The BEST episodes of Mayday
Every episode of Mayday ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Mayday!
Revealing the dark truth that aviation safety improves one crash at a time, Mayday investigates legendary aviation disasters to find out what went wrong and why. Based on cockpit voice recorders, accident reports and eyewitness accounts, every episode also features interviews, state-of-the-art CGI and gripping reenactments.
#1 - Fanning the Flames (South African Airways Flight 295)
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/21/2008
Alternative titles: "Cargo Conspiracy" and "Mystery Fire". South African Airways Flight 295 starts filling with smoke over the Indian Ocean. A fire has erupted in the rear main level cargo area; the pilots successfully open the doors in flight to clear the smoke from the aircraft, however it crashes with no survivors.
#2 - Dangerous Approach (Continental Express Flight 2286)
Season 16 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/12/2016
When Continental Express Flight 2286 plunges into the frozen wilderness just a few miles from the runway, it's up to investigators to figure out what went wrong, leading to a shocking conclusion.
Watch Now:Amazon
#4 - Slam Dunk (United Express Flight 6291)
Season 19 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/11/2019
En route from Washington, D.C. to Columbus, Ohio, United Express Flight 6291 is on its final approach when the high-performance twin turboprop crashes just a mile from the runway. Three survivors emerge from the inferno, but the disaster claims the lives of the three crewmembers and the other two passengers on board. The charred remains leave little for investigators to work with. That is, until the cockpit voice recorder reveals the smoking gun.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
#5 - Runway Runoff (Continental Airlines Flight 1404)
Season 19 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/13/2019
Continental Airlines Flight 1404 is speeding down the runway at Denver International Airport when the aircraft suddenly careens off the runway, crashes, and bursts into flame. Everyone on board escapes death, and then it's up to investigators to figure out what happened. At first, clues point to a deadly mechanical problem previously found on other Boeing 737s. But investigators eventually find the true culprit in the Rocky Mountains.
Watch Now:Amazon
#6 - Fatal Climb (Tarom Flight 371)
Season 19 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/28/2019
Just minutes after taking off from Bucharest, Romania, Tarom Flight 371 banks sharply to the left, veers off course, and nosedives into a farmer's field. It's the deadliest air disaster in the country's history, and rumors of a bomb on board quickly reach a frenzied pitch in the country's newly free press. Romanian investigators call in the FBI to determine if it was an accident or an act of murder. But it's ultimately the captain's own voice that reveals the underlying cause of the disaster.
Watch Now:Amazon
#7 - Fatal Approach (KLM Cityhopper Flight 433)
Season 19 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/16/2019
En route from Amsterdam to Cardiff, Wales, the crew of KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 report an engine problem and head back to the airport. But just as they're about to touch down, the dual turboprop banks sharply to the right, the wing grazes the ground, and the aircraft crashes and breaks apart on a field next to the runway. Of the 24 people on board, two passengers and the captain are dead. And when investigators from the Dutch Safety Board pore over the evidence, they determine that a minor circuitry problem sparked a cascading series of fatal errors.
Watch Now:Amazon
#8 - Deadly Pitch (Fine Air Flight 101)
Season 19 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/21/2019
En route to the Dominican Republic with more than 87,000 pounds of denim, Fine Air Cargo Flight 101 takes off from Miami. But just moments later, the plane crashes to the ground, careens across a freeway, and plows into a building. Hundreds of bystanders witness the carnage, and though investigators are determined to figure out what happened, it will take an anonymous tip to break the case wide open.
Watch Now:Amazon
#9 - Death Race (2011 Reno Air Races)
Season 19 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/7/2019
Flying just a few hundred feet above the desert, six single-engine WW2 fighter planes get into position for the highlight event of the Reno Air Races. And with 30,000 spectators watching from below, they fly an eight-mile oval at close to 450 miles per hour. Competing in a highly-modified P-51 Mustang called 'The Galloping Ghost', local legend Jimmy Leeward is determined to set a new speed record. But half-way through the race, his plane suddenly pitches up, spirals out of control, and crashes onto the tarmac in front of the stands. It's one of the worst air race crashes of all time, and investigators call on the pilot's close friend to help them...
Watch Now:Amazon
#10 - Deadly Display (Mt. Salak Sukhoi Superjet 100)
Season 18 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/16/2018
On a high-stakes demonstration flight in Indonesia, a Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet slams into a mountain killing everyone on board. It's one of the most challenging salvage operations Indonesian investigators have ever faced.
