Mayday: Season 1

2003 · 6 episodes · ★ 7.9

What Season 1 of Mayday

Season 1 of Mayday (also known as Air Emergency and Air Crash) features six episodes about accidents, near misses and technical failures that shaped aviation history. Each episode traces the chain of events that led to the emergency, from a stormy landing in Little Rock to a plane that glides for minutes without both engines until it reaches the Azores. Stephen Bogaert narrates as dramatized reenactments, computer animation and archival footage come together. Between scenes, experts, retired pilots and investigators explain what went wrong, how it was investigated and what could have been prevented. The conflicts revolve around human error, maintenance decisions and equipment failures, and the heart of each story is the flight crews fighting to keep the plane under control.

6episodes

Sep 3, 2003premiered

Oct 22, 2003final episode

4.7 hrtotal runtime

Season 1 Episodes

1x01 Racing the storm
Sep 3, 2003 · 45 min · ★ 7.9
On June 1, 1999, American Airlines Flight 1420 tries to land at the Little Rock National Airport during a storm, but overruns the runway, killing eleven people.
Directing: Léo Singer · Starring: Peter James Haworth, Sean Sullivan, Kelly Bodanis, Gregory Feith
1x02 Unlocking Disaster
Sep 10, 2003 · 52 min · ★ 7.5
On February 24, 1989, United Airlines Flight 811 is flying above the Pacific Ocean, when part of the right-side fuselage is ripped off, ejecting nine people from the aircraft and causing explosive decompression. The flight later lands safely at Honolulu without any more loss of life.
Directing: Bryn Higgins · Writing: Andrew Weir · Starring: Jano Frandsen, Bill Dow, Chris Gibson
1x03 Flying Blind
Sep 17, 2003 · 52 min · ★ 7.9
On October 2, 1996, shortly after take off, the crew of Aeroperú Flight 603 is confused by false speed and altitude readings and contradictory warnings from the aircraft's air data system. In preparation for an emergency landing, the crew descends the aircraft, but unknowingly descend too far by relying on the false readings. The Boeing 757 crashes into the water, killing everyone on board.
Directing: Gary Lang · Writing: Gary Lang · Starring: Pat Mastroianni, Victor A. Young, Nicholas Kilbertus
1x04 Flying on Empty
Oct 8, 2003 · 45 min · ★ 7.3
On August 24, 2001, Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The pilots of the aircraft glide it to a safe landing on a runway at a naval base on an island in the Azores.
Directing: Bernard Vaillot · Writing: Bernard Vaillot · Starring: Guy Richer, Nick Baillie, Natacha La Ferriere
1x05 Cutting Corners
Oct 15, 2003 · 45 min · ★ 8.3
On January31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261's trimmable horizontal stabilizer jams and breaks free from its control system. The aircraft dives inverted into the Pacific Ocean, causing the death of all 88 on board.
Directing: Greg Lanning · Writing: Andrew Weir · Starring: Ray Kahnert, Barry Flatman, Eric Weinthal, Bernie Henry
1x06 Fire on Board Season Finale
Oct 22, 2003 · 45 min · ★ 8.2
On September 2, 1998, a fire breaks out on Swissair Flight 111 while in-flight, damaging vital systems and causing the aircraft to crash into the sea off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, with no survivors.
Directing: Gary Lang · Writing: Gary Lang · Starring: Christopher Bondy, Richard Quesnel, Andrew Sabiston, Barry Stillwell