Mayday

About the show

Statistically, traveling by airplane is safer than driving and other forms of transportation, but when something goes wrong during a flight, it can be catastrophic with potentially hundreds of lives at stake. This series examines some of 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. 

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Upcoming episodes

Sep 26th
200a

Who’s In Control

February 25th, 2009 — Arriving from Istanbul, Turkish Airlines Flight #1951 is on its final approach to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. The crew is following instructions from the control tower that will line up their Boeing 737 with the runway. In the final seconds of the flight, however, the plane suddenly falls from the sky and crashes into a muddy field just north of the airport. Of the 135 people on board, nine die at the scene, and investigators begin pouring through the wreckage to determine what brought down one of the world’s most popular passenger jets. Can they figure out what went wrong in time to prevent another similar catastrophe?
Sep 26th
300a

Fight for Control

"En route from Cold Bay, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, Reeve Aleutian Airlines Flight #8 is19,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean when the propeller from one of its four turboprop enginesflies off and tears a hole in the fuselage. Rocked by explosive decompression, the pilots fightto control the plane as the cabin and cockpit fill with heavy fog. With the engines stuck in fullthrottle and with their control column jammed in place, they have no way to steer theaircraft. Unable to descend to a safer altitude and with their emergency oxygen running out,they are flying straight out to sea in a plane on the verge of tearing itself apart."
Sep 27th
200a

Fire in the Hold

"Headed for Atlanta in an aging DC-9, the crew of ValuJet Flight #592 hears a mysterioussound shortly after taking off from Miami. Almost immediately, they are hit with a barrage ofmechanical failures. At first, they notice an electrical problem. The plane’s batteries aredraining fast. But within minutes, the situation gets much worse. The pilots hear screams of‘fire’ coming from the cabin. With flames burning through the cabin floor and smoke filling theaircraft, the crew attempts a return to the airport. For passengers, there’s no escaping theonboard inferno. Plummeting to the ground at over 500 miles per hour, the plane crashesinto the Florida Everglades killing all 110 people on board."
Sep 27th
300a

Typhoon Takeoff

"As Taiwan braces for an intense tropical storm, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 prepares to takeoff from Taipei’s Chang Kai-shek Airport. Bound for Los Angeles, the plane needs to getairborne before the typhoon hits. But as the 747 hurtles down the runway, the pilotssuddenly lose control of the aircraft. It spins around violently, crashes and breaks apart.Survivors desperately flee the burning wreckage and of the 179 people on board, 83 peopledie. With much of the wreckage found on the adjacent runway, investigators wonder if fiercewinds blew the aircraft off course. But when they find tire marks on a runway underconstruction, they reach a much darker conclusion."
Sep 28th
200a

Pushed to the Limit

"En route from Jakarta, Indonesia, to the airline’s home base in Singapore, SilkAir Flight 185is 35,000 feet above the jungles of Sumatra when the plane banks sharply to the right, takesa nosedive, and crashes into a remote jungle river. All 104 people on board die in the disasterand then it’s up to investigators to figure out what happened. At first, they suspectmechanical failure. But when the full story behind the crash is finally revealed, it proves moredisturbing than anyone could have imagined."
Sep 28th
300a

Blind Landing

"Investigators face a major challenge when looters make off with the Flight Data Recorderfrom the crash of TANS Peru Flight 204. Wreckage allows investigators to rule out enginefailure. But with no FDR, it will take all their ingenuity to reconstruct the final moments ofthe flight and figure out why the 737 crashed into the jungle, just 4 kilometers short of therunway."
Sep 29th
200a

Grand Canyon Disaster

"In 1956, a mid-air collision sends two planes crashing into the Grand Canyon killing all 128passengers and crew on board. Armed only with the rudimentary tools of the time,investigators from the Federal Civil Aviation Board must determine what caused the crash.Their conclusions will uncover a frightening problem that threatens the safety of the entireaviation system."
Sep 29th
300a

Falling to Pieces

"May 25, 1979 — Seconds after American Airlines Flight 191 lifts off from Chicago, the leftengine suddenly falls off the plane. The crew loses control of the aircraft and it and crashesmoments later. 273 people are killed, making this the deadliest aviation accident in UShistory. The FAA grounds DC-10s across the country while investigators try to figure out whyone of the most popular planes in the sky broke apart."
Sep 30th
200a

Focused on Failure

"December 28th, 1978 —United Airlines Flight 173 is troubleshooting a minor landing gear problem when the planesuddenly loses all four engines. Unable to make it to the airport, the DC-8 crash lands in awooded suburb of Portland, Oregon. Ten of the 189 people on board die in the disaster andit’s up to investigators to figure out how a small mechanical problem somehow brought downa plane."
Sep 30th
300a

Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster

"Yak Service Airlines Flight 9633Yakovlev Yak-42DOne of Russia’s most popular hockey teams is on its way to Minsk, Belarus, for their firstgame of the 2011 season. Their Soviet built Yak-42D starts down the main runway atYaroslavl’s Tunoshna Airport. But instead of lifting off, the plane runs off the end of thetarmac, strikes a tower and crashes into the Volga River. Only the plane’s mechanic survivesthe disaster. Around the globe, fans mourn the biggest tragedy in the history of the sport.Russian President Medvedev demands answers, and investigators are under tremendouspressure to find out what went wrong."