A blank space indicates that the show title for that region is the same as the original title.
Season 1 (2003)
| # |  Canada (original title)[26]
|
 UK[27]
|
 Australia/Asia[28]
|
 US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Unlocking Disaster" | "Ripped from the Sky" | ||
| 2 | "Racing the Storm" | "Fatal Landing" | ||
| 3 | "Fire on Board" | "Fire in the Sky" | ||
| 4 | "Flying Blind" | |||
| 5 | "Cutting Corners" | "Fatal Error" | ||
| 6 | "Flying on Empty" |
Season 2 (2004–05)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Blowout" | "Ripped from the Cockpit" | ||
| 2 | "A Wounded Bird" | "One Wing Flight" | ||
| 3 | "The Killing Machine" | "Hijacked" | Same as UK | "Hijack Rescue" |
| 4 | "Deadly Crossroads" | "Mid-Air Collision" | Same as UK | "A Father's Revenge" |
| 5 | "Lost" | "Crash on the Mountain" | Same as UK | |
| 6 | "Missing Over New York" | "Deadly Delay" | Same as UK |
Season 3 (2005–06)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hanging by a Thread" | |||
| 2 | "Attack over Baghdad" | |||
| 3 | "Out of Control" | |||
| 4 | "Fight for Your Life" | "Suicide Attack" | Same as UK | |
| 5 | "Bomb on Board" | |||
| 6 | "Mistaken Identity" | |||
| 7 | "Helicopter Down" | |||
| 8 | "Death and Denial" | "EgyptAir 990" | Same as UK | |
| 9 | "Runaway Train" | "Unstoppable Train" | ||
| 10 | "Kid in the Cockpit" | |||
| 11 | "Collision Course" | "Greek Ferry Disaster" | Same as UK | "Express Samina" |
| 12 | "Head-on Collision" | "Train Collision" | Same as UK | "Impact on the Rails" |
| 13 | "Ocean Landing" | "African Hijack" | Same as UK |
Season 4 (2007)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Desperate Escape" | "Miracle Escape" | Same as UK | Same as UK |
| 2 | "Falling from the Sky" | "All Engines Failed!" | ||
| 3 | "Fire Fight" | "Fiery Landing", "Fire Fight" (Air Disasters) | ||
| 4 | "Final Approach" | "Blind Landing" | "Missed Approach" | Same as Australia/Asia |
| 5 | "Hidden Danger" | "Mystery Crashes" | ||
| 6 | "Panic over the Pacific" | "Six-Mile Plunge" | ||
| 7 | "Out of Sight" | "Collision Over LA" | ||
| 8 | "Fog of War" | "Flight 21 is Missing" | "Inbound" | "Crash in Croatia", "Fog of War" (Air Disasters) |
| 9 | "Vertigo" | "Desperate Dive" | Same as UK | "Deadly Disorientation", "Vertigo" (Air Disasters) |
| 10 | "Ghost Plane" | "Unconscious Pilot", "Ghost Plane" (Air Disasters) |
Season 5 (2008)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Invisible Killer" | "Slammed to the Ground" | Same as UK | |
| 2 | "Gimli Glider" | "Deadly Glide" | "Miracle Flight" | |
| 3 | "Behind Closed Doors" | |||
| 4 | "Fanning the Flames" | "Cargo Conspiracy" | "Mystery Fire" | |
| 5 | "Dead Weight" | |||
| 6 | "Southern Storm" | |||
| 7 | "Air India: Explosive Evidence" | "Explosive Evidence" | Same as UK | Same as UK |
| 8 | "Mixed Signals" | "The Plane That Wouldn't Talk" | Same as UK | |
| 9 | "Fatal Distraction" | "Who's at the Controls?" | ||
| 10 | "Phantom Strike" | "Radio Silence" | "Death over the Amazon", "Phantom Strike" (Air Disasters) |
Season 6 (2007–08) Special
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ripped Apart" | |||
| 2 | "Fatal Flaw" | "Fatal Fix" | Same as UK | |
| 3 | "Who's Flying the Plane?" |
Season 7 (2009–10)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Scratching the Surface" | "Shattered in Seconds" | Same as UK | |
| 2 | "Lockerbie Disaster" | "Lockerbie" | Same as UK | "Explosive Device" |
| 3 | "Blown Apart" | "Deadly Prize" | "Silent Killer" | |
| 4 | "Sight Unseen" | "Head-On Collision" | "Crash Course" | "Collision Course" |
| 5 | "Operation Babylift" | |||
| 6 | "Falling Fast" | "Ditch the Plane" | Same as UK | |
| 7 | "Flight 574: Lost" | "The Plane That Vanished" | Same as UK | "Lost in Space" |
| 8 | "Frozen in Flight" | "Deep Freeze" |
Season 8 (2010) Special
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "System Breakdown" | "Communication Breakdown" | ||
| 2 | "Cruel Skies" | "Deadly Storms", "Cruel Skies" (Air Disasters) |
Season 9 (2010)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Panic on the Runway" | "Manchester Runway Disaster" | ||
| 2 | "Alarming Silence" | "Cockpit Chaos" | Same as UK | |
| 3 | "Pilot vs. Plane" | |||
| 4 | "Cleared for Disaster" | |||
| 5 | "Target Is Destroyed" | |||
| 6 | "Cold Case" | "Snowbound" | "Unwelcome Addition", "Cold Case" (Air Disasters) | |
| 7 | "The Final Blow" | "Crashed and Missing" | "Doomed to Fail" | |
| 8 | "Cracks in the System" | "Beach Crash" | "Miami Mystery" |
