Air Crash Investigations

On August 14, 2005, shortly after take off from Cyprus, Helios 522 reported two alarms sounding in the cockpit. Then all communication was lost. Two fighter jets from the Greek Air Force intercepted the aircraft and saw someone in the cockpit - but received no response to repeated radio calls. After two hours in the air, Helios 522 ran out of fuel and crashed in the mountains. All 121 people on bo

June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 en-route to New Delhi, India was flying over the Irish coast when it exploded in mid-air killing all 329 on board. The ensuing investigation would confirm that a bomb caused the aircraft to disintegrate. Until September 11, 2001, the Air India bombing was the single deadliest terrorist attack involving aircraft.

February 6, 1996 - moments after take-off, the pilots of Birgenair Flight 301 are bombarded by confusing alarms. Completely bewildered, the pilots of the Boeing 757 struggle to regain control but within minutes the plane slams into the ocean below killing everyone. What caused this tragic accident? Investigators are shocked by their findings.

July 23, 1983. It's a calm summer evening, when an inexplicable failure strikes, causing the loss of two engines on a brand new passenger jet midway between Montreal and Edmonton. Powerless at 12,000 meters altitude, the pilot needs all his skill, and a little bit of luck, to get his plane to the airport. But his saga doesn't end there because the runway he thought was abandoned is anything but.

Investigate how an explosion ripped a gaping hole in the cabin of a brand-new plane and again two years later, but with deadly consequences.

We see how commercial jets rely on a pressurised atmosphere to keep passengers alive and revisit some of the most compelling aviation disasters of the last fifty years to expose the explosive power of decompression. Along the way, we look at the many breakthroughs and design innovations that were implemented only after something went horribly wrong.

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

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