Air Disasters: Season 18
Season 18 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Air Disasters Season 17.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 18 Progress Shield
Cockpit Failure
Sep 25, 2022 · 44 min
On Nov 24, 2001 — Crossair Flight 3597 (Avro RJ100): On a night approach to Zurich in poor weather, a regional jet descends into a wooded hillside short of the runway, and the airl
The Heathrow Enigma
Oct 2, 2022 · 44 min
On Jan 17, 2008 — British Airways Flight 38 (Boeing 777): Seconds from touchdown at Heathrow, both engines of one of the world's safest jets refuse to respond, leaving the crew a h
Pilot Betrayed
Oct 9, 2022 · 44 min
On Dec 27, 1991 — SAS Flight 751 (MD-81): Minutes after taking off from a snowy Stockholm, a jet loses both engines, forcing a desperate landing in a frozen field — and ending a ca
Dead Tired
Oct 16, 2022 · 44 min
On Feb 12, 2009 — Continental Connection Flight 3407 (Dash 8 Q400): On approach to Buffalo on a winter night, a commuter flight suddenly pitches out of control and falls onto a hou
Hudson River Runway
Oct 23, 2022 · 44 min
On Jan 15, 2009 — US Airways Flight 1549 (Airbus A320): Minutes after leaving LaGuardia, a jet loses both engines to a bird strike over New York City — and the crew makes history o
Who's In Control?
Oct 30, 2022 · 44 min
On Feb 25, 2009 — Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 (Boeing 737): On final approach to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, a jet drops out of the sky into a farm field, and investigators weig
Unlocking Disaster
Nov 6, 2022 · 44 min
On Feb 24, 1989 — United Airlines Flight 811 (Boeing 747): Climbing out of Honolulu, a jumbo jet's cargo door area bursts open, tearing a hole in the cabin — and one victim's paren
Racing The Storm
Nov 13, 2022 · 44 min
On Jun 1, 1999 — American Airlines Flight 1420 (MD-82): Pushing to beat a violent storm into Little Rock, Arkansas, a crew gets their jet on the runway — but can't keep it there.
Fire on Board
Nov 20, 2022 · 44 min
On Sep 2, 1998 — Swissair Flight 111 (MD-11): A flight from New York to Geneva reports smoke in the cockpit over the Atlantic and turns for Halifax, beginning one of the most exhau
Cutting Corners
Nov 27, 2022 · 44 min
On Jan 31, 2000 — Alaska Airlines Flight 261 (MD-83): After a jammed stabilizer leaves a jet nearly uncontrollable off the California coast, investigators uncover disturbing truths
Flying on Empty
Jan 8, 2023 · 44 min
On Aug 24, 2001 — Air Transat Flight 236 (Airbus A330): High over the Atlantic, a state-of-the-art jet runs out of fuel, leaving the crew to glide toward a tiny island in the Azore
Blow Out
Jan 15, 2023 · 44 min
On Jun 10, 1990 — British Airways Flight 5390 (BAC One-Eleven): A cockpit windscreen blows out at 17,000 feet, pulling the captain halfway out of the aircraft — and the crew must l
A Wounded Bird
Jan 22, 2023 · 44 min
On Aug 21, 1995 — Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 (Embraer 120): A propeller blade snaps over Georgia, wrecking an engine on its mount and forcing the crew down into a hayfi
The Killing Machine
Jan 29, 2023 · 44 min
On Dec 24, 1994 — Air France Flight 8969 (Airbus A300): Hijackers seize a jet on the ground in Algiers on Christmas Eve, beginning a three-day ordeal that ends with French commando
Flying Blind
Feb 5, 2023 · 44 min
On Oct 2, 1996 — Aeroperú Flight 603 (Boeing 757): On a night departure from Lima, a jet's instruments feed the crew a stream of contradictions over the dark Pacific — and the caus
Deadly Crossroads
Feb 12, 2023 · 44 min
On Jul 1, 2002 — Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 & DHL Flight 611: A passenger jet and a cargo plane cross paths at night over Überlingen, Germany, and the investigation turns to t
Lost
Feb 19, 2023 · 44 min
On Dec 20, 1995 — American Airlines Flight 965 (Boeing 757): On a night descent toward Cali, Colombia, a jet drifts off course into mountainous terrain, and investigators probe the
Missing Over New York
Feb 26, 2023 · 44 min
On Jan 25, 1990 — Avianca Flight 52 (Boeing 707): After hours of holding in bad weather outside New York, a flight from Colombia goes silent and comes down in a Long Island village
Runaway Train
Mar 5, 2023 · 44 min
On May 12, 1989 — Southern Pacific freight train, San Bernardino, CA: Descending the Cajon Pass with far more weight than its crew realizes, a freight train loses its brakes and de
Collision Course
Mar 5, 2023 · 44 min
On Sep 26, 2000 — Express Samina (Greek ferry): On a windy night crossing to Paros, a ferry strikes a charted rock formation within sight of port, plunging hundreds of passengers i
Head-On Collision
Mar 12, 2023 · 44 min
On Feb 8, 1986 — CN freight & VIA Rail passenger trains, Hinton, Alberta: Two trains meet head-on on the same track in the Canadian Rockies — one of the deadliest and most puzzling
Ripped Apart
Mar 12, 2023 · 44 min
Special — Multiple incidents (1988–1990), including Aloha Airlines Flight 243, United Airlines Flight 811, and British Airways Flight 5390: How seemingly minor flaws in windows, do
Fatal Flaw
Mar 19, 2023 · 44 min
Special — Multiple incidents (1985–2000), including Japan Airlines Flight 123 and Alaska Airlines Flight 261: How maintenance oversights and cost-cutting have led to some of aviati
Who's Flying the Plane?
Mar 19, 2023 · 44 min
Special — Multiple incidents: When automation and pilots stop working together, the results reveal how delicate the balance is between human skill and the machines built to help.