Why Planes Crash

Normally, each episode would feature three to four accidents. Over the course of the 43-minute program, aviation experts such as veteran pilot and founder of Safety Operating Systems John M. Cox, as well as former NTSB investigators John Goglia and Greg Feith, would discuss the events and what caused or led up to the crash. Similar to Air Crash Investigation, the show also featured state-of-the-art CGI recreations and visuals to graphically illustrate what occurred during the accident.{{cite web | url = https://m.imdb.com/title/tt4206688/ | title = Why Planes Crash – TWC | work = iMDb.com | date = 20 April 2016 | accessdate = 16 July 2017}}

In some episodes, a survivor (or multiple survivors) would explain what they experienced during the accident. For example, in the very first episode, Captain Balsey DeWitt, pilot of ALM Flight 980, was interviewed.{{Cite web|date=2010-12-16|title=MSNBC|url=https://35milesfromshore.com/msnbc/|access-date=2020-12-05|website=35 Miles From Shore|language=en-US}}

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|EpisodeNumber2 = 1

|Title = Brace for Impact

|DirectedBy = Caroline Sommers

|WrittenBy = Caroline Sommers

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2009|7|12}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = Exploring terrifying airplane disasters, beginning with a look at why pilots risk ditching in water, and a hijacked 767 that was forced into the ocean.

---- Accidents: US Airways Flight 1549, ALM Flight 980, Garuda Indonesia Flight 421, Tuninter Flight 1153, Pan Am Flight 6, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|EpisodeNumber2 = 2

|Title = Breaking Point

|DirectedBy = Caroline Sommers

|WrittenBy = Caroline Sommers

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2010|1|17}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = A gripping look at how engines and structures have failed in flight, including how nine passengers were sucked out of a 747 when a cargo door exploded over the Pacific.

---- Accidents: Aloha Airlines Flight 243, American Airlines Flight 191, United Airlines Flight 811, Japan Airlines Flight 123

---- Note: The episode also mentions the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 and Continental Airlines Flight 1713.

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|Title = Human Error

|DirectedBy =

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|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2010|11|21}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary =

Instances of human error that resulted in plane crashes are examined. Included: a 737 hits a small turboprop on a runway; an Airbus 300 crashes after its tail breaks off; an L-1011 jumbo jet plunges into the Everglades; a jet slams into a hillside; a commuter-plane mishap over a Buffalo suburb.

---- Accidents: 1991 Los Angeles airport runway collision, Colgan Air Flight 3407, American Airlines Flight 587, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, Avianca Flight 52

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|EpisodeNumber2 = 4

|Title = Fire in the Sky

|DirectedBy =

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|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2010|11|28}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary =

Instances of onboard fires are examined. Included: a DC-9 crashes into the Everglades after a fire causes the pilots to lose control; an MD-11 crashes after smoke fills the cockpit; a DC-9 loses its electrical systems two hours into a flight; a flame-engulfed plane crashes into a hotel.

---- Accidents: Swissair Flight 111, Air France Flight 4590, ValuJet Flight 592, Air Canada Flight 797

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 5

|EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|Title = Collision Course

|DirectedBy = Caroline Sommers

|WrittenBy = Caroline Sommers

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|04|27}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary =

Examining collisions between planes. Included: a corporate jet and a 737 collide while 37,000 feet above the Amazon; a DC-8 tears into the fuselage of a Lockheed Constellation a mile above New York City; a 727 slams into a Cessna above San Diego; and near L.A., a small plane smashes into a DC-9.

---- Accidents: 2006 Mato Grosso mid-air collision, 1960 New York mid-air collision, 1978 San Diego mid-air collision, 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision

---- Note: The episode also mentions the Grand Canyon mid-air collision, 1967 Hendersonville mid-air collision and 1973 Nantes mid-air collision.

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 6

|EpisodeNumber2 = 1

|Title = Crisis in the Sky (aka 'Crisis in the Cockpit')

|DirectedBy = Caroline Sommers

|WrittenBy = Caroline Sommers

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|12|15}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = Season 2 begins with a look at cockpit communication and how it improved with the implementation of Crew Resource Management (CRM) in 1979.

---- Accidents: United Airlines Flight 173, United Airlines Flight 232, Korean Air Flight 801

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 7

|EpisodeNumber2 = 2

|Title = Brush With Death

|DirectedBy = Caroline Sommers

|WrittenBy = Caroline Sommers

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|12|22}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = Plane-crash survivors recall their frightening experiences.

---- Accidents: Air Florida Flight 90, Downeast Flight 46, 2012 Cessna 401 accident

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 8

|EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|Title = Severe Weather

|DirectedBy =

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2014|12|29}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = The effects of storms, high winds and microbursts on planes are examined.

---- Accidents: Southern Airways Flight 242, Delta Air Lines Flight 191, Air France Flight 358

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 9

|EpisodeNumber2 = 4

|Title = Small Planes, Big Problem

|DirectedBy = Sarah Hutt

|WrittenBy = Sarah Hutt

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|01|04}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = Hazards posed to small planes, including bad weather, poor visibility and distractions, are examined.

---- Accidents: John F. Kennedy Jr. plane crash, 2006 New York City plane crash, 1996 Cessna 177B crash

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 10

|EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|Title = Sudden Impact

|DirectedBy =

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|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|01|05}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = A look at terrible crashes that can result from planes veering off course or poor visibility.

---- Accidents: Air New Zealand Flight 901, American Airlines Flight 965, Air Inter Flight 148

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 11

|EpisodeNumber2 = 6

|Title = Chopper Down

|DirectedBy = Sarah Hutt

|WrittenBy = Sarah Hutt

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|01|12}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = A look at helicopters highlights their uses for rescues and rapid responses, but also examines the unique set of dangers involved in their operation.

---- Accidents: 2002 USAF Pavehawk rescue accident, 2009 Hudson River mid-air collision, 2008 Sikorsky S-61N crash

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 12

|EpisodeNumber2 = 7

|Title = Who’s Flying

|DirectedBy =

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|01|19}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = Plane crashes that resulted from automation failures are spotlighted.

---- Accidents: Air France Flight 447, China Airlines Flight 006, Turkish Airlines Flight 1951

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{{Episode list/sublist|Why Planes Crash

|EpisodeNumber = 13

|EpisodeNumber2 = 8

|Title = Fatal Flaws

|DirectedBy =

|WrittenBy =

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2015|01|20}}

|DateOfEpisode =

|ProdCode = N/A

|ShortSummary = A look at three accidents and how they led to changes in the aviation industry.

---- Accidents: USAir Flight 427, United Airlines Flight 585. TWA Flight 800, 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision

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In the episode "Sudden Impact", the date for Flight 148 is first given as December 20, 1992 (the correct date), but later it changes to December 22, 1992.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://uktvplay.co.uk/shows/why-planes-crash/where-to-watch UKTV Shows legacy webpage] – does not link to actual programs

{{MSNBC programming}}

Category:American documentary television films

Category:Documentary television series about aviation

Category:MSNBC original programming

Category:2009 American television series debuts

Category:2015 American television series endings

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