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The Worst Episodes of Air Disasters

Every episode of Air Disasters ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Air Disasters!

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Catastrophic incidents in aviation history are meticulously reenacted, providing insight into what went wrong and if the crashes and near-disasters could have been prevented. Accounts from survivors combine with cockpit recordings and computer images to

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 1 - Invisible Killer
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #1 - Invisible Killer

    S1:E1

    On Aug 2, 1985 — Delta Air Lines Flight 191 (L-1011): On approach to Dallas/Fort Worth in stormy weather, the jet suddenly plunges short of the runway. Investigators race to uncover what brought it down.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 2 - Gimli Glider
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - Gimli Glider

    S1:E2

    On Jul 23, 1983 — Air Canada Flight 143 (Boeing 767): Halfway from Montreal to Edmonton, a brand-new airliner runs completely out of fuel at 41,000 feet, leaving the crew to attempt the impossible.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 3 - Behind Closed Doors
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #3 - Behind Closed Doors

    S1:E3

    On Jun 12, 1972 & Mar 3, 1974 — American Airlines Flight 96 & Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (DC-10s): Two DC-10s suffer sudden decompressions in flight, two years apart. Investigators probe whether the incidents are connected.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 4 - Fanning the Flames
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - Fanning the Flames

    S1:E4

    On Nov 28, 1987 — South African Airways Flight 295 (Boeing 747 Combi): En route from Taipei to Johannesburg, the cabin fills with smoke over the Indian Ocean, launching one of the deepest wreckage recoveries ever attempted.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 5 - Dead Weight
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Dead Weight

    S1:E5

    On Jan 8, 2003 — Air Midwest Flight 5481 (Beechcraft 1900D): Seconds after takeoff from Charlotte, a commuter flight pitches out of control. Investigators search for answers in the smallest details.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 6 - Southern Storm
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Southern Storm

    S1:E6

    On Apr 4, 1977 — Southern Airways Flight 242 (DC-9): A flight through severe Georgia thunderstorms leaves the crew battling to keep their crippled jet aloft with nowhere to land.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 7 - Explosive Evidence
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Explosive Evidence

    S1:E7

    On Jun 23, 1985 — Air India Flight 182 (Boeing 747): A jumbo jet vanishes from radar over the Atlantic near Ireland, triggering an investigation that spans continents.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 8 - Mixed Signals
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Mixed Signals

    S1:E8

    On Feb 6, 1996 — Birgenair Flight 301 (Boeing 757): Moments after a night takeoff from the Dominican Republic, the crew is confronted by baffling and contradictory instrument readings.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 9 - Fatal Distraction
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Fatal Distraction

    S1:E9

    On Dec 29, 1972 — Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (L-1011): On a clear night approach to Miami, a state-of-the-art jet descends unnoticed into the Everglades. Investigators must explain how.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Air Disasters Season 1 Episode 10 - Phantom Strike
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Phantom Strike

    S1:E10

    On Sep 29, 2006 — Gol Flight 1907 (Boeing 737) & Embraer Legacy: Two aircraft cross paths high above the Amazon, and investigators must piece together how modern technology failed to keep them apart.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 1 - Cracks in the System
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Cracks in the System

    S2:E1

    On Dec 19, 2005 — Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 (Grumman Turbo Mallard): A vintage seaplane bound for the Bahamas goes down moments after lifting off from Miami's Watson Island, stunning witnesses along the shoreline.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 2 - Target is Destroyed
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Target is Destroyed

    S2:E2

    On Sep 1, 1983 — Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (Boeing 747): A passenger jet en route from Anchorage to Seoul strays into Soviet airspace and is shot down by a fighter jet, pushing Cold War tensions to the brink.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 3 - Cruel Skies
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Cruel Skies

    S2:E3

    Special — Multiple incidents (1977–1999), including Southern Airways Flight 242, British Airways Flight 009, and American Airlines Flight 1420: A look at how violent weather has brought down airliners and how forecasting and cockpit technology evolved in response.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 4 - Panic on the Runway
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - Panic on the Runway

    S2:E4

    On Aug 22, 1985 — British Airtours Flight 28M (Boeing 737): An engine catches fire as a holiday flight accelerates down the runway at Manchester. The takeoff is aborted, but a survivable emergency turns deadly on the ground.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 5 - Alarming Silence
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Alarming Silence

    S2:E5

    On Aug 16, 1987 — Northwest Airlines Flight 255 (MD-82): Moments after takeoff from Detroit, a fully loaded jet fails to climb and crashes beyond the runway, leaving investigators to trace the final minutes before departure.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 6 - Cold Case
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Cold Case

    S2:E6

    On Mar 10, 1989 & Mar 22, 1992 — Air Ontario Flight 1363 & USAir Flight 405 (Fokker F28s): Two wintry takeoffs, three years apart in Ontario and New York, end in disaster and force investigators to look for a common thread.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 7 - Pilot vs. Plane
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Pilot vs. Plane

    S2:E7

    On Jun 26, 1988 — Air France Flight 296 (Airbus A320): A brand-new fly-by-wire jet performs a low flyby at a French airshow and fails to climb away, igniting a bitter public battle between the pilot and investigators.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 8 - System Breakdown
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - System Breakdown

    S2:E8

    Special — Multiple incidents: Five disasters tied to communication failures and an overburdened air traffic control system, and the changes they forced on how controllers and pilots keep planes apart.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 9 - The Final Blow
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - The Final Blow

    S2:E9

    On Jan 20, 1992 — Air Inter Flight 148 (Airbus A320): On a night approach to Strasbourg, a domestic French flight descends into the Vosges Mountains, and investigators must determine why a modern jet flew so low.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 10 - Cleared for Disaster
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Cleared for Disaster

    S2:E10

    On Feb 1, 1991 — USAir Flight 1493 (Boeing 737) & SkyWest Flight 5569: A jet landing at Los Angeles collides with a commuter plane on the runway, turning attention to the control tower.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 11 - The Plane That Flew Too High
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - The Plane That Flew Too High

    S2:E11

    On Aug 16, 2005 — West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 (MD-82): A charter flight from Panama to Martinique falls from cruise altitude over Venezuela, and the investigation reaches deep into a troubled airline.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Air Disasters Season 2 Episode 12 - Deadly Reputation
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Deadly Reputation

    S2:E12

    On Jul 17, 2007 — TAM Airlines Flight 3054 (Airbus A320): Landing at São Paulo's Congonhas Airport on a rainy night, a jet fails to stop and careens off the end of the runway into buildings beyond.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Air Disasters Season 3 Episode 1 - Blind Spot
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Blind Spot

    S3:E1

    On Sep 25, 1978 — PSA Flight 182 (Boeing 727): On a clear San Diego morning, a jet on approach collides with a small Cessna over a residential neighborhood, at the time the deadliest air disaster in U.S. history.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Air Disasters Season 3 Episode 2 - Mayday Munich
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Mayday Munich

    S3:E2

    On Feb 6, 1958 — British European Airways Flight 609 (Airspeed Ambassador): A charter carrying the Manchester United football team crashes on takeoff from a snowy Munich airfield after a refueling stop, shaking the sporting world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Air Disasters Season 3 Episode 3 - I'm the Problem
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - I'm the Problem

    S3:E3

    On Dec 7, 1987 — PSA Flight 1771 (BAe 146): A California commuter flight plunges from cruise altitude after gunshots are heard in the cabin, turning a crash investigation into a criminal one.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Invisible Killer" is the worst rated episode of "Air Disasters". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 5/15/2011. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Gimli Glider".