Mayday Episode Rating Graph
Sep 2003 - present
Sep 2003 - present
8.3
Browse episode ratings trends for Mayday. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of Mayday's 219 episodes.
S12 Ep13
8.1
15th Apr 2013
On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447, a scheduled flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, stalls and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying through a thunderstorm, killing all 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The causes of the crash were incorrect airspeed readings due to ice blockage of the aircraft's pitot tubes, inappropriate control inputs and the pilots not taking recovery action until it was too late.
S4 Ep2
8.0
22nd Apr 2007
On 24 June 1982, British Airways Flight 9 experiences St. Elmo's fire en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Perth, Australia. A few minutes later, all four engines flame out. After descending, the crew successfully restarts the engines and lands safely. The St. Elmo's fire and engine flame-outs were caused by volcanic ash spewed by Galunggung in Indonesia during a major eruption.
S11 Ep11
8.0
17th Feb 2012
On 24 May 1988, TACA Airlines Flight 110, a near-new Boeing 737, flies through a thunderstorm and suffers a dual engine flameout. The captain, Carlos Dardano, manages to make a successful deadstick landing on a narrow grass levee in the Michoud area of eastern New Orleans.
S12 Ep7
8.0
27th Jan 2013
On 10 April 2010, a Polish Air Force VIP aircraft carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński, his wife Maria Kaczyńska and other top officials, crashes short of the runway in a wooded area while on final approach to Smolensk North Airport in heavy fog and low visibility. All 96 passengers and crew members on board are killed.
S13 Ep10
8.0
17th Feb 2014
On 4 November 2010, Qantas Flight 32, en route to Sydney Airport in Australia, suffers an uncontained engine failure in its number two engine and serious damage to its left wing shortly after takeoff from Singapore. The crew members overcome a number of resulting failures and make a safe emergency landing back at Singapore with no injuries among the 469 passengers and crew members. Investigators found that a manufacturing fault in an oil pipe caused the engine failure.
S11 Ep6
8.0
29th Dec 2011
On 9 October 2002, Northwest Airlines Flight 85 is cruising above the Bering Sea, when the lower rudder segment suddenly deflects to the left. The pilots divert the aircraft to a successful emergency landing at Anchorage, Alaska, by using engine thrust for control. The incident was attributed to a fatigue failure of the rudder hydraulic control module, resulting in part of the module's metal casing breaking off.
S23 Ep6
8.0
13th Mar 2023
When the cockpit window of Sichuan Airlines 8633 explodes, the crew somehow battles gale-force winds and oxygen deprivation to safely land the plane.
S22 Ep1
8.0
10th Jan 2022
When Alaska Airlines Flight 261 suddenly nosedives into the Pacific, investigators uncover a critical maintenance issue with deadly implications.
S11 Ep1
7.9
12th Aug 2011
On 17 July 2007, TAM Airlines Flight 3054 careens off runway 35L at Brazil's Congonhas Airport, crashes at high speed into a warehouse adjacent to a filling station and explodes. A total of 199 people on board the aircraft and on the ground are killed. Incorrect engine throttle settings upon landing caused one engine to reverse thrust while the other increased power, resulting in the loss of control.
S16 Ep3
7.9
21st Jun 2016
On 27 March 1977, the deadliest-ever aviation accident occurs at Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife-North Airport) in the Canary Islands. KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 collide on the runway in thick fog during the KLM aircraft's attempt to take off, killing 583 people.
S2 Ep1
7.9
23rd Jan 2005
On June 10, 1990, the cockpit window blows out on British Airways Flight 5390, partially ejecting and injuring the captain through the hole. A member of the cabin crew clings to his legs as the co-pilot completes an emergency landing without any fatality. The captain is found to be still alive after being outside the cockpit for 21 minutes.
S13 Ep4
7.9
6th Jan 2014
On 12 November 2001, just two months after the September 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 587 spirals out of control after taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport. Shortly after, the aircraft crashes into the suburb of Queens, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground. The vertical stabilizer had detached from the aircraft because of improper rudder use by the first officer, after encountering wake turbulence from a Boeing 747-400 that had taken off minutes earlier.
S11 Ep13
7.9
13th Apr 2012
On 19 July 1989, the tail-mounted number two engine of United Airlines Flight 232 explodes, causing serious damage to the aircraft's hydraulic systems and leaving the flight controls unusable. By varying engine thrust, the pilots manage to crash-land the aircraft at the Sioux Gateway Airport in Iowa, saving the lives of 185 of the 296 people on board. The investigation traced the engine failure to a fatigue crack in the front fan disk which had developed from a defect introduced before the disk was even made, when the original titanium ingot used to make it was formed.
S21 Ep4
7.9
25th Apr 2021
On 29 October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 enters a nosedive and crashes into the Java Sea shortly after taking off from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, on a flight to Pangkal Pinang.
S11 Ep5
7.9
29th Dec 2011
On 6 February 1958, British European Airways Flight 609, carrying members of the famed Manchester United association football team, club officials and journalists, crashes into a house about 300 meters from the end of the runway in Munich after it fails to become airborne, killing 23 of the 44 people on board. The cause of the crash was slush on the runway, which slowed the aircraft down and prevented it from reaching takeoff speed.