Season 10 (2011)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Cockpit Failure" | |||
| 2 | "The Heathrow Enigma" | "Heathrow Crash Landing" | ||
| 3 | "Pilot Betrayed" | |||
| 4 | "Dead Tired" | "Stalled in the Sky" | ||
| 5 | "Hudson River Runway" | "Hudson Splashdown" | ||
| 6 | "Who's In Control?" | "Mid-Air Landing" |
Season 11 (2011–12)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Deadly Reputation" | "Nightmare Runway" | "Disaster Runway" | |
| 2 | "The Plane That Flew Too High" | "Fatal Climb" | ||
| 3 | "Split Decision" | "Military Crash Conspiracy" | ||
| 4 | "Breakup over Texas" | |||
| 5 | "Munich Air Disaster" | "Mayday Munich" | ||
| 6 | "Turning Point" | "Deadly Design" | ||
| 7 | "Bad Attitude" | "Stansted Crash" | ||
| 8 | "Blind Spot" | "On Course to Disaster" | "Hiding in Plane Sight" | |
| 9 | "Under Pressure" | "Desert Inferno" | Same as UK | |
| 10 | "I'm the Problem" | "Murder on Board" | ||
| 11 | "Nowhere to Land" | "Miracle Landing" | ||
| 12 | "The Invisible Plane" | "Zero Visibility" | ||
| 13 | "Impossible Landing" | "Sioux City Fireball" | Same as UK |
Season 12 (2012–13)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fight for Control" | |||
| 2 | "Fire in the Hold" | |||
| 3 | "Caution to the Wind" | "Typhoon Takeoff" | Same as UK | |
| 4 | "Pushed to the Limit" | "Pilot Under Pressure" | ||
| 5 | "Blind Landing" | "Crash in the Jungle" | ||
| 6 | "Grand Canyon Disaster" | "Grand Canyon" | ||
| 7 | "Catastrophe at O'Hare" | "America's Deadliest Crash" | "America's Deadliest" | |
| 8 | "Focused on Failure" | "Fatal Fixation" | Same as UK | |
| 9 | "Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster" | "Russia's Ice Hockey Disaster" | "Hockey Team Tragedy" | |
| 10 | "Death of the President" | |||
| 11 | "Heading to Disaster" | "Subtle Incapacitation" | ||
| 12 | "28 Seconds to Survive" | "Seconds to Survive" | ||
| 13 | "Air France 447: Vanished" | "Vanished" |
Season 13 (2013–14)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fight to the Death" | "Britain's Worst Air Crash" | ||
| 2 | "Speed Trap" | |||
| 3 | "Lost in Translation" | |||
| 4 | "Disaster on the Potomac" | "Tragedy on the Potomac" | ||
| 5 | "Queens Catastrophe" | |||
| 6 | "Into the Eye of the Storm" | |||
| 7 | "Massacre over the Mediterranean" | |||
| 8 | "Imperfect Pitch" | "Deadly Test" | Same as UK | |
| 9 | "Terror in Paradise" | |||
| 10 | "Titanic in the Sky" | "Qantas 32: Titanic in the Sky" | "Qantas 32" | |
| 11 | "Getting out Alive" | TBA | TBA |
Season 14 (2014–15)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Choosing Sides" | "M1 Plane Crash" | "Total Engine Failure" | |
| 2 | "Niki Lauda: Testing the Limits" | "Niki Lauda: Tragedy in the Air" | Same as UK | "Testing the Limits" |
| 3 | "Vanishing Act" | |||
| 4 | "Sideswiped" | TBA | ||
| 5 | "The Final Push" | "Death at Narita" | Same as UK | TBA |
| 6 | "The Death of JFK Jr." | TBA | ||
| 7 | "Concorde - Up in Flames" | TBA | ||
| 8 | "Accident or Assassination" | "Inner City Carnage" | Same as UK | TBA |
| 9 | "No Clear Options" | "Third Time Unlucky" | Same as UK | TBA |
| 10 | "Death in the Arctic" | TBA | ||
| 11 | "What Happened to Malaysian 370?" | "Malaysian 370: What Happened?" | "What Happened to MH370?" | TBA |
Season 15 (2015–16)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fatal Transmission" | TBA | ||
| 2 | "Terror in San Francisco" | TBA | ||
| 3 | "High Rise Catastrophe" | TBA | ||
| 4 | "Fatal Delivery" | TBA | ||
| 5 | "Deadly Mission" | TBA | ||
| 6 | "Edge of Disaster" | TBA | ||
| 7 | "Deadly Delay" | "Fatal Delay" | TBA | |
| 8 | "Fatal Focus" | TBA | ||
| 9 | "Steep Impact" | TBA | ||
| 10 | "Carnage in Sao Paulo" | TBA |
Season 16 (2016)
| # | Canada (original title)
|
UK
|
Australia/Asia
|
US
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBA | "Deadly Silence" | TBA | |
| 2 | TBA | "9/11: The Plane That Hit The Pentagon" | "9/11: The Pentagon Attack" | TBA |
| 3 | TBA | "Disaster at Tenerife" | TBA | |
| 4 | TBA | "Deadly Detail" | TBA | |
| 5 | TBA | "Deadly Detour" | TBA | |
| 6 | TBA | "Dangerous Approach" | TBA | |
| 7 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 8 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 9 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 10 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
See also
- Seconds From Disaster
- Seismic Seconds
- Blueprint for Disaster
- Aircrash Confidential
- Zero Hour
- Black Box
References
- ^ a b "Mayday premieres on Discovery, Wednesday, September 3 at 10 p.m." (Press release). Cineflix. 14 August 2003.
