History: List of Mayday Episodes

Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation is a documentary television program investigating air crashes, hijackings, near-misses, bombings and other aviation related disasters. The documentaries use re-enactments and computer generated imagery to reconstruct the events leading up to the disaster. Several aviation experts, air crash investigators and retired pilots are interviewed during each episode, they explain how these emergencies happened, how were they investigated and potential ways to avoid similar events

As of 20 February 2018, 153 episodes have aired. This includes 5 Science of Disaster specials and 3 Crash Scene Investigation spin-offs (these do not examine aircraft crashes)

Series timeline

Episode list

Season 1 (2003)

No	#	Title	Incident	Original air date
1	1	Unlocking Disaster	United Airlines Flight 811	10 September 2003
On 24 February 1989 a United Airlines Flight 811 suffers an explosive decompression after part of the right-side fuselage rips off. Nine people are ejected from the aircraft but the pilots safely land the airplane in Honolulu without any more loss of life. The investigation later determined that an electrical short-circuit caused the cargo door to open.
Type of aircraft: Boeing 747-100
2	2	Racing the Storm	American Airlines Flight 1420	3 September 2003
On 1 June 1999, American Airlines Flight 1420 overruns the runway upon landing at the Little Rock National Airport during a storm, killing 11 people. The crash was attributed to pilot error, the crew failed to arm the spoilers during their pre-landing checks.
Type of aircraft: McDonnel Douglas MD-82
3	3	Fire on Board	Swissair Flight 111	22 October 2003
On 2 September 1998 a fire breaks out on Swissair Flight 111 while in flight over the Atlantic Ocean. The fire damages vital systems and causes the aircraft to crash into the ocean near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. There were no survivors. The investigation revealed that the fire was caused by faulty wiring in the on-board first-class and business-class entertainement systems.
Type of aircraft: McDonnel Douglas MD-11
4	4	Flying Blind	Aeroperú Flight 603	17 September 2003
On 2 October 1996, Aeroperú Flight 603 crashed into the water killing all passengers and crew. The aircraft was preparing for an emergency landing after the crew noticed false speed and altitude readings and contradictory warnings from the aircraft's air data system, however they descended too far by relying on those false readings. The cause of these readings was determined to be duct tape over the static ports, which was used to protect the ports during maintenance, but was never removed afterwards.
Type of aircraft: Boeing 757-200
5	5	Cutting Corners	Alaska Airlines Flight 261	15 October 2003
On 31 January 2000, the trimmable horizontal stabilizer of the McDonnel Douglas MD-83 operating Alaska Airlines Flight 261 jams and breaks from its control system. The aircraft starts an inverted dive into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 passengers and crew on board. The investigation determined that the horizontal stabilizer failed due to an improperly maintained jack-screw assembly.
Type of aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-83
6	6	Flying on Empty	Air Transat Flight 236	8 October 2003
On 24 August 2001 an Airbus A330-200 operating Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The pilots manage to glide the aircraft to a safe landing at a naval base in the Azores. Investigation determined that improper maintenance work allowed a hydraulic line and a fuel line to rub together, as a result the line fractured and started to leak.
Type of aircraft: Airbus A330-200

Season 2 (2004)

No	#	Title	Incident	Original air date
7	1	Blowout	British Airways Flight 5390	23 January 2005
On 10 June 1990, the cockpit window of a Bac One Eleven operating British Airways Flight 5390 blows out. The captain of the aircraft is partially ejected and injured. Another member of the cabin crew clings to his legs preventing him from being completely ejected. The co-pilot of the aircraft completes an emergency landing without any further injuries or death. Responding emergency services find that the captain is still alive after being outside the cockpit for 21 minutes. Investigation determined that the blowout was caused by a maintenance worker who installed the cockpit window with incorrect size bolts during maintenance work.
Type of aircraft: Bac 1-11 528FL

Season 2 (2004)

No	#	Title	Incident	Original air date