S12 Ep1
7.9
3rd Aug 2012
On 8 June 1983, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8's propeller separates from the aircraft over Cold Bay, Alaska, causing an explosive decompression and loss of control. The pilots manage to land the aircraft safely at Anchorage, Alaska. The propeller fell into the sea, and the cause of the separation is undetermined.
S12 Ep12
7.9
1st Apr 2013
On 21 February 2008, Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518, en route from Mérida, Venezuela, to Caracas, veers off course and flies into the side of a mountain shortly after takeoff. All 46 passengers and crew members on board die. Investigators determined that the aircraft took off with inoperative navigation equipment due to the pilots' failure to do their pre-flight checklist.
S22 Ep2
7.9
17th Jan 2022
After a Boeing 727's near-fatal nosedive over Michigan, investigators risk their own lives to determine why TWA Flight 841 fell out of the sky.
S18 Ep1
7.9
13th Feb 2018
On 16 February 2000, Emery Worldwide Flight 17 crashes into an automobile salvage yard shortly after taking off from Sacramento Mather Airport on a flight to Dayton, Ohio, killing all 3 crew members on board.
S16 Ep10
7.9
13th Feb 2017
On 29 April 2013, just seconds after taking off from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, National Airlines Flight 102 stalls and crashes into the ground, killing all seven crew members on board.
S3 Ep11
7.8
23rd Nov 2005
On 26 September 2000, waves push the MS Express Samina off course, causing it to hit a group of rocks off Paros and sink, killing 80 people. The ferry was on autopilot, with the crew not monitoring the ship's course. They were instead watching an association football match. Note: This is a Crash Scene Investigation episode.
S24 Ep2
7.8
24th Mar 2024
On 17 October 2019, PenAir Flight 3296 overruns the runway on landing at Unalaska Airport in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska, killing one passenger. The accident was caused by incorrect wiring of the wheel speed transducer harnesses on the left main landing gear.
S12 Ep10
7.8
11th Mar 2013
On 28 December 1978, the crew of United Airlines Flight 173 is preoccupied with a landing gear problem as the aircraft circles in a holding pattern in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon. It runs out of fuel and crashes in a sparsely populated area, killing 10 and seriously injuring 24 of the 189 on board. According to the NTSB, the pilot failed to acknowledge the warnings of the remaining crew regarding the aircraft's fuel state, while the remaining crew failed to adequately communicate the situation. The NTSB recommendation from this event led to the industry-wide implementation of Crew resource management (CRM) protocols.
S24 Ep9
7.8
26th Feb 2024
With rising young football star Emiliano Sala on board, a chartered Piper Malibu suddenly disappears from radar over the English Channel.
S16 Ep8
7.8
30th Jan 2017
On 16 January 2002, on final approach to Yogyakarta at the end of a routine domestic flight from Ampenan, Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 suffers a double engine flameout while flying through a severe thunderstorm and ditches in the Bengawan Solo River. 59 of the 60 people on board survive.
S24 Ep1
7.8
18th Feb 2024
A massive explosion tears a hole in a 747 over Hawaii, and the trail of clues ultimately leads investigators to a catastrophic short circuit.
S22 Ep3
7.8
24th Jan 2022
When a two-billion-dollar B-2 Stealth Bomber named the Spirit of Kansas crashes in Guam, it’s up to the US Air Force to investigate the most expensive aviation accident of all time.
S12 Ep4
7.8
24th Aug 2012
On 19 December 1997, SilkAir Flight 185, en route to Singapore, crashes into the Musi River in Indonesia after abruptly diving from its cruise altitude, killing all 104 passengers and crew members on board. The cause of the crash was disputed: a US investigation concluded that it was an act of murder–suicide by the captain; however, the Indonesian investigators were undetermined, and the Los Angeles Court concluded that it was a servo valve failure.
S16 Ep1
7.8
7th Jun 2016
On 25 October 1999, a chartered Learjet 35 operated by Sunjet Aviation, carrying golfer Payne Stewart and his agents, runs out of fuel and crashes into a field in South Dakota after flying off course, killing all 6 occupants on board.
S11 Ep7
7.8
20th Jan 2012
On 22 December 1999, Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, en route from London Stansted Airport to Milan, Italy, crashes into a field about 55 seconds after taking off, killing all four crew members on board. The causes of the crash were the captain following the indications of a malfunctioning attitude indicator and lack of communication amongst the crew members.
S16 Ep4
7.8
28th Jun 2016
On 20 August 2007, China Airlines Flight 120 catches fire and explodes shortly after landing and taxiing to the gate area at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan. All of the 165 passengers and crew members survive.
S21 Ep9
7.8
30th May 2021
On 18 June 1998, Propair Flight 420 crashes while attempting to conduct an emergency landing at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport after an in-flight fire causes its left wing to fail, killing all 11 people on board.
S10 Ep5
7.8
21st Mar 2011
On 12 February 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 stalls at low altitude and dives into a residential area near Buffalo, New York. All on board and one person on the ground are killed. Several critical errors made by the flight crew might have been the result of their fatigue.
