Seconds from Disaster

1. S01E01Crash of the Concorde (Concorde)September 19, 2005 8.5Behind every disaster lies a chain of events. The Concorde was the world's first supersonic airliner, but on a charter flight to New York, 1
2. S01E02Season's bestTunnel InfernoOctober 10, 2005 8.8Mont Blanc is one of the highest mountains in Europe, with a seven-mile long tunnel connecting France and Italy through the Alps. One March
3. S01E03The Bomb in Oklahoma CityOctober 17, 2005 6.7One April morning in 1995, at Oklahoma City's Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Timothy McVeigh parks a truck packed with explosives at the
4. S01E04Fire On the Star (Fire Onboard the Star)October 16, 2005 7.7On Easter 1990, a fire breaks out on the Scandinavian Star Ferry. After been towed to Sweden, the fire is eventually put out after 10 hours.
5. S01E05Derailment at Eschede (High Speed Train Wreck)September 26, 2005 8.0June 1998. The new German InterCity Express is a trip from Munich to Hamburg, one of many. Today should be no different. The new train offer
6. S01E06Wreck of the Sunset LimitedNovember 4, 2005 7.7September 1993. The captain of a towboat unwittingly causes the collapse of a bridge over the Big Bayou Canot. When an Amtrak train comes al
7. S01E07Meltdown in ChernobylNovember 6, 2005 8.1We make mistakes every few seconds of our lives. They are unavoidable. But sometimes the results can be disastrous. On April 26, 1986, a ser
8. S01E08Inferno at GuadalajaraOctober 9, 2005 7.0April 1992, Guadalajara, Mexico. On the 19th, residents start complaining of a strong gasoline-like smell coming from the sewers. Three days
9. S01E09Fire on the Ski SlopeNovember 10, 2005 8.8November 11, 2000, started out as a normal day at the Kaprun ski resort in Austria, as a Furnicular train climbing the slopes breaks down in
10. S01E10Explosion in the North SeaNovember 27, 2005 8.7July 6, 1988. The Piper Alpha stands over 110 miles off Scotland. But on this fateful day, a gas leak causes a catastrophic fire with a loss
11. S01E11Flood at Stava DamNovember 20, 2005 8.0On July 1985, Italy's Stava Dam collapses and demolishes 70 structures killing 268 people in the process. Was there a fault in the design of
12. S01E12Collision on the RunwayOctober 3, 2005 8.8Two Jumbo Jets, Pan Am 1736 and KLM 4805 collide on the lone runway at Tenerife, Spain. The two aircraft are then burnt out and 583 people l
13. S01E13Pentagon 9/11September 11, 2005 8.3September 11, 2001 is one of the worst days in history. In Washington, D.C, the workers at the Pentagon have only just heard of the chaos go

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01Columbia's Last Flight (Space Shuttle Columbia)June 28, 2005 8.3June 28 Columbia's Last Flight (Space Shuttle Columbia) Space Shuttle Columbia disaster February 1, 2003 Texas, February 1, 2003. The Spa
2. S02E02Alpine TsunamiJuly 5, 2005 9.0The Alpine village of Galtur, an avalanche buries 57 people in the snow. 31 of them die. But why did the avalanche occur in the first place?
3. S02E03Motorway Plane Crash (Freeway Plane Crash)July 12, 2005 9.7January 1989. British Midland Airways Flight 092, a Boeing 737, is landing at Kegworth, United Kingdom, when it crashes on the M1 motorway,
4. S02E04Mount St Helens Eruption (Mount St. Helens Eruption)July 26, 2005 9.0Mount St. Helens, in the countryside of Washington State, has been dormant for 123 years. But on May 1980, it suddenly erupts, killing 57. W
5. S02E05Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster (Capsized in the North Sea)August 16, 2005 9.3On March 1987, the British Car Ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes off Zeebrugge killing 193. Why did this happen? Was it just a terrib
6. S02E06Kobe Earthquake (Killer Quake)August 30, 2005 8.3On 17 January 1995, the Japanese city of Kobe was rocked by the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which destroyed buildings and killed over 1000 peo
7. S02E07Season's bestCrash Landing at Sioux CitySeptember 13, 2005 10.0On 19 July 1989, the pilots of United Airlines Flight 232 are shocked to learn they have lost all control of the DC-10 after an engine failu
8. S02E08The Bali Bombing (Disco Bombing)September 20, 2005 8.3Bali, located in Indonesia, is one of the most popular resorts in the world. But 202 die on the night of October 12, 2002, Muslim terrorists
9. S02E09Hotel Collapse Singapore (Hotel Collapse)September 27, 2005 8.7Hotel New World, budget hotel located in Singapore's Little India, collapses on 15 March, 1986. After a 7 day rescue operation, 17 people ar
10. S02E10TWA Flight 800October 8, 2005 8.517 July 1996. TWA Flight 800 leaves New York for Paris. Only 12 minutes into the flight, it explodes catastrophically, breaks in half, then
11. S02E11Paris Train Crash (Runaway Train)November 1, 2005 10.0In what was no doubt the worst rail incident in French history, a runaway train derails at Gare De Lyon Station, France, killing 56 people.
12. S02E12The Hindenburg (Hindenburg Airship)November 15, 2005 9.0When the zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire at Lakehurst, 35 of the 97 on board and one member of the ground crew are killed. Was the most inf
13. S02E13Explosion in Peurto Rico (Puerto Rico Gas Explosion)December 13, 2005 8.0The Humberto Vidal Shoe Store was just like any other. But one day in Puerto Rico, a gas explosion kills 33 and injures 69 people.

