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Air Disasters

Catastrophic incidents in aviation history are meticulously re-enacted, providing insight into what went wrong and if the crashes could have been prevented.
201212 episodesTV-14
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Episodes

  1. S2 E1 - Cracks in the System
    June 16, 2023
    46min
    TV-14
    The crash of a sea plane off the shores of Miami Beach leads to an intense and troubling investigation by the NTSB and the FBI.
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  2. S2 E2 - Target is Destroyed
    June 23, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    A Korean Airlines passenger plane is shot down by a Soviet fighter jet in 1983; political tensions nearly escalate into war.
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  3. S2 E3 - Cruel Skies
    June 30, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    Aviation disasters caused by storms are detailed along with the efforts of the FAA to ensure the safety of passengers and crew during inclement weather.
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  4. S2 E4 - Panic on the Runway
    July 7, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    When a survivable emergency on a grounded plane turns deadly, investigators examine what caused the disaster.
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  5. S2 E5 - Alarming Silence
    July 14, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    A fatal preflight error caused the second-deadliest plane crash in US history.
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  6. S2 E6 - Cold Case
    July 21, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    Two identical plane crashes involving the same icy conditions and the same plane design are examined, revealing why neither disaster should have happened.
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  7. S2 E7 - Pilot vs. Plane
    July 28, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    The 1988 crash of an Airbus A320 at an airshow sets off a public battle between investigators and the plane's pilot.
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  8. S2 E8 - System Breakdown
    August 4, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    Plane crashes caused by communication breakdowns expose the changes that need to be made to our overburdened air traffic control system.
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  9. S2 E9 - The Final Blow
    August 11, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    A 1992 crash in France's Vosges Mountains is examined, detailing the difficulties in finding the downed plane and then finding reasons for the accident.
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  10. S2 E10 - Cleared for Disaster
    August 18, 2012
    46min
    TV-14
    Two planes collide on the LAX runway when they're mistakenly assigned the same runway at the same time.
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  11. S2 E11 - The Plane That Flew Too High
    August 25, 2012
    45min
    TV-14
    When a packed passenger jet, known for its safety, suddenly plummets to Earth from over 30,000 feet, a small Venezuelan investigative team searches for answers.
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  12. S2 E12 - Deadly Reputation
    September 1, 2012
    45min
    TV-14
    The worst aviation accident in South American history on the most notorious runway in the world.
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Smithsonian Channel
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