S3 Ep13
7.8
7th Dec 2005
On 23 November 1996, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 is forced to ditch after running out of fuel. The aircraft breaks up as the wings hit the water, killing 125 people. The aircraft had been hijacked and ran out of fuel because the hijackers did not believe the pilot's insistence that there was not enough fuel aboard to make it to the hijackers' planned destination: Australia.
S12 Ep5
7.8
31st Aug 2012
On 23 August 2005, TANS Perú Flight 204 attempts to make a landing at Pucallpa Airport, Peru, in a severe thunderstorm, but crashes into a muddy swamp four miles (6.4 km) away. The cause was the pilots not following visual flight rules that could have prevented the crash while the aircraft was being pushed by a downdraft.
S21 Ep5
7.8
2nd May 2021
On 17 April 2018, Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 makes an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport after its left engine explodes. A passenger dies after being partially ejected from the aircraft.
S4 Ep5
7.8
13th May 2007
On 3 March 1991, a Boeing 737 operating as United Airlines Flight 585 is on approach to land, when it suddenly rolls into a dive and crashes within eight seconds, killing all 25 people on board. On 8 September 1994, USAir Flight 427 is another Boeing 737 on approach to land, when it rolls and crashes within thirty seconds, killing all 132 people on board. On 9 June 1996, Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 is another Boeing 737 that unexpectedly rolls in similar circumstances, but the crew successfully regains control of the aircraft and lands safely. The cause of all three incidents was the rudder experiencing a "hardover" (suddenly going to full deflection) and jamming due to thermal shock of the hydraulic control valve.
S15 Ep8
7.8
22nd Feb 2016
On 10 October 2006, Atlantic Airways Flight 670 lands at Stord Airport, but the aircraft overruns the runway and crashes after careening off a steep embankment. Four of the sixteen people on board are killed. The causes of the crash were a malfunction of the aircraft's spoilers and hydroplaning.
S3 Ep9
7.8
9th Nov 2005
On 23 March 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593 is en route to Hong Kong, when it stalls and crashes, killing all 75 people on board. The pilot's 15-year-old son accidentally disabled the autopilot while in the captain's seat, causing the aircraft to bank heavily to the right, inducing the stall.
S11 Ep4
7.8
29th Dec 2011
On 11 September 1991, Continental Express Flight 2574 is nearing the end of its intra-state flight from Laredo, Texas, to Houston. As the pilots are preparing to land, the aircraft tips into a dive and falls out of the sky as the left wing tears apart. All 14 people on board die. Improper maintenance caused a section of the horizontal stabilizer to break loose during flight, after which the pilots had no control.
S2 Ep6
7.8
27th Feb 2005
On 25 January 1990, Avianca Flight 52, a flight to New York City from Colombia, is delayed numerous times by bad weather en route and is dangerously low on fuel as it attempts a landing. Wind shear forces the crew to abort the approach just one mile from the runway. They initiate a go-around, but are directed back into a holding pattern by air traffic controllers who are unaware of the low fuel situation. The Boeing 707 then runs out of fuel, causing it to crash on Long Island near New York.
S10 Ep6
7.8
3rd Dec 2011
On 27 December 1991, Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 crash-lands without loss of life in Gottröra moments after taking off due to both engines failing. Clear ice from the tops of the wings had been sucked into both engines, causing internal damage. An automatic system (of which the pilots were unaware) to increase the engines' thrust contributed to their failure.
S12 Ep6
7.8
24th Jan 2013
On 30 June 1956, United Airlines Flight 718 collides with Trans World Airlines Flight 2 over the Grand Canyon in Arizona. All 128 occupants on both flights are killed. At the time, it was the deadliest airline crash in history, and would lead to sweeping changes in the regulation of flight operations over the US.
S18 Ep7
7.8
13th Jun 2018
On 7 October 2008, Qantas Flight 72 suffers a pair of sudden uncommanded pitch-down manoeuvres during a flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Perth Airport. 119 of the 315 people on board are injured. The aircraft makes an emergency landing at Learmonth Airport near Exmouth, Western Australia.
S22 Ep4
7.8
31st Jan 2022
Rocked by an explosion that rips both right wing engines off the wing, the pilots of Transair 671 manage a miraculous landing at a French military airfield.
S17 Ep4
7.8
13th Mar 2017
Just minutes after taking off from New York's JFK Airport, TWA Flight 800 is ripped apart by a massive explosion. With a possible terror attack on their hands, the FBI joins investigators from the NTSB in an urgent search for answers. Both agencies are hoping for quick results, but the investigation into TWA Flight 800 will eventually pit them against one another, and will turn into one of the longest, most costly and challenging ever conducted.
S24 Ep10
7.8
11th Feb 2024
When Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashes shortly after takeoff, the catastrophe leads to the grounding of the entire Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet.
S19 Ep1
7.7
2nd Jan 2019
En route to Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Flight 780 is high over the South China Sea when both of the plane's engines fail, turning the Airbus A-330 into a 200-ton glider; the captain takes over manual control and manages to power up one engine.
