Mayday: The Accident Files

Three devastating crashesmake front-page news around the globe, and the media frenzy puts intense pressure on investigators to uncover the causes.

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 midair collisions in a race to prevent another.

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. Repeated disasters reconfirm the need for 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 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.

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