Air Disasters

A plane carrying Mexico's interior minister crashes into Mexico City's financial district.

Near the end of its flight, Continental Express Flight 2574 suffers wing damage and goes into a dive falling out of the sky.

Three flights end in tragedy after miscommunication mix-ups and personality clases; Investigators try to unravel what went wrong.

A look at three deadly air disasters that are caused by misunderstandings between pilots and air traffic controllers.

Seeing how international investigative teams must overcome differences to solve controversial plane crashes.

Confused, flying blind and lost in the dark, three crews lose sight of the horizon and fall into the same deadly trap.

Investigating the 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407; the plane stalls at low altitude and dives into a residential area near Buffalo, N.Y.

Almost immediately after taking off from Madrid International Airport, Spanair Flight 5022 banked to the right, slammed into a creek and burst into flames.

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

History's most terrifying air disasters, and the investigations that followed, are revisited and reexamined.

When a British tycoon and his family die in a 2017 Australian seaplane crash, investigators spend over two years searching for the reason behind the tragedy.

A complex recovery operation is launched to find out if a 747 which disappeared into the Indian Ocean was carrying illegal weapons.

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

Moments after takeoff, a plane sustains electrical failures and crashes in the Florida Everglades, killing 110 people on board.

A look at the fatal consequences that can occur when a fire breaks out on a plane; three flights that erupted in flames and the investigations that changed aviation forever.

History's most terrifying air disasters, and the investigations that followed, are revisited and reexamined.

A look at the fate of United Airlines Flight 232 which crashed into Sioux City's runway in 1989; it caused a subsequent explosion that left 111 people dead.

Martinair 495 crashes on a rain-soaked runway in Portugal, showing how weather can doom a landing; American 1572 hits a storm and loses both engines amid a tower shutdown; crosswinds challenge an Air France crew already halfway down the runway.

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A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 103, causing the aircraft to disintegrate in mid-air and the wreckage of the aircraft to crash into the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing all 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground.

Investigators struggle to determine why a 757 strayed off course during its final approach to a Colombia airport and crashed into a mountain.

Landing at one of the world's most challenging airports, a passenger plane comes in like a fighter jet and crashes, killing 51 of the 71 people aboard.

An examination of three crashes that occurred when pilots battled against their sophisticated aircraft.

When an American cargo plane crashes moments after takeoff, investigators uncover a systemic problem with aircraft maintenance.

A private jet attempting to compensate for a late approach to the airport, slams into an Ohio apartment building just a couple of miles from the runway.

A twin-engine jet slams into an Ohio apartment building in a tragic perfect storm, raising questions about speed, power, and fatigue; a turboprop crash exposes an industry-wide issue; at Guantanamo Bay, a cargo plane goes down near the Cuban border.

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

Joining NTSB and military experts as they work together to uncover how a fighter jet could collide with a civilian flight.

When the crash of a commuter plane in Georgia kills a NASA astronaut, a four-term U.S. senator and 21 others, the disaster grabs headlines around the world.

A Boeing 767 crashes miles from a South Korean runway; the investigation leads to contradicting stories between the surviving pilot and air traffic control.

Pilots are prepared to cope with a range of emergency scenarios, but failures in training can lead to catastrophe in the cockpit.

On July 11, 1991, the crew of Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 unsuccessfully tries to return to the airport after a burst tire creates an in-flight fire which causes 247 Nigerian pilgrims and 14 crew to perish.

Investigators face a mystery when Varig Flight 254 disappears without a trace over the jungles of Brazil.

On Jan. 3, 2004, Flash Airlines Flight 604 banks to the right just after takeoff and crashes into the Red Sea, killing all 148 people on board.

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

From pilot error to meltdowns within air traffic control, investigators dig deep into three midair collisions that seem to defy logic.

When a cargo plane crashes at a U.S. airfield in Afghanistan, investigators reach a conclusion that ultimately proves incorrect.