S10 Ep2
7.7
7th Mar 2011
On 17 January 2008, British Airways Flight 38 is on its final approach to land, when the autothrottles command increased thrust from the engines. The engines do not respond to the control inputs and remain at idle. The captain raises one notch of flaps to give the aircraft a few more feet of flying distance; it crash-lands just short of the runway without causing any fatalities. The fuel flow to both engines was restricted because of ice crystals causing a blockage in the fuel-oil heat exchangers.
S21 Ep8
7.7
23rd May 2021
On 9 June 1995, Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 suffers a landing gear malfunction during final approach to Palmerston North Airport in New Zealand. The aircraft descends until it crashes into hilly terrain as the pilots try to resolve the problem. 4 of the 21 people on board are killed.
S22 Ep6
7.7
14th Feb 2022
Martinair Flight 495 crashes in Portugal amid thunderstorms and heavy rain, and when investigators piece together the evidence the mystery only deepens.
S5 Ep9
7.7
4th Jun 2008
On 6 February 1996, Birgenair Flight 301 is scheduled to fly from Puerto Plata to Frankfurt. On takeoff, the captain finds that his airspeed indicator (ASI) is not reading properly, though the co-pilot's ASI is showing the correct speed; the aircraft subsequently crashes in the Atlantic Ocean. The pilots became confused and believed that both ASIs were malfunctioning, leading to loss of control of the aircraft. All 13 crew members and 176 passengers died. The cause of the disaster was believed to be a wasp that built a nest in one of the aircraft's pitot tubes, which was incorrectly left uncovered during the aircraft's extended stay at Puerto Plata airport.
S24 Ep4
7.7
10th Mar 2024
Investigators must turn to 3D technology to determine why two float planes carrying tourists collided above a spectacular Alaskan waterfall.
S2 Ep3
7.7
6th Feb 2005
On 24 December 1994, Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Algiers Airport. The four terrorists demand the aircraft be allowed to depart for Paris so they can blow up the aircraft over the Eiffel Tower, but the Algerian Army blocks the aircraft with vehicles and refuse to allow it to take off. Unable to carry out their plans, the terrorists kill three passengers over the next two days. The aircraft is then cleared to take off, but the crew diverts to Marseille Provence Airport. The hostage rescue team of the French Gendarmerie storms the aircraft, and after a gun battle in the cabin, the four hijackers are killed and everyone else is evacuated. It is described as "one of the most successful anti-terrorist operations in history."
S16 Ep5
7.7
5th Jul 2016
On 30 July 1998, Proteus Airlines Flight 706 collides with a light aircraft during a detour over an ocean cruise liner and crashes into Quiberon Bay off the coast of Lorient, France. All fifteen occupants on board the two aircraft are killed.
S23 Ep5
7.7
6th Mar 2023
A Kazakh crew manage to land an uncontrollable aircraft and investigators must determine how a freshly-serviced plane was released with a fatal flaw.
S24 Ep8
7.7
17th Mar 2024
Three hundred people are killed in one of the deadliest aviation accidents of all time after a fire breaks out on board Saudia Flight 163.
S23 Ep2
7.7
20th Feb 2023
Independent Air Flight 1851 is en route from Italy to the Dominican Republic and is scheduled to refuel on a Portuguese island. For some reason, a Boeing 707 crashes into a mountain just minutes before the airport. The international team of investigators finds no mechanical faults at all and is confused about the cause of the accident. Then the CVR reveals a cluster of errors that sealed the fate of the 144 passengers.
S20 Ep1
7.7
9th Jan 2020
(Uni Air Flight 873) Experts fail to find a bomb when a Taiwanese plane explodes. But as they examine the wreckage, they uncover something shocking in the overhead lockers.
S12 Ep3
7.7
17th Aug 2012
On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei while attempting to take off on the wrong runway in a typhoon. 83 of the 179 passengers and crew members perish. Investigators concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash.
S16 Ep2
7.7
14th Jun 2016
On 11 September 2001, during the September 11 attacks, American Airlines Flight 77 flies off course and crashes into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, after being hijacked. All the 64 people on board the aircraft, including the 5 hijackers, are killed, along with 125 people in the building.
S16 Ep7
7.7
23rd Jan 2017
On 24 March 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 enters a high-speed descent and crashes into the French Alps during a flight from Barcelona, Spain, to Düsseldorf, Germany. All 150 people on board are killed.
S24 Ep6
7.7
3rd Mar 2024
With flames emerging through the cockpit floor, the pilots of Pilgrim Airlines 458 manage a heroic landing on a frozen Rhode Island reservoir.
S23 Ep8
7.7
27th Mar 2023
The plan to save a Bulgarian airliner hinges on convincing the violent hijackers that their demands have been met before the plane runs out of fuel.
S4 Ep10
7.7
17th Jun 2007
On 14 August 2005, air traffic controllers lose radio contact with Helios Airways Flight 522. Two fighters from the Hellenic Air Force intercept and investigate the flight and find all but one person on board not moving. A few moments later, the aircraft runs out of fuel and crashes, killing all 121 people on board. An incorrect setting on the cabin pressurization panel caused the pilots and everyone else on board to succumb to hypoxia.
