Mayday
S12E10 Focused on Failure (United Airlines Flight 173)
On December 28, 1978, United Airlines Flight 173's crew becomes deeply fixated on a malfunctioning landing gear while circling over Portland, Oregon. As they remain in a holding pattern, the plane depletes its fuel reserves and ultimately crashes in a lightly populated area, resulting in 10 fatalities and 24 serious injuries among the 189 passengers and crew. The NTSB's investigation highlighted that the pilot ignored critical fuel warnings from the crew, who also struggled with effective communication. This tragedy prompted the aviation industry to adopt Crew Resource Management (CRM) practices to enhance safety.
Season 12 Episodes
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Fight for Control (Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8)
Fire in the Hold (ValuJet Flight 592)
Caution to the Wind (Singapore Airlines Flight 006)
Pushed to the Limit (SilkAir Flight 185)
Blind Landing (TANS Perú Flight 204)
Grand Canyon Disaster (United Airlines 718 and Trans World Airlines 2)
Death of the President (2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154)
Catastrophe at OHare (American Airlines Flight 191)
Lokomotiv Hockey Team Disaster (2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Air Disaster)
Focused on Failure (United Airlines Flight 173)
Heading to Disaster (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409)
28 Seconds to Survive (Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518)
Vanished (Air France Flight 447)