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After a Boeing 727's near-fatal nosedive over Michigan, investigators risk their own lives to determine what caused the aircraft to lose control.

Air Disasters

Terror Over Michigan

On December 21, 1992, Martinair Flight 495 crashes off the right side of the runway while attempting to land at Faro Airport in Faro, Portugal, in severe weather conditions, killing 56 of the 340 people on board.

Peril Over Portugal

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.

Flydubai Flight 981 enters a rapid descent and crashes nose-first at Rostov-on-Don Airport in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, after aborting its second landing attempt in poor weather conditions.

S17 E1 | Holding Pattern

E6 | Terror Over Michigan

E2 | Peril Over Portugal