Air Crash Investigation

A look at three plane crashes that made global news and put intense pressure on investigators to uncover the true cause of the accidents.

The simplest mistakes are at the heart of some of the worst airline accidents, and while commercial pilots undergo hundreds of hours of training and testing, even experienced pilots can make deadly rookie errors

Facing deadly tragedies that could have been avoided, investigators comb through the wreckage of three separate midair collisions in a race to prevent another fatal impact.

When an aircraft loses total engine power, a pilot’s training can make all the difference in the world, but it’s still up to investigators to determine what went wrong.

Three mysterious accidents send investigators hunting for clues. In the end, all three trails lead back to the same source-the fuel tank.

Three planes fatally out of balance force investigators to question every calculation. It’s a flight risk that’s entirely preventable, and yet repeated disasters reconfirm the need for critical backup systems.

If pilots aren’t prepared when the runway is in sight, a landing can quickly become a tragedy.

Spatial disorientation is one of the leading causes of all air accidents. Even the most experienced pilots are susceptible to its subtle yet deadly effects.

Radio silence between pilots and air traffic controllers can mean many different things, but only the physical evidence can reveal the true story. Three shocking cases send investigators hunting for answers.

Drawing the attention of the entire world, three fatal design flaws put air crash investigators in a storm of controversy.

Failsafes are built into every aspect of aviation, but in the heat of the moment pilots can make fateful decisions that lead to tragedy.

Safe flying requires precision, and when critical instruments in the cockpit can't be trusted, the consequences can be fatal.

Airplane crashes involving high-profile passengers make international headlines, placing investigators under tremendous pressure to come up with answers.

Traced to a breakdown of vital safety measures, three horrific disasters provoke fundamental changes to airport security procedures around the world.

Following three horrifying crashes, investigators uncover fatal flaws in the very operations designed to prevent aircraft from flying into mountains.

From the wreckage of three airplane crashes, survivors emerge to tell harrowing tales and provide critical data about what to do in an emergency.

Mid-air tragedies are particularly horrifying when they occur over a community, and rain terror on the people below.

Devastating failures in the air put pilots to the test, and shine a light on three astonishing feats of flying.

A trio of crashes reveal that when the nuts and bolts of maintenance go unchecked, it can spell catastrophe.

Three flights ending in tragedy, prove that minor missteps during takeoff can have disastrous consequences.

Confused, flying blind, and lost in the dark, three crews lose site of the horizon and fall into the same deadly trap.

Three crews experience the same devastating event, but with radically different outcomes when an engine falls off their commercial airplane.

Faced with a mid-air crisis, pilots must make life-and-death decisions, but the wrong approach can trigger a far more serious problem.

In Sao Paolo, the Himalayas, and on the Norwegian coast, three flight crews are pushed to the limit by the toughest landings on earth.

In catastrophic runway collisions, investigators must retrace every step.