Air Disasters - Season 13

First aired: 9/8/2019 10 episodes

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Episodes

1. Deadly Descent

Aired: 9/8/2019

See what happens when an airbus A330 loses power to both its engines over the South China Sea.

2. Death Race

Aired: 9/15/2019

When a modified WWII fighter plane crashes into the crowd at a Nevada air show, investigators struggle to find the cause.

3. Fatal Approach

Aired: 9/22/2019

A false warning in the cockpit triggers a series of pilot errors, sending a commuter plane crashing by the runway of an Amsterdam airport.

4. Borderline Tactics

Aired: 9/29/2019

When a DC-8 cargo jet crashes on approach to a U.S. naval base in Guantanamo, investigators wonder if Cuba played a role.

5. Deadly Pitch

Aired: 10/6/2019

Discover why a cargo plane, operating as Fine Fir Flight 101, lost control after takeoff and plowed through a Miami highway in August 1997.

6. Fatal Climb

Aired: 10/13/2019

A commercial airliner crashes minutes after taking off from an airport in Bucharest causing suspicions to rise.

7. Runway Runoff

Aired: 10/20/2019

A Boeing 737, seconds before liftoff from Denver to Houston, races off the runway, hits a steep ridge, and briefly goes airborne before slamming to Earth and bursting into flames. Revisit the 2008 crash of Continental Airlines Flight 1404 and follow investigators as they look into a mechanical problem previously found on other Boeing 737s, only to find the true culprit in the Rocky Mountains.

8. Lethal Limits

Aired: 10/27/2019

Two Russian pilots with limited experience flying Boeing 737s attempt to land one in the middle of the night with both of the aircraft's engines operating at different power levels. The pairing of a new captain with an unproven first officer was enough to put passengers at risk, but there was one more factor at play that sealed the fate of Aeroflot Nord Flight 821. Witness the fatal crash that occurred minutes before landing, and follow the investigation that led to a call to completely overhaul Russia's aviation system.

9. Soccer Tragedy

Aired: 11/3/2019

LaMia Flight 2933, carrying Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team, is approaching Medellin, Colombia to play for the prestigious Copa Sudamericana championship when its crew suddenly declares a fuel emergency. Before air traffic control can clear a path, the plane loses power and crashes to the ground, killing all but seven passengers. Investigators discover no leaks and are mystified over how the experienced pilots could fly a plane with an insufficient amount of fuel. As they pore over the evidence, they ultimately uncover a deadly gamble.

10. Slam Dunk

Aired: 11/10/2019

At the end of a quick trip from Washington, D.C. to Columbus, Ohio, the captain of United Express Flight 6291 grows concerned over reports of icy rain ahead. He opts for a risky "slam dunk" landing, a maneuver where a plane descends rapidly to the runway to avoid bad weather, but something goes wrong. The plane crashes into a warehouse just a mile from the airport. The badly burned wreckage leaves little for investigators to work with, but when they examine the cockpit recording they make a stunning discovery.