Mayday: Air Disasters (2003) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Hurray! I've been a huge fan of this series for a number of years (it also airs under alternate names like Air Crash Investigations in various countries). This is the first "season" of the series, which currently has 6 seasons of episodes, with something like 60 or so episodes. This is one of my all-time favorite documentary series featuring nice analytical and engaging storytelling and excellent production quality (typically far better than the average documentary). While later episodes would feature somewhat more advanced production quality, this first batch is still excellently produced.
Later episodes of the series aired in HD, but I don't ever recall seeing these earlier episodes in HD. An extra bonus for this set is that it's in anamorphic widescreen. Having only seen these early ones in their 4x3 aspect ratio, it was nice to see them in their full 16x9 aspect ration.
To the folks at Koch and National Geographic, PLEASE continue releasing this series. I'll absolutely purchase them all. And heck, it'd be extra cool to get the ones produced for it released in high def.
UPDATE: These episodes on the DVD's are definitely extended from the aired versions I've got previous recordings of. The couple episodes I compared had some 6+ more minutes on this DVD version (interview clips with family & survivors less important to the narrative seem to be a favorite for cuts). Each episode clocks in at 52 minutes, give or take a few seconds.

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As seen on National Geographic Channel as "Air Emergency"
Hold on to your seat! Each episode of this white-knuckled, thrilling series features a detailed re-enactment of a real-life air emergency. Using cockpit voice recorders and air traffic control transcripts, as well as eyewitness accounts and interviews with aviation experts, Mayday: Air Disasters provides an exciting and compelling look at the critical moments before, during and after these catastrophes and near-misses.
Includes Six Gripping Episodes:
"Unlocking Disaster" – At an altitude of 33,000 feet, the cargo door of Flight 811 opens, ripping a huge hole in the 747 and taking out five rows of seats and nine passengers.
"Racing the Storm" – At the height of thunderstorm season in Arkansas, American Airlines 1420 slips off a wet runway, down an embankment and breaks apart.
"Fire on Board" – The pilot of Swissair Flight 111 smells smoke in the cockpit.Minutes later, fire and complete electrical failure cause the MD11 to crash into the Atlantic.
"Flying Blind" – As Aeroperu Flight 603 takes off from Lima, its airspeed and altitude indicators jam. The flight crew is flying blind and heading for disaster.
"Cutting Corners" – Shortly after Air Alaska Flight 261 takes off, the stabilizer malfunctions. The pilots struggle to control the nose-diving plane before it crashes into the ocean.
"Flying on Empty" – An Air Transat Airbus runs out of fuel over the Atlantic and has to glide to a power-free landing, narrowly avoiding catastrophe.

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