Air Crash Investigations

Air Traffic controllers are the cops of the skies but the systems has reached a breaking point. In-depth analysis of five aviation disasters reveals the steps taken to modernise communication in the skies - and avert further catastrophes.

Rain, hail, wind - in a heartbeat bad weather can turn an ordinary flight into a nightmare. Tonight we follow the essential work of the US Aviation Weather Centre, which plays a vital role in protecting planes from potentially lethal weather.

November 12, 1996. Above one of India's busiest airports, the sky ignites as flaming wreckage falls following a horrifying crash. When investigators arrive, they find the twisted remains of two passenger jets and 349 people dead. The vital clues are buried deep underground and investigators must piece together the days events. How could two crews who should have know each others position end up in