Air Crash Investigation

On June 8, 1983, a Reeve Aleutian Airways Lockheed Electra nearly plunged 19,000 feet into the Pacific Ocean after one of its propellers tore from the aircraft.

Discover the preventable reason for the crash of Emery Worldwide Flight 17 in 2000.

En route from Cold Bay, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, Reeve Aleutian Airlines Flight #8 is 19,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean when the propeller from one of its four turboprop engines flies off and tears a hole in the fuselage. Rocked by explosive decompression, the pilots fight to control the plane as the cabin and cockpit fill with heavy fog.

See how two accidents over seven months led investigators to a shocking conclusion about a Taiwanese airline.

Headed for Atlanta in an aging DC-9, the crew of ValuJet Flight #592 hears a mysterious sound shortly after taking off from Miami. Almost immediately, they are hit with a barrage of mechanical failures. At first, they notice an electrical problem. The plane’s batteries are draining fast. But within minutes, the situation gets much worse. The pilots hear screams of ‘fire’ coming from the cabin.

Air crash investigators struggle to figure out why a Boeing 727 crashed on takeoff on a clear summer day.

As Taiwan braces for an intense tropical storm, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 prepares to take off from Taipei’s Chang Kai-shek Airport. Bound for Los Angeles, the plane needs to get airborne before the typhoon hits. But as the 747 hurtles down the runway, the pilots suddenly lose control of the aircraft. It spins around violently, crashes and breaks apart.

It's a clear and calm December day in 1997 when a Boeing 737 suddenly plummets from the sky into an Indonesian jungle.

Revisit the controversial 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which broke apart over a war zone.

How could a brand-new jet with a sophisticated navigation system and an expert crew fatally lose its way?

Join the investigation as examiners use all of their creativity to determine why TANS Peru Flight 204 fell from the sky.

Follow investigators as they explain why a test flight went so wrong so quickly.

Two commercial airliners go missing over the Arizona desert, and are later found in pieces, scattered along the Grand Canyon floor.

It was the deadliest aviation disaster in U.S. history of its time, the 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191.

Investigators are racing to find out what could make a state-of-the-art, automated plane go into repeated nosedives.

It was the deadliest aviation disaster in U.S. history of its time, the 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191.

Relive the 1978 crash of United Airlines Flight 173, caused by faulty landing gear, failing engines, and pilot error.

Discover why a DC-9 flew 1,000 feet too low on its final approach and why its pilot blew his one shot to avert disaster.

A Russian passenger jet crashes into the Volga River, killing almost everyone on board.

A Russian passenger jet crashes into the Volga River, killing almost everyone on board.

A high-tech plane and improper training doomed China Airlines Flight 140 in 1994.

A failed takeoff in 1987 during a Denver snowstorm changed the airline industry forever.

Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M: It was an air disaster that crippled a country, heightened tensions between two nations, and ignited conspiracy theories worldwide.

Five minutes into Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, something goes wrong.