S3 Ep6
7.7
19th Oct 2005
On 3 July 1988, during the Iran–Iraq War, the USS Vincennes launches missiles which bring down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 people on board. The crew of the Vincennes claimed that, despite its high-tech equipment, it mistook the airliner for an Iranian Air Force Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighter. Iran believes that the US deliberately shot down its civilian airliner.
S14 Ep6
7.1
17th Feb 2015
On 4 November 2008, an official Mexican Interior Ministry Learjet 45 crashes in central Mexico City. Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño, who was aboard the plane, was killed in the crash, along with the other seven people on board and eight people on the ground. The plane crashed in rush-hour traffic at Las Lomas. The plane crashed due to a loss of control from wake turbulence.
S18 Ep2
7.1
20th Feb 2018
On 23 July 2014, TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crashes into buildings while attempting to land at Magong Airport during inclement weather and low visibility, killing 48 of the 58 people on board.
S3 Ep2
7.1
21st Sep 2005
On 22 November 2003, a European Air Transport Airbus A300 operating on behalf of DHL is climbing away from Baghdad International Airport, when the left wing explodes, causing a massive loss of hydraulic fluid which immobilizes the flight control surfaces. The crew flies the aircraft by changing the engines' thrust for control and make a safe landing 16 minutes later. A surface-to-air missile had been launched at the aircraft.
S14 Ep4
7.2
26th Jan 2015
On 16 July 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. dies when the Piper Saratoga light aircraft he is piloting crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in hazy conditions. His wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, are on board and are also killed. The NTSB concluded that the crash was caused by spatial disorientation resulting in pilot error.
S15 Ep9
7.2
29th Feb 2016
On 18 September 1961, a Douglas DC-6 operated by Transair Sweden, carrying Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, crashes en route to cease-fire negotiations in Northern Rhodesia during the Congo Crisis. All of the 16 passengers and crew members are killed.
S23 Ep1
7.2
13th Feb 2023
Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 appears out of the clouds and crashes into trees on approach to Kirksville, Missouri. The twin-engine turboprop plane catches fire just over a kilometer from the runway. The charred wreckage offers clues as to what happened. The researchers conclude that it was not a mechanical failure. They hear a recording from the cockpit that may reveal the whole beginning of the accident.
S3 Ep8
7.2
2nd Nov 2005
On 31 October 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, from New York to Cairo, Egypt, dives out of the sky and crashes into the ocean, killing all 217 people on board. The cause of the crash is disputed: the Egyptian government claims mechanical failure associated with the elevator controls caused the crash, but the US government claims the aircraft was deliberately crashed by the Relief First Officer Gameel Al-Batouti in a suicide/homicide.
S21 Ep3
7.2
18th Apr 2021
On 27 August 2006, Comair Flight 5191, operating for Delta Connection, crashes into a wooded area while taking off from Blue Grass Airport in Kentucky, killing 49 of the 50 people on board.
S17 Ep1
7.2
20th Feb 2017
After a routine one-hour flight from Minneapolis, Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 crashes in northern Minnesota, killing everyone on board. Investigators face intense pressure to find the cause. The cockpit voice recorder raises disturbing questions about an inexperienced pilot. But as investigators dig deeper, they uncover a troubling pattern of abuse that led to a breakdown in human cooperation.
S17 Ep8
7.3
27th Sep 2017
On 31 October 2015, Metrojet Flight 9268 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes into the Sinai Peninsula during a routine chartered flight from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport to Pulkovo Airport, killing all 224 people on board.
S4 Ep4
7.3
6th May 2007
On 6 August 1997, the crew of Korean Air Flight 801 is unable to see the runway during final approach for a night landing in Guam. They initiate a missed approach, but the aircraft then flies into a low hill, killing 228 people. A combination of pilot error and the instrument landing system at Guam airport being temporarily out of service for maintenance work were blamed. AKA : Final Approach
S5 Ep4
7.3
30th Apr 2008
On 8 January 2003, Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashes into an aircraft hangar at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport seconds after takeoff on a flight to Greenville. All 21 people on board die, and one person on the ground is injured. Investigation showed that the pilots' controls had been improperly adjusted during maintenance, and that the aircraft was overloaded due to outdated formula for calculation of passenger weights.
S14 Ep11
7.3
24th Mar 2015
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.
S9 Ep7
7.3
20th Oct 2010
On 20 January 1992, Air Inter Flight 148 flies into a peak in the Vosges Mountains while circling to land at Strasbourg Airport, killing 87 people. An error made in programing the aircraft's autopilot, combined with a sudden wind change, caused it to descend more rapidly than expected.
S8 Ep1
7.3
10th Jun 2009
1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision, 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision, Avianca Flight 52, Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907, Überlingen mid-air collision. This special looked at the role of air traffic controllers in the airline industry, and took a look at the Next Generation Air Transportation System, a new technology meant to eliminate mid-air collisions by reducing overall dependence on radar and radio, as well as delegating some of the air traffic controllers' tasks to computers on board each plane.
S22 Ep5
7.3
7th Feb 2022
When Flydubai Flight 981 nosedives into the runway at Russia’s Rostov Airport, investigators uncover one of the most lethal traps in aviation.
