Mayday: The Accident Files

Failsafes are built into every aspect of aviation, but in the heat of the moment pilots can make fateful decisions that lead to tragedy.

Safe flying requires precision, and when critical instruments in the cockpit can’t be trusted, the consequences can be fatal.

Crashes involving high-profile passengers make international headlines, placing investigators under tremendous pressure to come up with answers.

Traced to a breakdown of vital safety measures, three horrific disasters provoke fundamental changes to airport security procedures around the world.

From the wreckage of three airplane crashes, survivors emerge to tell harrowing tales and provide critical data about what to do in an emergency.

Mid-air tragedies are particularly horrifying when they occur over a community, and rain terror on the people below.

Devastating failures in the air put pilots to the test, and shine a light on three astonishing feats of flying.

A trio of crashes reveal that when the nuts and bolts of maintenance go unchecked, it can spell catastrophe.

Three flights ending in tragedy, prove that minor missteps during takeoff can have disastrous consequences.