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01Skywalk CollapseJanuary 10, 2006 8.0On 17 July 1981, 1,500 people had gathered for a dance in the Hyatt Regency Hotel when, in a catastrophic disaster, the skywalk collapses ki
2. S03E02Amsterdam Air CrashMarch 28, 2006 7.3On 4 October 1992, an El Al Israel Airlines Cargo B747-200F takes off from Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Holland), when the
3. S03E03Kursk: Russia's Nuclear NightmareApril 18, 2006 9.0When a training mission goes horribly wrong, the Russian sumbarine Kursk suffers an explosion. 135 seconds later, it sinks. 23 people surviv
4. S03E04King's Cross Fire (London's Subway Inferno)May 19, 2006 9.5On the night of 18 November 1987, a harmless match produced a small flame on the escalator at King's Cross tube station. Suddenly, the conta
5. S03E05Nairobi BombingJune 27, 2006 8.0Al Queda struck again on August 7, 1998. In Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, a truck bomb destroys the U.S. Embassy buildings ki
6. S03E06Everglades Plane CrashJuly 11, 2006 9.0On May 1996, what started out as a normal flight from Miami, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia, when ValuJet Flight 592, a DC-9 with 110 people o
7. S03E07TitanicJuly 25, 2006 6.0It was known as the "unsinkable ship." The RMS Titanic, on its maiden voyage from Southhampton to New York with over 2,000 people on board s
8. S03E08Aircraft Carrier ExplosionAugust 15, 2006 8.0The massive aircraft carrier USS Forrestal is sailing to Vietnam on July 29, 1967, when a fighter jet explodes, a massive blast rocks the sh
9. S03E09Queens Air CrashSeptember 6, 2006 9.5Its been more than two months after 9/11 and the event is still fresh in everyone's mind. At JFK Airport in Queens, American Airlines Flight
10. S03E10Munich Olympic MassacreSeptember 13, 2006 8.3During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, 11 Israeli athletes are been held hostage by Palestinian terrorists. They demand the list of Palest
11. S03E11Superstore CollapseSeptember 20, 2006 9.5On 29 June 1995, the five story Sampoong Department Store in Seoul, Korea, collapses killing 502 people. Is there a fault in the building? O
12. S03E12Season's bestPlane Crash in the PotomacSeptember 27, 2006 10.0On 13 January 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 leaves Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC for Miami with 79 passengers and crew on bo
13. S03E13Asian TsunamiOctober 25, 2006 10.0On Boxing Day 2004, the second largest earthquake in recorded history with a magnitude of 9.3 strikes the town Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Soon,
14. S03E14Comet Air CrashNovember 15, 2006 9.0The DH Comet is the first jet airliner and the pride of the British Overseas Airways Corporation. But on January 10, 1954, BOAC Flight 781,
15. S03E15Flight Engine DownNovember 29, 2006 8.5American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10, leaves Chicago. But when the engine falls off, the plane stalls and crashes killing 273 people. The i
16. S03E16Oil Fire in TexasDecember 6, 2006 8.5The Texas BP oil refinery is the third largest in America producing more than 437,000 barrels per day. Workmen are starting a routine day, t
17. S03E17Tornado OutbreakJanuary 2, 2007 8.0On 3 April 1974, the most violent outbreak of tornadoes in history struck. The well-named "Super Outbreak" produces 148 twisters over 13 Ame
18. S03E18Space Shuttle ChallengerJanuary 31, 2007 9.3On a cold winter day in 1986, space shuttle Challenger takes off from Cape Canaveral to start Mission 51-L. 73 seconds later, Challenger's b
19. S03E19Eruption on MontserratMarch 7, 2007 8.0On the Caribbean island of Montserrat is the Soufrière Hills volcano. Nearby is Plymouth, the island's capital. In 1995, Soufrière Hills cam

