Flying is one of the safest forms of transport. But what happens when tragedy strikes? From human error and accidents to mechanical faults and design flaws, the success of aviation history is punctuated with disaster and catastrophe. It's rare, but it does happen. Follow experts as they determine what went wrong and work out how to prevent these horrific tragedies from happening again. Examine the wrecks and official records, and hear from eyewitnesses, passengers and aviation experts as we reconstruct some of the most tragic disasters in aviation history. Air Crash Investigation looks at what went wrong and how future disasters can be averted.
Commercial airliner flight MH17 goes down over a warzone in eastern Ukraine. The evidence indicates the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Amid speculation in the media and against the backdrop of war, investigators are determined to get answers for the families of the 298 victims (passengers and crew), but they face political roadblocks at every turn.
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s17e02Blown Away2018-02-2301:00⌄
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Blown Away
s17e02 ·
2018-02-23 ·
01:00
After circling above the Taiwan Strait to wait out a passing cyclone, TransAsia Flight 222 crashes on the Taiwanese resort island of Penghu. The media claims the storm is to blame, but the evidence soon points investigators in a different direction. Six months into the investigation, the airline is hit with a second accident . That's when investigators uncover a systemic problem with fatal consequences.
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s17e03Nuts and Bolts2018-03-0201:00⌄
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Nuts and Bolts
s17e03 ·
2018-03-02 ·
01:00
Moments after taking off from a California airport, an American cargo plane needs to make an emergency landing. The pilots manage to bring their DC-8 to within sight of the runway, but the crippled plane crashes into an automobile salvage yard one mile east of the airport . To try to understand what went wrong, investigators call on a friend and colleague of the crew. But it will take more digging and hard evidence to understand what doomed the crew of Emery Worldwide Flight 17.
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s17e04Deadly Distraction2018-03-0901:00⌄
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Deadly Distraction
s17e04 ·
2018-03-09 ·
01:00
En route to Salt Lake City, Delta Airlines Flight 1141 crashes just moments after lifting off from Dallas-Fort Worth airport and erupts into flames.
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s17e05Deadly Display2018-03-1600:00⌄
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Deadly Display
s17e05 ·
2018-03-16 ·
00:00
On a high-stakes demonstration flight in Indonesia, a Russianmade Sukhoi Superjet slams into a mountain killing everyone on board. It's one of the most challenging salvage operations Indonesian investigators have ever faced. Once they reach the wreckage, they must figure out how a brand new jet with an expert crew and sophisticated navigation system could crash into an infamous mountain.
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s17e06Deadly Space2018-03-2300:00⌄
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Deadly Space
s17e06 ·
2018-03-23 ·
00:00
In California's Mojave Desert, Virgin Galactic test pilots are at the controls of a revolutionary aircraft designed for sub-orbital flight . But as the spaceship accelerates toward the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere, approaching the speed of sound, it breaks apart and falls from the sky. With the future of commercial space travel hanging in the balance, it's up to investigators to figure out what went wrong.
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s17e07Free Fall2018-06-1600:00⌄
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Free Fall
s17e07 ·
2018-06-16 ·
00:00
On 7 October 2008, Qantas flight 72 traveling from Singapore to Perth suddenly nosedives while over the Indian Ocean. With warnings flooding the cockpit and passengers being flung around, it's up to an experienced fighter pilot to get the plane to safety
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s17e08Deadly Inclination2018-06-2300:00⌄
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Deadly Inclination
s17e08 ·
2018-06-23 ·
00:00
On its final approach to Zurich, Alitalia Flight 404 plows into a forested hillside killing everyone on board. Did a hidden flaw in the navigation system lead two pilots down a deadly path?
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s17e09Deadly Go-Round2018-06-2800:00⌄
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Deadly Go-Round
s17e09 ·
2018-06-28 ·
00:00
Just minutes from touching down, China Airlines Flight 140 falls out of the sky at Japan's Nagoya Airport. By morning, investigators are sifting through the charred debris on the runway, but what they find only deepens the mystery.
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s17e10Dead of Winter2018-07-0500:00⌄
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Dead of Winter
s17e10 ·
2018-07-05 ·
00:00
After being delayed on the Denver tarmac due to heavy snow, Continental Airlines 1713 was eventually cleared for take-off. Barely lifting off the ground, the DC-9 abruptly banked and crashed, killing 28 people and leaving a lasting legacy.
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s17e11Communication Breakdown2018-07-0920:00⌄
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Communication Breakdown
s17e11 ·
2018-07-09 ·
20:00
This special looked at how failures in communication lead to disasters.
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s17e12Bad Attitude2018-07-1620:00⌄
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Bad Attitude
s17e12 ·
2018-07-16 ·
20:00
This special looked at how pilots' aggressive or unprofessional behaviour can cause deadly accidents.
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s17e13Hero Pilots2018-07-2320:00⌄
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Hero Pilots
s17e13 ·
2018-07-23 ·
20:00
This special looked at how pilots safely land their aircraft in emergency situations.
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s17e14Plane vs. Pilot2018-07-3020:00⌄
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Plane vs. Pilot
s17e14 ·
2018-07-30 ·
20:00
This special looked at how automation in the cockpit causes deadly misunderstandings.
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s17e15Explosive Evidence2018-08-0620:00⌄
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Explosive Evidence
s17e15 ·
2018-08-06 ·
20:00
This special looked at terrorist acts, including bombings and shootdowns.
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s17e16Killer in the Cockpit?2018-08-1320:00⌄
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Killer in the Cockpit?
s17e16 ·
2018-08-13 ·
20:00
This special looked at pilots' carefully planned strategies in deliberately crashing aircraft.
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s17e17Missing Pieces2018-08-2020:00⌄
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Missing Pieces
s17e17 ·
2018-08-20 ·
20:00
This special looked at foreign items, including ice, a chemical oxygen generator, and a bomb as the cause.
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s17e18Controversial Crashes2018-08-2720:00⌄
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Controversial Crashes
s17e18 ·
2018-08-27 ·
20:00
This special looked at disasters where multiple investigations don't agree on the cause of these accidents.
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s17e19Deadly Distractions2018-09-0320:00⌄
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Deadly Distractions
s17e19 ·
2018-09-03 ·
20:00
This special looked at how pilots' deviation from cockpit duties lead to crashes.
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s17e20Fire on Board2018-09-1020:00⌄
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Fire on Board
s17e20 ·
2018-09-10 ·
20:00
This special looked at disasters caused by fires, either on the ground or in the air.
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