Aviation accidents, explained from the cockpit
An in-depth documentary series in which airline captain Petter Hörnfeldt breaks down real aviation accidents and incidents from the flight crew's point of view. Each episode reconstructs what happened, examines the human factors, engineering and procedures behind it, and draws out the lessons that made flying safer. Calm, technical and non-sensational, it turns complex investigations into clear stories for aviation professionals and curious passengers alike.
CreatorPetter Hörnfeldt
Aircraft hits PERSON on runway!
May 9, 2020
During a night landing at Austin, Texas, Southwest Airlines Flight 1392 — a Boeing 737 — strikes and kills a man who had climbed the airport perimeter fence and walked onto the active runway. Petter Hörnfeldt examines how the intruder went undetected, the resulting engine damage, and what the event reveals about airport security and crew workload on final approach.
MD-11 Runway Excursion in Mumbai
Jun 4, 2020
A FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter overruns the runway while landing at Mumbai in poor weather ahead of an approaching cyclone. Petter Hörnfeldt uses the overrun to explain the MD-11's demanding landing characteristics and how a delayed touchdown on a wet runway can eat up the distance a heavy jet needs to stop.
Atlas Air 3591 CRASH outside Houston
Jul 22, 2020
Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767 freighter, suddenly dives into Trinity Bay near Houston during approach, killing all three on board. Petter Hörnfeldt traces how an inadvertent go-around command, combined with spatial disorientation, led the crew to push the aircraft into a fatal descent.
Flying across Europe with a BROKEN engine!
Aug 1, 2020
After an engine fails shortly after departing the Greek island of Samos, the crew of a Smartwings Boeing 737 elects to keep flying on a single engine all the way home to Prague. Petter Hörnfeldt weighs that decision against standard procedure and explains why it drew such intense scrutiny.
Crippled Airbus A380, saved by Pros!
Aug 7, 2020
Minutes after departing Singapore, an uncontained engine failure tears through the wing of Qantas Flight 32, an Airbus A380, knocking out systems across the aircraft. Petter Hörnfeldt follows how an unusually experienced flight deck worked through hundreds of cascading failures to bring the giant jet back safely.
SAS flight 751, the Gottröra Miracle!
Aug 21, 2020
Ice shed from the wings destroys both engines of SAS Flight 751 moments after take-off from Stockholm. Petter Hörnfeldt describes how the crew, helped by an off-duty pilot, guided the powerless MD-81 to a crash landing in a field near Gottröra that everyone on board survived.
The Atlantic GLIDER, Air Transat flight 236!
Aug 29, 2020
A fuel leak leaves Air Transat Flight 236, an Airbus A330, without engine power high over the Atlantic Ocean and no runway within reach. Petter Hörnfeldt recounts how the crew glided the powerless airliner down to a landing in the Azores, and what caused the fuel to vanish.
Flying WITHOUT Controls! United Airlines flight 232
Sep 12, 2020
When an engine disintegration severs every hydraulic system on United Airlines Flight 232, the crew of the DC-10 is left with almost no conventional flight controls. Petter Hörnfeldt explains how they learned to steer the crippled jet using engine thrust alone on the desperate approach to Sioux City.
How this Boeing 737 lost it's ROOF!
Oct 2, 2020
A large section of the upper fuselage tears away from Aloha Airlines Flight 243 in mid-flight, exposing rows of passengers to the open sky. Petter Hörnfeldt examines the metal fatigue and maintenance shortcomings behind the explosive decompression, and how the crew got the 737 down.
Helios Airways flight 522 - WHAT happened?!
Oct 31, 2020
A pressurization switch left in the wrong position slowly incapacitates everyone aboard Helios Airways Flight 522, which flies on autopilot until its fuel runs out. Petter Hörnfeldt reconstructs the chain of missed warnings and creeping hypoxia that doomed the Boeing 737 near Athens.
The Gimli Glider! Explained
Dec 11, 2020
A fuel miscalculation rooted in a unit-conversion error leaves Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767, without engines at cruising altitude. Petter Hörnfeldt tells how the crew glided the jet to a decommissioned airfield at Gimli and put it down deadstick.
Super Constellation CRASH! - A Christmas Miracle
Dec 25, 2020
Days before Christmas 1954, a Trans-Canada Air Lines Lockheed Super Constellation goes down under harrowing circumstances — yet the outcome becomes known as a Christmas miracle. Petter Hörnfeldt revisits the crash and the remarkable survival story that followed.
