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s25e10 · 2026-03-25
Running · GB
Air Crash Investigation
National Geographic Documentary
What it is
Flying is one of the safest forms of transport. But what happens when tragedy strikes? From human error and accidents to mechanical faults and design flaws, the success of aviation history is punctuated with disaster and catastrophe. It's rare, but it does happen. Follow experts as they determine what went wrong and work out how to prevent these horrific tragedies from happening again. Examine the wrecks and official records, and hear from eyewitnesses, passengers and aviation experts as we reconstruct some of the most tragic disasters in aviation history. Air Crash Investigation looks at what went wrong and how future disasters can be averted.
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20 this season · 261 totals17e01 Deadly Airspace 2018-02-16 01:00
Deadly Airspace
Commercial airliner flight MH17 goes down over a warzone in eastern Ukraine. The evidence indicates the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Amid speculation in the media and against the backdrop of war, investigators are determined to get answers for the families of the 298 victims (passengers and crew), but they face political roadblocks at every turn.
s17e02 Blown Away 2018-02-23 01:00
Blown Away
After circling above the Taiwan Strait to wait out a passing cyclone, TransAsia Flight 222 crashes on the Taiwanese resort island of Penghu. The media claims the storm is to blame, but the evidence soon points investigators in a different direction. Six months into the investigation, the airline is hit with a second accident . That's when investigators uncover a systemic problem with fatal consequences.
s17e03 Nuts and Bolts 2018-03-02 01:00
Nuts and Bolts
Moments after taking off from a California airport, an American cargo plane needs to make an emergency landing. The pilots manage to bring their DC-8 to within sight of the runway, but the crippled plane crashes into an automobile salvage yard one mile east of the airport . To try to understand what went wrong, investigators call on a friend and colleague of the crew. But it will take more digging and hard evidence to understand what doomed the crew of Emery Worldwide Flight 17.
s17e04 Deadly Distraction 2018-03-09 01:00
Deadly Distraction
En route to Salt Lake City, Delta Airlines Flight 1141 crashes just moments after lifting off from Dallas-Fort Worth airport and erupts into flames.
s17e05 Deadly Display 2018-03-16 00:00
Deadly Display
On a high-stakes demonstration flight in Indonesia, a Russianmade Sukhoi Superjet slams into a mountain killing everyone on board. It's one of the most challenging salvage operations Indonesian investigators have ever faced. Once they reach the wreckage, they must figure out how a brand new jet with an expert crew and sophisticated navigation system could crash into an infamous mountain.
s17e06 Deadly Space 2018-03-23 00:00
Deadly Space
In California's Mojave Desert, Virgin Galactic test pilots are at the controls of a revolutionary aircraft designed for sub-orbital flight . But as the spaceship accelerates toward the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere, approaching the speed of sound, it breaks apart and falls from the sky. With the future of commercial space travel hanging in the balance, it's up to investigators to figure out what went wrong.
s17e07 Free Fall 2018-06-16 00:00
Free Fall
On 7 October 2008, Qantas flight 72 traveling from Singapore to Perth suddenly nosedives while over the Indian Ocean. With warnings flooding the cockpit and passengers being flung around, it's up to an experienced fighter pilot to get the plane to safety
s17e08 Deadly Inclination 2018-06-23 00:00
Deadly Inclination
On its final approach to Zurich, Alitalia Flight 404 plows into a forested hillside killing everyone on board. Did a hidden flaw in the navigation system lead two pilots down a deadly path?
s17e09 Deadly Go-Round 2018-06-28 00:00
Deadly Go-Round
Just minutes from touching down, China Airlines Flight 140 falls out of the sky at Japan's Nagoya Airport. By morning, investigators are sifting through the charred debris on the runway, but what they find only deepens the mystery.
s17e10 Dead of Winter 2018-07-05 00:00
Dead of Winter
After being delayed on the Denver tarmac due to heavy snow, Continental Airlines 1713 was eventually cleared for take-off. Barely lifting off the ground, the DC-9 abruptly banked and crashed, killing 28 people and leaving a lasting legacy.