Mayday: Air Disaster

Twenty minutes after taking off from Taipei, a China Airlines 747 suddenly disappears from radar. A massive rescue mission is launched — but all 225 passengers and crew are dead.

Shortly after taking off, Pan Am Flight 103 suddenly explodes. As the wreckage rains down, fires break out, and homes are vaporized. All 259 people on board are killed.

Partnair Flight 94 is cruising at 22,000 feet, when it suddenly begins diving toward the sea. The aging propeller plane crashes into the water. All 55 people on board are killed.

As Saudi Airways Flight 763 waits for clearance to climb to their cruising altitude, the plane is hit by a Kazakhstan Airlines jet, killing all 349 people on board.

Nearly 250 Vietnamese babies and children are loaded onto an Air Force C5A Galaxy. After a steep and rapid ascent, the cargo door is blown off and the plane crashes to the ground.

Tuninter Flight 1153 is high above the Mediterranean when its right engine fails. As the pilots begin an emergency descent, the second engine fails, and the plane begins falling.

American Eagle 41-84 suddenly spins wildly out of control. The pilots fight to right their plane, but can’t. It smashes into a cornfield. All 68 people on board are killed.