A surface-to-air missile cripples a cargo plane after it takes off from Baghdad International Airport.

Partnair Flight 394 loses control, breaks up in mid-air and crashes into the North Sea; the aircraft's vertical stabilizer vibrates loose during flight due to excessive wear on substandard bolts, sleeves and pins that have been illegally sold.

A 1994 terrorist bombing aboard Philippine Airlines Flight 434 forces its pilots into a daring emergency landing.

TAM flight 402 slammed into a residential neighborhood and burst into flames, just seconds after lifting off from Congonhas airport in São Paulo, Brazil, killing all 95 people on board and three people on the ground.

On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment at Chiang Kai Shek airport in Taipei while attempting to take off on the wrong runway in a typhoon, killing 83 of the 179 people on board.

British Midland Flight 92 slams into Britain's busy M1 motorway and it seems like a rare case of dual engine failure, but investigators learn the real cause was a tragic misunderstanding.

The cockpit window of an Airbus A319 explodes; pilots miraculously land the out-of-control plane; investigators must determine how the freshly serviced aircraft was released with a fatal flaw.

Bad weather and a series of errors lead to the 2001 crash of a plane on its approach to Zurich Airport.

Two identical plane crashes involving the same icy conditions and the same plane design are examined, revealing why neither disaster should have happened.

A passenger ferry sinks after crashing into rocks off the coast of a Greek island, killing 82; it leads to a shocking investigation.

Experts investigate an unfortunate string of events that caused the freshly serviced Air Astana Flight 1388 to become completely uncontrollable.

Chalk's Ocean Airways flight 101 crashes just after take-off from Watson Island in Miami on December 19, 2005, killing 20 people.

When a commercial airliner goes down in eastern Ukraine in 2014, examiners must conduct an investigation in the middle of a war zone.

When a Bulgarian airliner is taken over by violent hijackers, the crew and authorities on the ground devise a daring plan to save the airliner.

A shocking error in the cockpit causes the crash of a 737 on takeoff and leaves an entire nation reeling.

Investigators try to figure out why a private Learjet carrying Payne Stewart went rogue before crashing in a South Dakota hayfield.

Mid-air tragedies are particularly horrifying when they occur over a community, and rain terror on the people below.

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.

When an aircraft loses total engine power, a pilot's training can make all the difference in the world, but it's still up to investigators to determine what went wrong.

A runway collision at a small airport turns tragic when passengers cannot escape the burning aircraft.

A propeller breaks off and rips a hole in the fuselage of an aircraft en route from Alaska to Washington 19,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean.

Three flight crews face impossible odds: a Boeing 707 loses engines over the Alps as fire spreads, Air Astana 1388 goes out of control over Portugal, and a bomb on PA 434 severs control cables and blasts a hole in the fuselage.

A design flaw sends American Eagle Flight 41-84 smashing into a cornfield outside of Chicago, killing all 68 people on board.

The consequences are disastrous when ice forms on an airplane's wings; three planes are brought down by ice and it's up to investigators to determine how modern aircraft could possibly end up with frozen wings.

Indonesian investigators must determine why a Boeing 737 Max 8 -- one of the world's best-selling new airplanes -- plunged into the Java Sea.

Three devastating crashes make front-page news around the globe; the media frenzy puts intense pressure on investigators to uncover the causes.

Experts investigate the West Air Sweden Flight 294 crash and how the cargo jet nosedived into the Swedish Arctic at speeds nearing 600 mph.

When critical instruments in the cockpit can't be trusted, the consequences can be fatal.

A look at the commercial flights that ended in disaster because of suspected murder-suicide.

When basketball legend Kobe Bryant is killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, investigators examine the data, the wreckage, and the pilot's actions for clues.

A trio of crashes reveals that when the nuts and bolts of maintenance go unchecked, it can spell catastrophe.

Within five minutes of takeoff, the Dominican Republic bound Birgenair Flight 301 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean; a series of confusing signals crashes the plane.

