Flights Gone Wrong

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  1. Aloha Airlines Flight 243: 13 Minutes From Decompression to Maui

    Event: 1988Published: 30 Oct 2026

    On 28 April 1988 Aloha Airlines Flight 243 lost about 18 feet of its upper fuselage at 24,000 feet.

    View event: Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (1988)
    Location
    Near Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, United States
    Phase of flight
    Cruise
  2. American Airlines Flight 587: The ATC Audio and the Tail Failure

    Event: 2001Published: 22 Oct 2026

    This video sets the real air traffic control recordings from 12 November 2001 against the NTSB's findings on American Airlines Flight 587.

    View event: American Airlines Flight 587 (2001)
    Aircraft
    Airbus A300
    Location
    Belle Harbor, Queens, New York, United States
    Phase of flight
    Takeoff
  3. American Airlines Flight 587: Rudder Inputs, Design and Training

    Event: 2001Published: 17 Oct 2026

    American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300-605R, crashed into Belle Harbor, New York, shortly after take-off from JFK on 12 November 2001, killing all 260 on board and 5 people on the ground.

    View event: American Airlines Flight 587 (2001)
    Aircraft
    Airbus A300
    Location
    Belle Harbor, Queens, New York, United States
    Phase of flight
    Takeoff
  4. TWA Flight 800: How a Wiring Fault Ignited an Empty Fuel Tank

    Event: 1996Published: 21 Mar 2026

    TWA Flight 800 broke apart over the Atlantic in July 1996 when a short circuit most likely sent excess voltage into the fuel gauge wiring of its nearly empty centre tank, igniting fuel vapour warmed…

    View event: TWA Flight 800 (1996)
    Aircraft
    Boeing 747
    Location
    Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, Long Island, New York, United States
    Phase of flight
    Cruise
  5. United Airlines 811: The Cargo Door Failure and Revised Findings

    Published: 11 Oct 2025

    United Airlines Flight 811 suffered explosive decompression while climbing through 23,000 feet over the Pacific when its cargo door tore away, killing nine passengers.

    Aircraft
    Boeing 747
  6. Japan Air Lines Flight 123: The Faulty Repair Behind 520 Deaths

    Event: 1985Published: 16 Apr 2024

    Fascinating Horror's short documentary on Japan Air Lines Flight 123 starts with the aircraft's tail strike at Osaka in 1978 and ends at the memorial on the mountain.

    View event: Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (1985)
    Aircraft
    Boeing 747
    Location
    Ridge about 2.5 km north-northwest of Mount Mikuni, Ueno Village, Gunma Prefecture, Japan
    Phase of flight
    Cruise
  7. Alaska Airlines Flight 261: Two Hours With a Jammed Stabiliser

    Event: 2000Published: 15 Dec 2023

    Green Dot Aviation's animated documentary follows Alaska Airlines Flight 261 on 31 January 2000, from the climb out of Puerto Vallarta, when the stabiliser jammed, to the final inverted dive off…

    View event: Alaska Airlines Flight 261 (2000)
    Location
    Pacific Ocean, about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California, United States
    Phase of flight
    Cruise
  8. Alaska Airlines Flight 261: How a Worn Jackscrew Caused the Dive

    Event: 2000Published: 3 Jun 2023

    Mentour Pilot explains the loss of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 on 31 January 2000, beginning with how the MD-80's horizontal stabiliser and jackscrew work and how their maintenance was stretched over…

    View event: Alaska Airlines Flight 261 (2000)
    Location
    Pacific Ocean, about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California, United States
    Phase of flight
    Cruise
  9. United Airlines Flight 232: The Crash Landing at Sioux City, 1989

    Event: 1989Published: 16 May 2023

    Fascinating Horror's short documentary on United Airlines Flight 232 covers the flight from Denver on 19 July 1989, the tail engine failure that took out all three hydraulic systems, and the crew's…

    View event: United Airlines Flight 232 (1989)
    Location
    Sioux Gateway Airport, Sioux City, Iowa, United States
    Phase of flight
    Landing
  10. American Airlines Flight 191: Mayday on the O’Hare DC-10 Inquiry

    Event: 1979Published: 14 Apr 2023

    This Mayday episode follows the NTSB investigation into American Airlines Flight 191, the DC-10 that crashed after takeoff from Chicago O'Hare on 25 May 1979, killing 273 people.

    View event: American Airlines Flight 191 (1979)
    Location
    Open field and trailer park beside Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Des Plaines, Illinois, United States
    Phase of flight
    Takeoff
  11. Japan Air Lines Flight 123: How the Bulkhead Burst Took the Tail

    Event: 1985Published: 13 Apr 2022

    This four-minute Smithsonian Channel clip explains the mechanism of the Japan Air Lines Flight 123 accident in 1985.

    View event: Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (1985)
    Aircraft
    Boeing 747
    Location
    Ridge about 2.5 km north-northwest of Mount Mikuni, Ueno Village, Gunma Prefecture, Japan
    Phase of flight
    Cruise
  12. Aloha Airlines Flight 243: Fatigue Cracks and the NTSB Inquiry

    Event: 1988Published: 7 Jul 2021

    This shorter Mayday cut covers what happened after Aloha Airlines Flight 243 landed on Maui on 28 April 1988 with part of its roof missing.

    View event: Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (1988)
    Location
    Near Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, United States
    Phase of flight
    Cruise
  13. Aloha Airlines Flight 243: Landing a 737 With Its Roof Torn Away

    Event: 1988Published: 27 May 2021

    This full Mayday episode reconstructs Aloha Airlines Flight 243 on 28 April 1988, when an explosive decompression tore away part of the 737's upper fuselage at 24,000 feet over Hawaii.

    View event: Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (1988)
    Aircraft
    Boeing 737
    Location
    Near Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, United States
    Phase of flight
    Cruise
  14. Japan Air Lines Flight 123: The Obon Flight and the 1978 Repair

    Event: 1985Published: 24 Oct 2020

    This Disaster Breakdown episode explains Japan Air Lines Flight 123, the Boeing 747 that crashed in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture on 12 August 1985.

    View event: Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (1985)
    Aircraft
    Boeing 747
    Location
    Ridge about 2.5 km north-northwest of Mount Mikuni, Ueno Village, Gunma Prefecture, Japan
    Phase of flight
    Cruise