S5 Ep10
7.3
11th Jun 2008
A Gol Transportes Aéreos Boeing 737 and a brand-new Embraer Legacy business jet on its delivery flight collide in mid-air over the Amazon. The 737 crashes but the Legacy manages to make a safe landing. 154 people die.
S1 Ep1
7.3
3rd Sep 2003
On June 1, 1999, American Airlines Flight 1420 tries to land at the Little Rock National Airport during a storm, but overruns the runway, killing eleven people.
S14 Ep9
7.3
10th Mar 2015
Copa Airlines Flight 201 is flying towards Cali, Colombia when the plane suddenly disintegrates in mid-air.
S24 Ep3
7.3
7th Apr 2024
On 16 February 1995, Air Transport International Flight 782 crashes into the ground after failing to takeoff from Kansas City International Airport in Missouri, killing all 3 pilots. The flight crew failed to understand a three-engine takeoff procedure due to improper training.
S11 Ep3
7.3
26th Aug 2011
On 12 December 1985, Arrow Air Flight 1285, carrying troops of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division, stalls and crashes just seconds after taking off from Gander International Airport in Canada, killing all 256 people on board. The cause of the crash remains disputed.
S14 Ep3
7.3
19th Jan 2015
On 25 July 2000, a Concorde operating as Air France Flight 4590 en route to New York City, USA, stalls and crashes into a hotel in Gonesse shorty after take off from Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The plane had struck foreign debris from a Continental Airlines DC-10 causing the plane's fuel tanks to ignite and the engines to fail. All of the 109 passengers and crew die in the incident and 4 on the ground.
S21 Ep7
7.3
16th May 2021
On 22 February 1991, a military aerial refueling aircraft loses both engines from under the left wing while on a combat mission in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, causing serious flight control problems and forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing.
S18 Ep8
7.3
22nd Jun 2018
On 14 November 1990, Alitalia Flight 404 descends too low and crashes into the woodlands of the Stalderberg Mountain near Weiach, Switzerland, 5.2 nautical miles (9.6 kilometres) short of the runway during final approach to Zurich Airport. All 46 passengers and crew members on board are killed.
S14 Ep8
7.3
1st Mar 2015
On 8 March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board. As of February 2015, no trace of the Boeing 777-200ER had been found, and speculation is that it crashed in the southern part of the Indian Ocean.
S18 Ep6
7.3
23rd Mar 2018
On 31 October 2014, an experimental spaceflight test vehicle named VSS Enterprise suffers a catastrophic in-flight breakup and crashes into the Mojave Desert in California, United States, while performing a test flight. The co-pilot, Michael Alsbury, is killed; the pilot, Peter Siebold, is seriously injured.
S18 Ep5
7.3
16th Mar 2018
On 9 May 2012, an aircraft on a demonstration tour crashes into Mount Salak in the province of West Java. All 45 people on board are killed.
S17 Ep3
7.3
6th Mar 2017
Headed for South Korea's Gimhae International Airport, a Boeing 767 crashes into a hillside several miles from the runway. As the nation mourns its worst-ever air disaster, investigators face puzzling evidence: The surviving captain of Air China Flight 129 claims that everything on board was normal, but air traffic controllers testify that the crew's radio communications were anything but.
S20 Ep3
7.3
23rd Jan 2020
(Pakistan International Airlines Flight 268) A Pakistani airliner crashes in the Himalayas, and when their most vital piece of evidence fails to deliver, investigators scramble to find answers.
S4 Ep1
7.4
15th Apr 2007
On 2 August 2005, Air France Flight 358 overruns the runway while attempting to land in a storm. The Airbus A340 travels through the airport perimeter fence into a small ravine and catches fire. The causes of the crash were the aircraft deviating above the required approach path for its landing, touching down too far along the runway and the crew deploying the thrust reversers too slowly. All 309 passengers and crew survived. Alternate title: "Desperate Escape"
S20 Ep6
7.4
13th Feb 2020
(West Air Sweden Flight 294) A cargo jet plummets to earth in the Swedish Arctic. And as investigators pore over the evidence, a terrifying picture of chaos and confusion emerges.
S7 Ep6
7.4
9th Dec 2009
On 6 August 2005, Tuninter Flight 1153 runs out of fuel and ditches into the Mediterranean Sea, killing 16 people. It ran out of fuel because a fuel gauge for a different type of aircraft had been installed, misleading the crew about how much fuel was on board.
S15 Ep3
7.4
11th Jan 2016
On 3 September 2010, the pilots of UPS Airlines Flight 6 report a fire and declare an emergency shortly after taking off from Dubai International Airport. The crew tries to land back at the airport, but are unsuccessful. The aircraft flies over the airport and crashes into an unpopulated area nearby. Both of the pilots die.
S15 Ep2
7.4
4th Jan 2016
On 7 March 2007, while landing at Yogyakarta at the end of a routine domestic flight from Jakarta, Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 hits the ground so hard that it bounces violently before running off the end of the runway, killing 21 of the 140 people on board.
S4 Ep9
7.4
10th Jun 2007
On 3 January 2004, Flash Airlines Flight 604 banks to the right just after takeoff and crashes into the Red Sea, killing all 148 people on board. The cause of this disaster is disputed and suggested to be spatial disorientation on the part of the flight crew.