When a commuter turboprop plane crashes at an Irish airport, investigators uncover a startling gap in aviation safety.

Investigators must figure out why the safety systems of a turboprop plane failed to prevent a crash into an Indonesian mountain.

Faced with the extreme conditions of the far North, three flights fall out of the sky leaving investigators to uncover the cause.

Pilots aboard a hijacked plane are forced to attempt an emergency landing at sea.

Fifteen minutes after taking off from Puerto Vallarta for San Francisco, the pilots of an MD-83 realize something is very wrong with their plane.

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

When an Illinois turboprop crashes after losing battery power, investigators uncover a series of errors made by the pilots.

Alaska Airlines 261 nosedives into the Pacific leaving investigators stumped; a rare storm and a deadly design flaw intersect cause American Eagle 4184 to fall from the sky; investigators suspect a fatal flaw in the Boeing 737.

The crews of three doomed aircraft make catastrophic blunders.

On 12 November 2001, just two months after the September 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 587 spirals out of control shortly after taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport and crashes into Queens.

An MD-82 crash lands in Arkansas during a severe thunderstorm; but investigators believe weather is not the main reason for the accident.

History's most terrifying air disasters, and the investigations that followed, are revisited and reexamined.

Pilots of Southern Airways Flight 242 must try to land on a Georgia highway after the engines die and the windshield shatters.

Three last-resort water landings, all handled differently yet each one crucial to improving the outcomes of ditching on open water.

On its final approach to Charlotte, N.C., US Air Flight 1016 is engulfed in intense rain obstructing the view from the cockpit; the pilots abort the landing, but the aircraft crashes to earth, hurtling along a road and breaking apart.

From the wreckage of three airplane crashes, survivors emerge to tell harrowing tales and provide critical data about what to do in an emergency.

Three flights ending in tragedy, prove that minor missteps during takeoff can have disastrous consequences.

A Korean Airlines passenger plane is shot down by a Soviet fighter jet in 1983; political tensions nearly escalate into war.

On 9 August 2007, Air Moorea Flight 1121 crashes shortly after taking off from Moorea Airport in French Polynesia, killing all 19 passengers and the pilot.

When a plane carrying Russian tourists crashes in Egypt, investigators face political tensions and terrorist claims in their search for the truth.

When John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Piper Saratoga crashed in 1999, the NTSB faces big pressure to find the wreckage and the cause.

An Air Inter flight crashes into the Vosges Mountains while attempting to land killing most of the 96 passengers.

SAS Flight 686 takes off from Milan's Linate Airport and moments later collides with a Cessna on the runway.

A look at accidents and incidents where problems with the interface between crew members and onboard avionics are a factor, and the causes of those problems.

TANS Perú Flight 204 crashes into a muddy swamp while attempting to land at Pucallpa Airport, Peru, in a thunderstorm, killing 40 of the 98 people on board.

Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 stalls and crashes into the Java Sea while flying through a thunderstorm.

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

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

A plane crash lands in Guam after losing sight of the airport in a storm.

After losing two engines near enemy territory, U.S. Air Force pilots abort their refueling mission and try to land their damaged plane.

Following three horrifying crashes, investigators uncover fatal flaws in the very operations designed to prevent aircraft from flying into mountains.

A modern turboprop nosedives towards the North Sea after being struck by lightning, an unusual feature in the plane may explain why.

On December 21, 1992, Martinair Flight 495 crashes off the right side of the runway while attempting to land at Faro Airport in Faro, Portugal, in severe weather conditions, killing 56 of the 340 people on board.

SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River in Indonesia after abruptly diving from its cruise altitude.

Saudi Airways and Kazakhstan Airlines jets hit each other at 14,000 feet sending both planes spiraling to the ground.

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

The 2013 crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco shocks the nation.

The FBI and NTSB join forces to determine how terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and flew it into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

The U.S. Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Mo., and the importance of accurate weather forecasting to the aviation industry.

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

An Italian passenger plane is blown out of the sky.