Watch Now:Amazon
#11 - Borderline Tactics (American International Airways 808)
Season 19 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/14/2019
An American cargo plane attempts a difficult landing at the US naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. With the runway just a few meters from the armed border, the maneuver requires avoiding Cuban airspace. But something goes terribly wrong on its final approach, and the DC-8 crashes at the end of the runway. At first, investigators wonder if Cuba somehow played a role in the crash, but they eventually uncover an invisible culprit that threatens the lives of cargo pilots everywhere.
Watch Now:Amazon
#13 - Lockerbie Disaster (Pan Am 103)
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/11/2009
Shortly after leaving London Heathrow airport in December 1988, Pan Am flight 103 exploded above Lockerbie , Scotland killing 270 people. Investigators soon discovered that a bomb in the forward cargo compartment had taken down the plane.
Watch Now:Amazon
#14 - Blown Apart (Partnair Flight 394)
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/18/2009
AKA "Deadly Prize/Silent Killer" On September 8, 1989, Partnair Flight 94, a charter from Oslo to Hamburg, suddenly begins to dive from 22 thousand feet. The aging propeller plane eventually crashes into the sea, killing all 55 people on board.
Watch Now:Amazon
#16 - Sight Unseen (1996 Charki Dadri mid-air collision)
Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/2/2009
Alternate title: Head on Collision/Crash Course/Collision Course Find out what went wrong when a Kazakhstan Airlines jet and a Saudi Airways plane collided in the worst mid-air crash in aviation history, killing 349 people on November 12, 1996.
Watch Now:Amazon
#17 - Runaway Train
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/16/2005
On 12 May 1989, a 69-car freight train went out of control while descending from California's Cajon Pass. It derailed into a residential neighborhood of San Bernardino after reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Two residents and two train crew were killed in the initial crash. A clerical error had caused the train's weight to be greatly underestimated, and it had been assembled without enough locomotives to provide adequate braking. Additionally, several of the engines had completely inoperable brakes, but this information was not passed on to the crews. More than a week later, an underground gasoline pipeline, which was damaged by earth-moving equipment during crash cleanup, ruptured and sparked a fire that killed a further two people.
Watch Now:Amazon
#18 - Who's Flying The Plane?
Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/2/2008
This special looks at accidents and incidents where problems with the interface between crew members and onboard avionics were a factor, and the causes of those problems. Episodes re-visited: 1x05-Flying Blind, 4x06-Panic Over the Pacific, 3x07-Kid in the Cockpit, 4x07-Vertigo, 1x03-Flying on Empty.
Watch Now:Amazon
#20 - Split Decision (Arrow Air Flight 1285)
Season 11 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/26/2011
December 12th, 1985 After a six-month peace keeping mission in the Middle East, 248 elite American soldiers are on their way home for the Christmas holidays. Destined for Fort Campbell, Kentucky, they are travelling on Arrow Air Flight #1285, a discount air carrier contracted by the military to transport troops. En route from Cairo, the DC-8 eventually touches down for a routine refueling stop in Gander, Newfoundland. But just seconds after taking off again for the last leg of its journey, the plane immediately loses airspeed and altitude and crashes into a heavily wooded area just outside the remote Canadian town. An unprecedented disaster, it is one of the deadliest aviation accidents of all time and the resulting investigation ignites a storm of controversy that continues to this day.
Watch Now:Amazon
#22 - Football Tragedy (LaMia Flight 2933)
Season 19 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/4/2019
With Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team on board, LaMia Flight 2933 is on its final approach to Medellin, Columbia when the crew suddenly declares a fuel emergency. Before air traffic control even has time to clear a path, the plane crashes on the crest of a mountain, killing nearly everyone on board. With the soccer world in mourning, investigators face incredible pressure to figure out what happened. And as they pore over the evidence, they uncover a disturbing tale of greed and a deadly gamble.
Watch Now:Amazon
#23 - Niki Lauda: Testing the Limits (Lauda Air Flight 004)
Season 14 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/12/2015
On 26 May 1991, Lauda Air Flight 004 spiral out of control and disintegrate about 100 miles northwest of Bangkok. All of the 223 passengers and crew die in the crash. AKA Niki Lauda: Testing The Limits.
Watch Now:Amazon
#24 - I'm The Problem (Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771)
Season 11 - Episode 10 - Aired 2/10/2012
On 7 December 1987, an angry former USAir employee by the name of David Burke boarded its parent airline, PSA Flight 1771 en route to San Francisco. The hijacker killed the pilots and shot himself after take off. Shortly afterwards the CVR picked up increasing windscreen noise as the airplane began to dive rapidly and shortly thereafter the plane crashed in a cattle ranch in San Luis Obispo County, California. All 43 people onboard were killed.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV