Ep 10. Terror in Paradise

Terror in Paradise is an episode from season 5 of the popular television series, Air Disasters. The show follows investigators as they try to uncover the cause of plane crashes, using real footage and reenactments to tell the story.

In this particular episode, viewers are taken to a seemingly idyllic location: the small island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. But paradise turns to horror when Korean Air Flight 801 crashes into a hillside just a few miles short of the runway, killing over half of the passengers and crew on board.

The episode starts by outlining the events leading up to the crash. The flight, which originated in Seoul, South Korea, was a routine journey that had made the same trip thousands of times before. The plane was a Boeing 747-300, one of the most popular passenger planes in the world at the time.

As the aircraft approached the island of Guam, it encountered some severe weather conditions, including low visibility due to fog and rain. The pilot, Captain Park Yong-chul, has experience with landing in these sorts of conditions and was confident he could bring the plane down safely. However, something went wrong.

The show then takes viewers through the painstaking investigation that was carried out in the wake of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was called in to lead the investigation, working alongside local authorities in Guam.

Using black box data, interviews with eye-witnesses, and other evidence, the investigators were able to piece together what happened in the moments before the crash. They discovered that a number of factors contributed to the disaster.

Firstly, the weather conditions were worse than the pilots had anticipated. They had been given out-of-date weather information by the control tower and were therefore unprepared for the dense fog that they encountered.

Secondly, the pilots were fatigued. They had been working long hours and had not had enough rest before the flight. As a result, their reaction times were slower than usual and they may have made mistakes that they would not have made had they been properly rested.

Finally, the investigators discovered that there were issues with the plane's equipment. The altitude warning system, which is designed to alert pilots when the plane is getting too low, was not functioning properly. This meant that Captain Park and his first officer may not have been aware of just how low they were until it was too late.

The episode details how the investigation team worked tirelessly to establish what happened and why, and ended up prompting major changes in aviation safety laws around the world. The episode doesn't just examine the technical aspects of the crash, however. It also looks at the human toll that it took on those involved.

Family members of the victims, as well as survivors of the disaster, speak out about their experiences and how it affected their lives. We also hear from some of the investigators who worked on the case and get a sense of just how emotionally draining it was.

Overall, Terror in Paradise is a gripping, insightful and moving examination of a tragedy that could have been prevented. It illustrates both the importance of proper safety procedures and the devastating impact that human error can have.