Episodes
Deepwater Horizon and NASA Challenger
Experts examine how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Challenger space shuttle disaster happened. What were the consequences and how could they have been avoided?
Chernobyl and Bhopal
Experts examine how the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the Bhopal gas tragedy happened. What were the consequences and how could they have been avoided?
Titanic and Hindenburg
Experts examine the sinking of the Titanic and the Hindenburg airship fire. How did they happen, what were the consequences and how could they have been avoided?
Aberfan and Corrego Do Feijao
Experts examine the devastating Aberfan mine disaster in Wales and the Brumadinho dam disaster in Brazil. What were the consequences and how could they have been avoided?
MS Herald and Costa Concordia
Experts examine what caused the Zeebrugge ferry tragedy and the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster. What were the consequences and how could they have been avoided?
Kegworth and Concorde
Tacoma Narrows and Hurricane Katrina
Rana Plaza and Morandi Bridge
Tianjin and Evangelos Florakis
Experts examine the fatal explosion at a chemical factory in Tianjin, China and at the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Cyprus. How could these disasters have been avoided?
Clapham Junction and Ankara Train Crash
Construction Catastrophe
We take modest engineering masterpieces, like the homes we live in and the bridges we walk across, for granted. So, when disaster strikes, it sends shockwaves throughout society. When London's Grenfell Tower catches fire, its hundreds of residents must escape a deadly inferno; expert engineers investigate and reveal how the building's engineering caused the disaster to escalate tragically. Also investigated is the collapse of a pedestrian bridge in 2018 at Florida International University in Miami.
Fearsome Flights
The aviation industry's quest to conquer the skies led to some great achievements. But engineering errors and human mistakes have caused tragic disasters along the way. The disaster of Air France Flight 447 and the crash of NASA's Skylab in 1979 are catastrophes of aviation with a mysterious legacy; experts investigate these historic tragedies to determine what caused these monumental failures of flight.
Extreme Pressure
Operating in hostile environments presents unique challenges, extreme temperatures, intense pressure, and no room for error.
Beneath the surface
Examine the 2010 Copiapo mining accident and the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and see what happens when poor engineering meets a natural disaster.
Power Plays
What is the dark side to ‘clean energy’, and what can we learn from the Three Mike Island and Sayano-Shushenskaya power station incidents?
Take-Off to Tragedy
Where did NASA go wrong during the catastrophic launch of Skylab, and why did Air France Flight 447 crash into the Atlantic?
Unnatural Causes
Across history, humanity has tried to build structures that defy the forces of nature - sometimes leading to catastrophic disasters.
Contaminated Water
Each time oil is spilled or lead contaminates our tap water, humans suffer and our environment pays a price.
Flawed Foundations
Discover how flawed engineering caused the New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel to collapse in 2019 and the displacement of 1.5 million Haitians in 2010.
Crashing at Sea
Disasters like the MS Estonia and Boeing 737 crashes are rare, but they act as reminders of the speed at which tragedy can strike.
