America has so many stories to tell. And nobody brings them to your home like Smithsonian Channel.

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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.

Air Disasters

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

Air France Flight 296 fails to regain altitude after performing a fly-by during an air show at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport.

Pilot vs. Plane

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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Statistically, traveling by airplane is safer than driving and other forms of transportation, but when something goes wrong during a flight, it can be catastrophic with potentially hundreds of lives at stake. This series examines some of the world's worst air disasters, using official reports, transcripts and interviews with people involved to tell the stories of midair mishaps and discover what went wrong in each case. Episodes include a discussion of how the weather affects flights -- including stories of aviation disasters and near-misses -- and a New Year's Eve flight that fell from the sky into the Florida Everglades.

S2 E403 | Deadly Departure

E403 | Deadly Departure

E402 | Disaster At Dutch Harbor

E7 | Pilot vs. Plane

E5 | Alarming Silence

E4 | Panic on the Runway

E3 | Cruel Skies