Mayday — Season 18

All episodes in this season folder.

S18
E1
Nuts and Bolts

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.

Watch episode
S18
E2
Blown Away (TransAsia Airways Flight 222)

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.

Watch episode
S18
E3
Deadly Distraction (Delta Air Lines Flight 1141)

On 31 August 1988, Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 crashes beyond the runway while taking off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, killing 14 of the 108 people on board.

Watch episode
S18
E4
Deadly Airspace (Malaysia Airlines Flight 17)

On 17 July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board.

Watch episode
S18
E5
Deadly Display (2012 Mount Salak Sukhoi Superjet crash)

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.

Watch episode
S18
E6
Deadly Mission

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.

Watch episode
S18
E7
Free Fall (Qantas Flight 72)

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.

Watch episode
S18
E8
Deadly Inclination (Alitalia Flight 404)

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.

Watch episode
S18
E9
Deadly Go Round (China Airlines Flight 140)

On 26 April 1994, China Airlines Flight 140 pitches upwards, enters an aerodynamic stall at low altitude and crashes approximately 340 feet east-northeast of the centreline of the runway while on final approach to Nagoya Airport in Nagoya, Japan. 264 of the 271 people on board are killed in the crash.

Watch episode
S18
E10
Dead of Winter (Continental Airlines Flight 1713)

On 15 November 1987, Continental Airlines Flight 1713 stalls and crashes off the right side of the runway shortly after taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, on a scheduled flight to Boise, Idaho, killing 28 of the 82 people on board.

Watch episode
S18
E11
Mayday Season 18 Episode 11

This special looked at how failures in communication lead to disasters.

Watch episode
S18
E12
Mayday Season 18 Episode 12

This special looked at how pilots' aggressive or unprofessional behaviour can cause deadly accidents.

Watch episode
S18
E13
Mayday Season 18 Episode 13

This special looked at how pilots safely land their aircraft in emergency situations.

Watch episode
S18
E14
Mayday Season 18 Episode 14

This special looked at how automation in the cockpit causes deadly misunderstandings.

Watch episode
S18
E15
Mayday Season 18 Episode 15

This special looked at terrorist acts, including bombings and shootdowns.

Watch episode
S18
E16
Mayday Season 18 Episode 16

This special looked at pilots' carefully planned strategies in deliberately crashing aircraft.

Watch episode
S18
E17
Mayday Season 18 Episode 17

This special looked at foreign items, including ice, a chemical oxygen generator, and a bomb as the cause.

Watch episode
S18
E18
Mayday Season 18 Episode 18

This special looked at disasters where multiple investigations don't agree on the cause of these accidents.

Watch episode
S18
E19
Mayday Season 18 Episode 19

This special looked at how pilots' deviation from cockpit duties lead to crashes.

Watch episode
S18
E20
Mayday Season 18 Episode 20

This special looked at disasters caused by fires, either on the ground or in the air.

Watch episode