Mayday
Season 5 Episode 9 - Mixed Signals (Birgenair Flight 301)
On 6 February 1996, Birgenair Flight 301 is scheduled to fly from Puerto Plata to Frankfurt. On takeoff, the captain finds that his airspeed indicator (ASI) is not reading properly, though the co-pilot's ASI is showing the correct speed; the aircraft subsequently crashes in the Atlantic Ocean. The pilots became confused and believed that both ASIs were malfunctioning, leading to loss of control of the aircraft. All 13 crew members and 176 passengers died. The cause of the disaster was believed to be a wasp that built a nest in one of the aircraft's pitot tubes, which was incorrectly left uncovered during the aircraft's extended stay at Puerto Plata airport.
Episodes in Season 5
Explosive Evidence (Air India Flight 182)
45 min
Behind Closed Doors (American Airlines Flight 96 and Turkish Airlines Flight 981)
45 min
Southern Storm (Southern Airways Flight 242)
45 min
Dead Weight (Air Midwest Flight 5481)
45 min
Invisible Killer (Delta Air Lines Flight 191)
45 min
Gimli Glider (Air Canada Flight 143)
45 min
Fanning the Flames (South African Airways Flight 295)
45 min
Fatal Distraction (Eastern Airlines Flight 401)
45 min
Mixed Signals (Birgenair Flight 301)
45 min
Phantom Strike (Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907)
45 min
