Even experienced pilots can, in some extreme circumstances, make rookie errors. LAPA Flight 3142, American Airlines Flight 587 and Continental Connection Flight 3407.
Sometimes disasters can take many years to arrive at a definitive answer, but the men and women of air crash investigation always seek out the truth. American Airlines Flight 77, TWA Flight 800 and Air France Flight 4590.
Heroic landings by skilled pilots. US Airways Flight 1549 lands on the Hudson River, Air Canada Flight 143 lands on a deserted runway that is now a drag race strip, and TACA Flight 110 lands on a river levee near New Orleans.
United Express Flight 5925 crashes into another aircraft on an unmanned runway, Garuda Flight 152 flies into a mountain forest, and the crash in the fog, of two Boeing 747's, PanAm Flight 1736 and KLM Flight 4805 at Teneriffe.
Sabotage can come in many forms in the airline industry, from bombs, to hijackers, or even suicidal pilots. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, Italia Airlines Flight 870 and LAM Airlines Flight 470.
SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the jungle, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashes in the french Alps and Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 just disappears over the Gulf of Tailand.
Mistaken identity and hostile fire over enemy territory are among the many risks that pilots face in war zones around the world. Operation Baby Lift, Iran Air 655, and DHL Flight OO-DLL are examined in detail.
Hughes Airwest Flight 706 mid air collision with a fighter jet, PSA Flight 182 collides with a light aircraft, and the1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, between Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907.