Mayday: Air Disaster

Flydubai Flight 981 nosedives into the runway at Russia’s Rostov airport. And investigators uncover one of the most lethal traps in aviation.

A Martinair flight crashes in Portugal amid thunderstorms and heavy rain, and when investigators piece together the evidence the mystery only deepens.

Rocked by an explosion that rips both right wing engines off the wing, the pilots of Transair 671 manage a miraculous landing at a French military airfield.

When Alaska Airlines Flight 261 suddenly nosedives into the Pacific, investigators uncover a critical maintenance issue with deadly implications.

After a Boeing 727’s near-fatal nosedive over Michigan, investigators risk their own lives to determine why TWA Flight 841 fell out of the sky.

Facing a severe thunderstorm and a control tower shutdown, American Airlines 1572 suffers double-engine failure on final approach into Windsor Locks Airport in Connecticut.

An Illinois turboprop crashes in bad weather, and investigators eventually uncover a fatal assumption and deadly decision.

After a turboprop crashes in North Carolina, investigators resort to a risky test flight—and uncover an industry-wide safety problem.

When basketball legend Kobe Bryant is killed in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles, investigators look for clues amid a global outpouring of grief.