The world has had its fair share of deadly crashes that caused several lives, with only a few survivors living to tell the story of the tragedy. Created by Andre Barro, Mayday: Air Investigation is a show that solely revolves around all kinds of plane crashes that were reported throughout aviation history.
From survivor interviews and detailed reenactments to 3D Animations and photographs, the show sets out to explore the exact cause behind each terrible accident. We often also see experts give their opinions on what might have happened, providing knowledge that may not seem crucial but can end up saving hundreds of lives.
Mayday: Air Crash Investigation was first seen on television on 3rd September 2003. It had been produced by Cineflix for Canadian viewers, but after the first season aired, the streaming of Mayday was taken up by Discovery Channel, TVNZ, and many others. The series received much appreciation from viewers and critics alike, and episodes were even used to teach learning pilots about the kinds of disasters wrongful flying can lead to.
What makes this documentary series interesting is that we are also shown actual footage and Cockpit voice recordings that were obtained just before the crash. Based on these recordings and researchers’ theories, actors are hired to perform the roles so that the plane crash could be understood in a better way. Mayday’s episode count was around 230 last year, and it’s only going to increase with the premiere of the 23rd season, which has been airing since 3rd January 2023.
Mayday Air Crash Investigation Season 23 Episode 1: Recap
The first episode of Mayday‘s 23rd season featured the story of a Japanese airline that fell victim to an improper repairing. Japanese Airlines Flight 123 took off from Tokyo and was to reach Osaka on August 12th, 1985. The 524-passenger airplane experienced an unexpected decompression, which led to the beginning of the end.
The airplane was the Boeing 747SR-46, which had flown for over 25,000 hours. The cockpit had Captain Masami Takahama, First officer Yutaka Sasaki and Flight Engineer Hiroshi Fukuda in it. After experiencing the decompression, the airplane had its first explosion. which led to the hydraulic lines being severed. Sensing that something was wrong with the controls of the airplane, Pilot Takahama sent a distress signal. They noticed that the Hydraulic pressure was dropping at a dangerous rate and tried to convey it to the Tokyo Area Control Centre.
With the airplane now being uncontrollable, it started to follow a North-westerly direction. The control center contacts the pilots but with the Hydraulic pressure decreasing rapidly, Hypoxia began to set in the airplane. The pilots weren’t able to take the controls or give reports properly. The plane started to fall with a Dutch roll, but the pilots were able to gain somewhat control using the engine thrust. Now that the plane was descending, the pilot was able to communicate better but had also realized that the situation was now hopeless.
It flew into nearby mountains immediately without its vertical stabilizer. The time of impact of Japanese Airlines 123 was reported to be 6:65 pm, by calculating shock waves that nearby seismometers had received. An expert later reveals the cause had been the lesser number of rivets used, causing much pressure to build up at them and subsequently leading them to break in mid-flight.
Mayday Air Crash Investigation Season 23 Episode 2: Release Date
Mayday Air Crash Investigation Season 23 Episode 2 will be released on February 12th, 2023. New episodes of Mayday: Air Craft Investigation are aired on Sundays, with each episode having a run time of 45-50 minutes.
Also Read: Is Life Below Zero Real? All About The Nat Geo Show
Mayday Air Crash Investigation Season 23 Episode 2: Spoilers
The upcoming episode will feature the grim case files of Corporate Airlines Flight 5966. The flight’s accident was believed to be caused by the Pilot’s failure to follow the necessary protocols while flying an airplane. Passengers were almost brought to the runway, but the plane kept moving and crashed into trees nearby. Most of the inspectors thought the reason could have been a probable mechanical failure, but only after listening to a recording of the Pilot were they able to understand what went down on Flight 5966.
Mayday Air Crash Investigation Season 23 Episode 2: Where To Watch?
At present, the documentary is aired by Nat Geo at 8:00 pm ET & 7:00 pm CT for viewers from The US. On-demand streaming of Mayday Air Crash Investigation is possible through Nat Geo TV, Prime Video, Amazon, and Disney+ (Limited locations). Free-to-watch episodes can be streamed through Mayday’s YouTube Channel.
