Mayday: Season 2

2005 · 6 episodes · ★ 7.7

What Season 2 of Mayday

Season 2 of Mayday: Air Disaster kicks off on 1990 with a cockpit window shattering on a British Airways flight, sucking the captain partially out of the aircraft. From there, each episode tackles a different problem: a propeller that deteriorates, a hijacking in Algiers, a midair collision over Germany, a navigation mix-up in Colombia, and a plane running low on fuel near New York. The main characters are pilots, crew members, air traffic controllers, and a maintenance technician, whose decisions or mistakes shape the course of each story. Dramatizations alternate with interviews with experts and investigators who explain what went wrong and why.

6episodes

Jan 23, 2005premiered

Feb 27, 2005last episode

4.5 hrtotal runtime

Season 2 Episodes

2x01 Blow Out
Jan 23, 2005 · 45 min · ★ 8.6
On June 10, 1990, the cockpit window blows out on British Airways Flight 5390, partially ejecting and injuring the captain through the hole. A member of the cabin crew clings to his legs as the co-pilot completes an emergency landing without any fatality. The captain is found to be still alive after being outside the cockpit for 21 minutes.
Directing: Nigel Levy · Starring: Andrew Loudon, Howard Teale, Benedict Sandiford, Robert Curbishley
2x02 A Wounded Bird
Jan 30, 2005 · 45 min · ★ 7.8
On 21 August 1995, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 is climbing to its cruising altitude, when a blade on the left-side propeller comes off. The imbalance of the rotating propeller causes the engine to partly tear itself from its mounting, creating excessive drag. The aircraft rapidly loses altitude and crashes, killing nine people.
Directing: Phil Comeau · Starring: James McGowan, Dwayne Hill, Jacqueline Pillon, Michael Ripley
2x03 The Killing Machine
Feb 6, 2005 · 45 min · ★ 7.0
On 24 December 1994, Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Algiers Airport. The four terrorists demand the aircraft be allowed to depart for Paris so they can blow up the aircraft over the Eiffel Tower, but the Algerian Army blocks the aircraft with vehicles and refuse to allow it to take off. Unable to carry out their plans, the terrorists kill three passengers over the next two days. The aircraft is then cleared to take off, but the crew diverts to Marseille Provence Airport. The hostage rescue team of the French Gendarmerie storms the aircraft, and after a gun battle in the cabin, the four hijackers are killed and everyone else is evacuated. It is described as "one of the most successful anti-terrorist operations in history."
Directing: Chantal Hébert · Writing: Chantal Hébert · Starring: Afrah Gouda, Dylan Ramsey, Jean Pearson, Jean-Michel Nadeau
2x04 Deadly Crossroads
Feb 13, 2005 · 45 min · ★ 9.0
On 1 July 2002, Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 collides with DHL Flight 611 in German airspace near Überlingen. Flight 2937 is destroyed instantly, and the DHL cargo aircraft crashes shortly afterwards, killing all 71 people on board the two aircraft.
Directing: Phil Comeau · Writing: Phil Comeau · Starring: Stephen Sparks, Bob Desrosiers, Paul Saunders, Sergei Nikolich
2x05 Lost
Feb 20, 2005 · 45 min · ★ 7.2
On 20 December 1995, American Airlines Flight 965 is en route to Cali, Colombia. The crew members are asked if they would like to perform a straight-in approach to Cali. The pilots accept the offer, but as they are making the necessary changes, they inadvertently remove the waypoints from the flight plan in their flight management system (FMS), causing them to become unsure of their exact position. The crew members' mistakes leads them to fly the aircraft into a 9,000 foot mountain near Buga. Only four passengers and a dog survive.
Directing: Tim Wolochatiuk · Writing: Tim Wolochatiuk · Starring: Michelle Arvizu, Don Allison, Rami Posner, Stefano DiMatteo
2x06 Missing Over New York Season Finale
Feb 27, 2005 · 45 min
On 25 January 1990, Avianca Flight 52, a flight to New York City from Colombia, is delayed numerous times by bad weather en route and is dangerously low on fuel as it attempts a landing. Wind shear forces the crew to abort the approach just one mile from the runway. They initiate a go-around, but are directed back into a holding pattern by air traffic controllers who are unaware of the low fuel situation. The Boeing 707 then runs out of fuel, causing it to crash on Long Island near New York.
Directing: Michael Jorgensen · Writing: Michael Jorgensen · Starring: Andy Velasquez, Peter Nelson, Scott McCulloch, Jarrod MacLean