Air Crash Investigations April 4, 1975. At the end of the Vietnam War, the U.S. army loaded hundreds of orphans onto their largest transport aircraft plane to fly them to safety. Only minutes into their escape, the plane lost control and crashed in a paddy field near the airport. Sadly, only half of the children onboard survived. The investigation began immediately, as officials searched desperately for an answer to why t 2026-06-20 It's August 6th, 2005. High over the Mediterranean, two pilots struggle with a stalled engine. 73 kilometres from land, the pilots are faced with an impossible decision while passengers are forced to make life or death decisions. The accident will tear families apart, set in motion a massive rescue effort at sea and trigger a multinational investigation to discover why both engines on one of the w 2026-06-20 The pilots of Flight 1493 configure the 737 for landing and although they repeatedly radio the tower for instructions, their calls go unanswered. They finally get clearance just moments before landing, but within seconds of touching down, the aircraft erupts in flames and crashes into an abandoned brick building. Can investigators determine what went wrong? 2026-06-20 One of the largest train disasters in US history. A freight train rumbling through the calm suburb of San Bernardino, California, derails and crashes, destroying homes and taking lives. Less than two weeks later a pipeline, weakened in the clean-up of the derailment, explodes. 2026-06-21 On 23 November, 1996, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was hijacked by three Ethiopians seeking political asylum. The pilot attempted to trick the hijackers by secretly changing the flight route demanded. But after a struggle and despite the pilots heroic efforts, the plane crashes in the Indian Ocean near Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125 of the 175 passengers and crew on board. 2026-06-21 December 7, 1987: En route to San Francisco from LAX, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight #1771 is cruising high above the Californian countryside. Apart from some mild turbulence, the routine regional flight is uneventful. That is, until the pilots hear gunshots in the cabin. They report the gunfire to the tower and moments later, the aircraft falls into a steep dive and crashes into a remote field 2026-06-21