S20 Ep9
7.4
5th Mar 2020
(Kenya Airways Flight 507) On 5 May 2007, Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes shortly after takeoff from a stopover in Douala, Cameroon. All 114 passengers and crew died in the accident.
S17 Ep9
7.4
11th Oct 2017
On 31 July 1992, Thai Airways International Flight 311 crashes into a mountain while on final approach to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, in poor weather conditions, killing all 99 passengers and 14 crew members on board.
S15 Ep1
7.4
2nd Jan 2016
On 19 November 1996, United Express Flight 5925, operating for Great Lakes Airlines, lands at Quincy Regional Airport and collides with a light aircraft taking off from an intersecting runway. All 14 occupants on both aircraft were killed in a subsequent fire.
S7 Ep7
7.4
16th Dec 2009
On January 1st 2007, a Boeing 737-400 crashed into the Makassar Strait near Polewali in Sulawesi. The subsequent investigation raised deep concerns about the safety record of the Indonesian airline industry.
S19 Ep10
7.4
11th Mar 2019
On 7 January 1994, United Express Flight 6291, operating for Atlantic Coast Airlines, crashes 1.2 miles short of the runway during final approach to Port Columbus International Airport after entering a stall. The two pilots, the flight attendant, and two passengers are killed in the crash.
S20 Ep4
7.4
30th Jan 2020
(SOL Flight 5428) When SOL Airlines Flight 5428 nosedives into a remote desert, investigators struggle to find the cause amongst the scattered and scorched debris.
S1 Ep2
7.4
10th Sep 2003
On February 24, 1989, United Airlines Flight 811 is flying above the Pacific Ocean, when part of the right-side fuselage is ripped off, ejecting nine people from the aircraft and causing explosive decompression. The flight later lands safely at Honolulu without any more loss of life.
S19 Ep7
7.4
13th Feb 2019
On 20 December 2008, Continental Airlines Flight 1404 veers off the side of the runway, skids across the taxiway and a service road and crashes into a ravine while taking off from Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado. All 115 passengers and crew members on board survive.
S11 Ep2
7.4
19th Aug 2011
On 16 August 2005, West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 stalls while cruising and crashes in rural Venezuela during a severe thunderstorm. Investigations revealed there were no faults with the engines. Pilot error led to the stall which was misinterpreted by the crew members, who took no recovery action until it was too late.
S19 Ep8
7.4
18th Feb 2019
On 14 September 2008, Aeroflot Flight 821 crashes into a ravine next to a railway line while on final approach to Perm International Airport in Perm, Russia, in poor weather conditions, killing all 88 people on board.
S9 Ep6
7.4
13th Oct 2010
On 10 March 1989, Air Ontario Flight 1363 crashes just after takeoff, killing 24 people. Three years later, on 22 March 1992, USAir Flight 405 also crashes just after takeoff in similar conditions to Flight 1363. The cause of the crashes was ice on the wings, which significantly reduced lift.
S14 Ep2
7.4
12th Jan 2015
On 26 May 1991, the thrust reverser of the first engine of Lauda Air Flight 004 accidentally deploys in mid-flight causing the plane to spiral out of control and disintegrate about 100 miles northwest of Bangkok. All of the 223 passengers and crew die in the crash.
S4 Ep6
7.4
20th May 2007
On 19 February 1985, China Airlines Flight 006's number four (right-side outer) engine flames out. As the crew tries to restart the engine, the Boeing 747SP stalls and enters into a spin. The crew successfully regains control, restarts the engine and lands safely at San Francisco International Airport. The incident was caused by pilot error. Alternate title: "6 Mile Plunge"
S17 Ep5
7.4
5th Sep 2017
On 26 September 1997, Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crashes into mountainous woodlands while trying to land at Polonia International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, in low visibility. All 234 people on board are killed.
S3 Ep10
7.4
16th Nov 2005
On 8 February 1986, a Via Rail passenger train and a 118-car Canadian National Railway freight train collide, killing 23 people. The freight train crew did not stop at a red railway signal on a section of a passing loop, possibly because they were asleep. Note: This is a Crash Scene Investigation episode.
S6 Ep1
7.4
16th Dec 2007
BOAC Flight 781 ,South African Airways Flight 201, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, British Airways Flight 5390, United Airlines Flight 811, Helios Airways Flight 522. This special looks at accidents and incidents where pressurization failure or explosive decompression played a part. Episodes re-visited: Hanging by a Thread, Blow Out, Unlocking Disaster, Ghost Plane.
S14 Ep5
7.4
10th Feb 2015
On 3 September 1989, the pilots of Varig Flight 254 enter an incorrect heading into the flight computer. Instead of flying towards its destination, the aircraft flies west and after some time is over a remote area of the Amazon jungle. Attempts to reach an alternative airport are unsuccessful, and the aircraft eventually runs out of fuel. The pilot makes a belly landing in the jungle where 13 people die.
