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Just after takeoff from Honolulu, TransAir Flight 810 loses power and ditches in the Pacific. Both pilots survive, blaming dual engine failure-but when the Boeing 737 is recovered, the wreckage reveals a different cause behind t.

Air Disasters

Pacific Ditching

America's stories told by the Smithsonian

SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL HD

Solving the crash of China Airlines Flight 676 hinges on 11 baffling seconds when neither pilot controls the airplane.

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Two float planes collide midair near an Alaskan waterfall. One shatters; the other crash-lands intact. With no warning before impact, investigators use wreckage clues and 3D tech to uncover how-and why-the deadly crash occurred.

Without Warning

After a DC-8 cargo plane with only three working engines crashes on takeoff in Kansas City, investigators uncover a flaw in the pilots' training.

Deadly Departure

While landing at a notoriously tricky Alaskan island airport, the pilots of a twin turboprop can't stop their plane.

Disaster At Dutch Harbor

Two identical plane crashes involving the same icy conditions and the same plane design are examined, revealing why neither disaster should have happened.

Cold Case

Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes shortly after take-off in Detroit in 1987; a fatal preflight error caused the second-deadliest plane crash in the U.S. history.

Alarming Silence

On August 22nd, 1985, 55 people died aboard British Airtours flight 28M when its engine catches fire as it accelerates.

Panic on the Runway

The U.S. Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Miss.; the importance of accurate weather forecasting to the aviation industry.

Cruel Skies

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Experts analyze various plane crashes with an aim to figure out how these disasters occurred; they also shed light on how such accidents shaped the aviation industry and improved safety standards.

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Chalk's Ocean Airways flight 101 crashes just after take-off from Watson Island in Miami on December 19, 2005, killing 20 people.

S2 E1 | Cracks in the System