Poster for Air Disasters

Smithsonian Channel 2011 - 25 seasons 286 eps TV-14 Returning series

Air Disasters

2011 - 25 seasons 286 eps TV-14

7.8

Season 25

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Specials

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10

Season 11

Season 12

Season 13

Season 14

Season 15

Season 16

Season 17

Season 18

Season 19

Season 20

Season 21

Season 22

Season 23

Season 24

Season 25

44 min

S25 · E1 · Mar 8, 2026

Pacific Ditching Episode 1

On Jul 2, 2021 — Transair Flight 810 (Boeing 737): Minutes after a night takeoff from Honolulu, a cargo crew reports engine trouble and ditches in the dark Pacific — but the recovered wreckage tells a different story than the pilots do.

44 min

S25 · E2 · Jul 12, 2026

Running On Empty Episode 2

On Aug 13, 2004 — Air Tahoma Flight 185 (Convair 580): Within sight of the runway at Cincinnati, both engines of a cargo turboprop flame out, and it comes down on a golf course short of the field.

44 min

S25 · E3 · Jul 19, 2026

Power Struggle Episode 3

On Jan 9, 2021 — Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 (Boeing 737): Minutes after leaving Jakarta in heavy rain, a jet banks hard and plunges into the Java Sea, and the investigation surfaces defects no one had caught.

44 min

S25 · E4 · Jul 26, 2026

Second Thoughts Episode 4

On Nov 6, 2002 — Luxair Flight 9642 (Fokker 50): On a foggy morning approach to Luxembourg, a commuter flight from Berlin suddenly drops from the sky just miles from the runway.

44 min

S25 · E5 · Aug 2, 2026

Powerless Plunge Episode 5

On Feb 27, 2001 — Loganair Flight 670A (Short 360): Moments after a night takeoff from Edinburgh, a mail plane loses both engines and comes down in the frigid Firth of Forth, and investigators trace the cause to the ground.

44 min

S25 · E6 · Aug 9, 2026

Cabin Chaos Episode 6

On Apr 6, 1993 — China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 (MD-11): High over the North Pacific, a jet suddenly pitches into violent oscillations that hurl passengers about the cabin, forcing an emergency landing on a remote Aleutian island.

44 min

S25 · E7 · Aug 16, 2026

Deadly Climb Episode 7

On Sep 6, 1985 — Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 (DC-9): Seconds after takeoff from Milwaukee — in aviation's deadliest year — a jet rolls out of its climb and crashes just beyond the airport.

44 min

S25 · E8 · Aug 23, 2026

Firebomber Down Episode 8

On Jan 23, 2020 — Coulson Aviation Tanker 134 (C-130): Battling catastrophic bushfires in New South Wales, an air tanker goes down after a retardant drop, and investigators must work inside an active fire zone.

44 min

S25 · E9 · Aug 30, 2026

Collision Catastrophe Episode 9

On Jul 1, 2002 — Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 & DHL Flight 611: Witnesses on the ground watch two aircraft collide in the night sky over southern Germany, and investigators confront how it could happen under modern air traffic control.

44 min

S25 · E10 · Sep 6, 2026

Fatal Test Flight Episode 10

On Dec 22, 1996 — Airborne Express Flight 827 (DC-8): During a post-maintenance evaluation flight over Virginia, a cargo jet's test of its stall behavior goes catastrophically wrong in the mountains.

44 min

S25 · E11 · Sep 13, 2026

No Exit Episode 11

On Feb 1, 1991 — USAir Flight 1493 (Boeing 737): After a runway collision at LAX, passengers aboard the burning jet face a desperate struggle to escape — and the investigation reshapes evacuation safety.

11 episodes in Season 25

Some details come from TheTVDB.

“The disaster is only the beginning of the story.”

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 weave the gripping tales, and expert testimony reveals the hows and whys behind the events, some of which have resulted in important changes to aviation safety and regulations.

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fuboTV

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Paramount Plus

Stream · Free

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YouTube TV

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The Roku Channel

Free with ads

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Cast

1 person

Stephen Bogaert

Narrator

Known for

The Umbrella Academy

It

Bernard Vaillot Creator · André Barro Creator

Creator

Bernard Vaillot

Creator

André Barro

Total runtime 214h 30m · Episode length 45 min · Type Documentary

Show info

Premiered

May 15, 2011

Latest episode

September 13, 2026

Status

Returning series

Network

Smithsonian Channel

Country

United States

Type

Documentary

Episode length

45 min

Total runtime

214h 30m

Original language

English

Production

Canada

Produced in

Languages

Spoken on screen

English

More from Bernard Vaillot

Other shows they created, best known first.

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Some details come from TheTVDB.

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