- ^ "Mayday: Air Disasters". Amazon R1 S1. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Air Crash Investigations: Season 1-12 Collection (Limited Edition Box Set) (DVD)". EzyDVD.com.au. EzyDVD Pty Ltd. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ "Mayday – Popular Cineflix series returns to Discovery Channel with two new back-to-back episodes, Sunday, January 23, 2005, at 8 pm ET" (Press release). Cineflix. 1 December 2004.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mayday (a Titles & Air Dates guide), epguides, 14 July 2013
- ^ a b "Mayday!". Amazon R1 S34. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "A New Season of Mayday Takes Flight, April 15 on Discovery Channel" (Press release). Discovery Channel Canada. 30 March 2007.
- ^ "Mayday Air Disaster - Complete Series 4 DVD". Zavvi.com. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "Mayday Air Disaster - Complete Series 5 DVD". Zavvi.com2. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "Never Take a Safe Landing For Granted Again – Discovery Channel Presents Season 7 of MAYDAY and DAILY PLANET's "Flying Things Week" in November" (Press release). Discovery Channel Canada. 15 October 2009.
- ^ http://www.sanity.com.au/products/2144867/Air_Crash_Investigation_S7
- ^ a b TV.com. "Air Emergency - Episode Guide". TV.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ "Buckled In and Cabin Baggage Safely Stowed, MAYDAY returns to Discovery Channel for a 9th Season, Sept. 8" (Press release). Discovery Channel Canada. 13 August 2010.
- ^ "Air Crash Investigation TV Listing (UK)". National Geographic Channel. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
- ^ "Air Crash Investigations - Season 11". JB Hi-Fi.
- ^ "Air Crash Investigations - Season 12". JB Hi-Fi.
- ^ "Air Crash Investigations - Season 13 DVD". Shock Records.
- ^ "Air Crash Investigations – Season 14 DVD". Shock Records.
- ^ a b "The Deadliest Plane Crash: NOVA investigates the worst aviation accident of all time. Aired October 17, 2006 on PBS". NOVA. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
Crash of the Century © Galaxie Production / Near-Miss Productions Inc./ Adélaïde Production, 2005. A France-Canada co-production. Produced by Galaxie Production - Cineflix - Adélaïde Productions in association with Canal D, an Astral Media Network; M6; BSkyB
- ^ "Crash of the Century". Cineflix Productions. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Discovery Channel Sends Out a Mayday Call – Season 5 Launches with Air India Tragedy, April 9" (Press release). Discovery Channel Canada. 25 March 2008.
- ^ "Air Crash Investigation TV Listing (Australia)". National Geographic Channel. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- ^ "Cineflix's Mayday Takes Flight with the 100th Episode in a Brand New Season" (Press release). Cineflix. 6 March 2014.
- ^ Povoledo, Elisabetta (10 February 2013). "Conspiracy Buffs Gain in Court Ruling on Crash". The New York Times. Rome, Italy. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ English, Eoin (9 February 2015). "Cork airport crash team did not assist documentary". Irish Examiner.
- ^ "Mayday: Episodes". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services, LLC.
- ^ "Air Crash Investigation". National Geographic Channel. NGC Europe Limited. 2014.
- ^ "Air Crash Investigation: SERIES 11 EPISODES". National Geographic Channel.
External links
- Cineflix: Mayday
- Cineflix: Mayday – Science of Disaster (Archive)
- Cineflix: Crash of the Century
- Mayday on Discovery Channel Canada
- Air Crash Investigation on National Geographic Channel UK
- Air Crash Investigation on National Geographic Channel Australia
- Air Disasters on Smithsonian Channel
- Mayday at IMDb
- Air Emergency at TV.com