Ep 1. Blind Spot

On the season 3 premiere of Air Disasters, titled Blind Spot, viewers are taken back to September 14, 2008, when Spanair Flight 5022 crashed just moments after taking off from Madrid. As the investigation into the disaster unfolds, chilling details emerge that suggest the crash could have been prevented.

With 154 people onboard, the MD-82 plane was bound for the Canary Islands when it crashed, killing all but 18 passengers. The tragedy sent shockwaves across Spain and the world, prompting a massive investigation into what had gone wrong.

The episode begins by detailing the early moments of the flight. The plane rolls down the runway and takes off without issue. But just moments later, the pilots report a variety of alarming warning signals – from the cockpit fire alarm going off to problems with the plane's flaps and slats.

As the pilots try to troubleshoot the various issues and decide what to do next, disaster strikes. The MD-82 suddenly banks hard to the right, crashing into the ground and bursting into flames in a remote wooded area next to the airport.

In the aftermath of the disaster, investigators are left with a difficult task – piecing together what happened and determining the cause of the crash.

As the episode progresses, we see investigators interviewing the surviving passengers and crew, exploring the wreckage of the plane, and examining the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.

One of the key pieces of evidence that emerges is a mysterious "clunking" noise that can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder just seconds before the crash. Investigators are initially stumped by the noise, but eventually determine that it was likely caused by the slats on the plane's wings retracting – an action that would have drastically reduced the aircraft's lift.

Further investigation reveals that the plane's takeoff trim setting was incorrect – a mistake that would have made it more difficult for the pilots to control the plane during takeoff. Additionally, the plane's speed sensors were found to be faulty, leading investigators to conclude that the pilots had received incorrect airspeed readings.

As the episode draws to a close, the investigation into the crash of Spanair Flight 5022 reaches a dramatic conclusion as investigators uncover a culture of systemic safety failures and negligence that had allowed the doomed flight to take off in the first place.

Blind Spot is a gripping, heart-wrenching episode of Air Disasters that provides a detailed, step-by-step account of one of the deadliest plane crashes in recent history. From the early warning signs that something was amiss to the shocking revelations about safety violations and negligence, this episode is both a cautionary tale and a tribute to the lives lost in the tragedy.