- Survival in the Sky
"Survival in the Sky" (
US title, known as "Black Box" in theUK ) is a series of six one-hour episodes produced byDarlow Smithson Productions forThe Learning Channel andChannel 4 . Narrated byWill Lyman , the series primarily concentrated on commercial aviation accidents and the investigations related to them. They were first aired as a series of only four episodes in late1996 . Two additional episodes were produced and premiered in1998 .The series is notable for being produced with the cooperation of the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and theAir Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), and interviews many of the investigators and survivors of air crashes.A book also entitled "Black Box" (ISBN 0760304009) was published in
1996 as a companion to the series.Episodes
Episode 1 - Blaming the Pilot (1996)
As aviation technology improves, pilot error is determined to be the cause of two out of every three crashes.
Incidents Covered:
*a.Birgenair Flight 301 on February 6, 1996; aBoeing 757 which stalls due to pilot error.
*b.British European Airways Flight 548 on June 18, 1972; aHawker Siddeley Trident jetliner crashes shortly after takeoff fromLondon 'sHeathrow Airport .
*c.Tenerife disaster on March 27, 1977; twoBoeing 747 s collide and the worst loss-of-life aviation accident in world history takes place.
*d.Air France Flight 296 on June 26, 1988; anAirbus A320 crashes shortly after takeoff, potentially due to computer error.
*e.Air Inter Flight 148 on January 20, 1992; an Airbus A320 slams into a mountainside atMont Sainte-Odile inFrance , killing 87 of the 96 persons aboard the airplane.Episode 2 - Deadly Weather (1996)
Worldwide, weather contributes to one-third of all plane crashes.
Incidents Covered:
*a. "Palm 90", orAir Florida Flight 90 on January 13, 1982; aBoeing 737 -200 crashes into thePotomac River .
*b.American Eagle Flight 4184 on October 31, 1994; anATR-72 crashes near the town ofRoselawn, Indiana .
*c.Delta Air Lines Flight 191 on August 2, 1985; aLockheed L-1011 crashes in Dallas, Texas due towind shear .
*d.United Airlines Flight 585 on March 3rd, 1991; a Boeing 737 rudder incident.
*e.USAir Flight 427 on September 8, 1994; another Boeing 737 rudder incident.Episode 3 - A Wing and a Prayer (1996)
Improper maintenance, undiscovered design flaws and other structural failures.
Incidents Covered:
*a.Aloha Airlines Flight 243 on April 28, 1988; a Boeing 737 loses part of its roof while in flight.
*b.Japan Air Lines Flight 123 on August 12, 1985; a Boeing 747 crash resulting in the worst single-plane aviation disaster.
*c.United Airlines Flight 232 on July 19, 1989; aMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 loses hydraulic control and crashes atSioux City, Iowa after being flown near uncontrollably.Episode 4 - Crash Detectives (1996)
Presents original footage of NTSB investigators filmed at the crash site of ValuJet Flight 592 in the Everglades.
Incidents Covered:
*a.TACA Flight 510 on April 6, 1993; involving aBoeing 767 -200 atGuatemala City .
*b.TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996.
*c.ValuJet Flight 592 on May 11, 1996; aDouglas DC-9 crashes in theFlorida Everglades . This NTSB go-team was headed byGreg Feith .
*d. British Midland Flight 92 on January 8, 1989; atKegworth .
*e.de Havilland Comet - The first commercial jet aircraft, the "Comet", built by England's de Havilland Aircraft Company suffered several mid-air explosions due to metal fatigue. These events set back de Havilland and paved the way for Boeing's dominance in the manufacture of commercial jet airliners.Episode 5 - TWA 800: The Investigation (1998)
A special episode produced after the official findings of the TWA 800 investigation were released.
Incidents Covered:
*a. TWA Flight 800Episode 6 - Sky Crimes (1998)
The final episode, produced over two years after the original run of the series, examines incidents involving either international terrorism or disgruntled airline employees.
Incidents Covered:
*a.PSA Flight 1771 on Dec 7, 1987; a disgruntled employee uses a handgun to kill the crew and crash the aircraft.
*b.Pan Am Flight 103 on Dec 21, 1988; a terrorist bomb explodes and destroys a Boeing 747 aircraft overLockerbie inScotland .
*c.FedEx Flight 705 on April 7, 1994; a disgruntledFedEx employee attempts to take over and fly the aircraft into FedEx headquarters.External links
* [http://www.darlowsmithson.com/catalogue.htm Darlow Smithson Productions]
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