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01Season's best9/11September 5, 2011 8.3On September 11, 2001 two aircraft are deliberately flown into two buildings of the World Trade Center and one is flown into the Pentagon. A
2. S04E02Pearl HarborSeptember 12, 2011 7.0On December 7, 1941 Japanese forces attack United States military installations in and around Pearl Harbor, thus bringing the US into World
3. S04E03Paddington Train CollisionSeptember 19, 2011 7.3On October 5, 1999 two trains collide at Ladbroke Grove junction near London's Paddington station after the driver of one fails to stop his
4. S04E04Collision at 35,000 FeetSeptember 26, 2011 7.7On July 1, 2002 a cargo airliner and a passenger airliner collide while they are over Überlingen in Germany. The two aircraft crash, killing
5. S04E05Cable Car CollisionOctober 3, 2011 5.7The Cavalese cable car disaster of 1998 (as distinct from a cable car disaster in the same location in 1976), occurred on 3 February 1998 ne
6. S04E06Bhopal NightmareOctober 10, 2011 7.7On December 2, 1984 in Bhopal, India, a toxic gas leak at a Union Carbide chemical plant results in the deaths of 3,000 people.

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

1. S05E01Japan's Nuclear NightmareMarch 11, 2012 6.7On 11 March 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami off Japan’s coast caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
2. S05E02Season's bestBismarckMarch 18, 2012 8.7Maritime Historian Andrew Lambert looks at the Royal Navy's battle with the German battleship Bismarck.
3. S05E03Mountain TsunamiMarch 25, 2012 8.0In 1963 a landslide from Monte Toc into the reservoir of the Europe's highest dam caused a giant flood wave that destroyed the village of Lo
4. S05E04Waco CultApril 1, 2012 5.0After a 51-day siege at the ranch of an armed religious cult, the FBI tries to force people out with tear gas, but a fire breaks out and alm
5. S05E05Deepwater HorizonApril 15, 2012 6.7A look at the series of decisions and mistakes that led to the world's largest oil spill disaster, and that 11 workers on the rig died.
6. S05E06Massacre in MumbaiApril 22, 2012 7.7On 26 November 2008, terrorists attacked two luxury hotels (one of them the famous Taj Mahal Hotel), a Jewish educational center, a café and

Season 5 ranked & reviewed

1. S06E01Norway Massacre: I Was ThereJuly 22, 2012 7.0On July 22, 2011, a gunman goes on a terrorist rampage – starting with an explosion in Oslo and ending with the slaughter of dozens of teena
2. S06E02Jonestown Cult SuicideNovember 5, 2012 7.5On November 18, 1978, when enigmatic cult leader Reverend Jim Jones calls all his followers together in South America, the resulting tragedy
3. S06E03Season's bestFire in the CockpitNovember 12, 2012 7.7On September 2, 1998, a fire broke out on Swissair Flight 111 while in-flight, damaging vital systems and causing the aircraft to crash into
4. S06E04Black Hawk DownNovember 19, 2012 7.5On October 3–4, 1993, what should have been a simple snatch and grab operation for the US Army in Somalia turns into a battle that kills 18
5. S06E05Into The Death ZoneNovember 26, 2012 7.0On May 10–11, 1996 saw the death of nine climbers, including New Zealand climbing veteran Rob Hall. Was it a fierce storm, extreme ambition
6. S06E06Terrified Over TokyoDecember 3, 2012 7.0On August 12, 1985, the rear pressure bulkhead burst on Japan Airlines Flight 123, destroying the vertical stabilizer and severing all four
7. S06E07Runaway TrainDecember 10, 2012 7.0On April 25, 2005, a seven-car commuter train came off the tracks and crashed just before Amagasaki Station in Japan causing 107 deaths and
8. S06E08Nagasaki - The Forgotten BombDecember 17, 2012 7.0On August 9, 1945, the United States of America, during the final stages of World War II in 1945 bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and
9. S06E09Sinking the CoventryDecember 24, 2012 7.7On May 25, 1982, in the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina a low level bomb attack from the Argentinian jets capsizes th
10. S06E10Chinook Helicopter CrashJanuary 7, 2013 5.5On August 6, 2011, a U.S. Boeing CH-47 Chinook was shot down while transporting a quick reaction force attempting to reinforce an engaged un

Season 6 ranked & reviewed

1. S07E01Chopper DownFebruary 15, 2018 6.5This compilation of Seconds from Disaster combines two helicopter tragedies of a military nature. Chinhook HC-2 crashed into a hill on the w
2. S07E02Deadly DesignFebruary 22, 2018 5.0This compilation of Seconds from Disaster combines two airplane tragedies that took hundreds of lives and were caused by the smallest issues

Season 7 ranked & reviewed