S15 Ep10
7.4
7th Mar 2016
On 20 August 2008, Spanair Flight 5022 attempts to takeoff from Barajas Airport, but stalls immediately, banks to the right and crashes, killing 154 people out of the 172 on board. The pilots aborted the first takeoff attempt, and the second attempt resulted in the crash.
S5 Ep5
7.4
7th May 2008
In the summer of 1985, a Delta 191 aircraft was diverted away from a thunderstorm, only to be struck by powerful winds and plummet to the ground. Flames engulfed the front of the plane and more than 130 people died in a tragic accident that would eventually expose, and eliminate, an invisible killer.
S23 Ep10
7.4
10th Apr 2023
EgyptAir flight 804 crashes into the Mediterranean on its way from Paris to Cairo. Evidence initially suggests that the plane caught fire, but Egyptian authorities later blame the crash on terrorism. The case will be handed over to the Egyptian state prosecutor for criminal investigation. Six years later, an Italian reporter leaks the information and a new confusing theory surfaces.
S20 Ep2
7.4
16th Jan 2020
(Northwest Airlines Flights 299 & 1482) When a blanket of confusion and heavy fog puts two planes on a path to disaster, investigators wonder if it was the pilots themselves creating chaos.
S1 Ep5
7.4
15th Oct 2003
On January31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261's trimmable horizontal stabilizer jams and breaks free from its control system. The aircraft dives inverted into the Pacific Ocean, causing the death of all 88 on board.
S15 Ep4
7.4
18th Jan 2016
On 6 July 2013, on landing at San Francisco International Airport, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 strikes a seawall and crashes short of the runway. Of the 307 people on board, 2 passengers die at the crash scene; another dies shortly after in hospital.
S15 Ep7
7.4
15th Feb 2016
On 31 October 1996, TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 crashes seconds after takeoff from São Paulo–Congonhas Airport into a heavily populated residential area, killing all 96 people on board and 3 on the ground. The crash was attributed to the uncommanded deployment of a faulty thrust reverser on the right engine.
S21 Ep2
7.4
11th Apr 2021
On 10 November 2015, Execuflight Flight 1526 enters an aerodynamic stall and crashes into an apartment building and an embankment during final approach to Akron Fulton International Airport in Akron, Ohio. Both crew members and all seven passengers on board are killed in the crash.
S14 Ep10
7.4
17th Mar 2015
FedEx Express Flight 14 crash lands at Newark but the pilots survive but years later, FedEx Express Flight 80 experiences a similar but fatal crash.
S23 Ep4
7.4
27th Feb 2023
After losing both engines, a turboprop crashes in Papua New Guinea and investigators soon uncover a deadly flaw in an aircraft used around the world.
S7 Ep4
7.5
25th Nov 2009
On September 8, 1989, Partnair Flight 94, a charter from Oslo to Hamburg, suddenly begins to dive from 22 thousand feet. The aging propeller plane eventually crashes into the sea, killing all 55 people on board.
S19 Ep4
7.5
16th Jan 2019
On 4 April 1994, KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 crashes into a field while attempting an emergency landing at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, killing 3 of the 24 people on board.
S16 Ep6
7.5
12th Jul 2016
On 19 January 1988, Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286, operating for Continental Express, crashes near Bayfield, Colorado, while on final approach to Durango. Both crew members and seven of the fifteen passengers on board die.
S20 Ep7
7.5
20th Feb 2020
(Trigana Air Flight 267) A turboprop crashes into an Indonesian mountain, and while three systems could have prevented it, investigators must figure out why none of them did.
S1 Ep1
7.3
3rd Sep 2003
On June 1, 1999, American Airlines Flight 1420 tries to land at the Little Rock National Airport during a storm, but overruns the runway, killing eleven people.
S1 Ep2
7.4
10th Sep 2003
On February 24, 1989, United Airlines Flight 811 is flying above the Pacific Ocean, when part of the right-side fuselage is ripped off, ejecting nine people from the aircraft and causing explosive decompression. The flight later lands safely at Honolulu without any more loss of life.
S1 Ep3
7.6
17th Sep 2003
On October 2, 1996, shortly after take off, the crew of Aeroperú Flight 603 is confused by false speed and altitude readings and contradictory warnings from the aircraft's air data system. In preparation for an emergency landing, the crew descends the aircraft, but unknowingly descend too far by relying on the false readings. The Boeing 757 crashes into the water, killing everyone on board.
S1 Ep4
7.6
8th Oct 2003
On August 24, 2001, Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The pilots of the aircraft glide it to a safe landing on a runway at a naval base on an island in the Azores.
S1 Ep5
7.4
15th Oct 2003
On January31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261's trimmable horizontal stabilizer jams and breaks free from its control system. The aircraft dives inverted into the Pacific Ocean, causing the death of all 88 on board.
S1 Ep6
7.6
22nd Oct 2003
On September 2, 1998, a fire breaks out on Swissair Flight 111 while in-flight, damaging vital systems and causing the aircraft to crash into the sea off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, with no survivors.
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The first episode of Mayday aired on September 03, 2003.
The last episode of Mayday aired on April 14, 2024.
There are 219 episodes of Mayday.
There are 24 seasons of Mayday.
Yes.
Mayday is set to return for future episodes.