
TV Schedule for Smithsonian Channel USA - Pacific
Wednesday, August 20th TV listings for Smithsonian Channel USA - Pacific
Air Disasters Sideswiped
A Boeing 737 leaving Panama City crashes into one of the most remote and treacherous jungles on the planet.
Air Disasters Imperfect Pitch
On 27 November 2008, an aircraft on a post-maintenance test flight operating as XL Airways Germany Flight 888T stalls and crashes into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of France, killing all seven people on board.
Air Disasters Death and Denial
In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying from New York City to Cairo, killing all 217 people on board; the cause of the crash is disputed.
Air Disasters Alarming Silence
Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes shortly after take-off in Detroit in 1987; a fatal preflight error caused the second-deadliest plane crash in the U.S. history.
Air Disasters Flying on Empty
When Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel over the Atlantic, its pilots desperately try to keep their Airbus A330 in the air until they reach land.
Air Disasters Headline News
Three devastating crashes make front-page news around the globe; the media frenzy puts intense pressure on investigators to uncover the causes.
Air Disasters Cruel Skies
The U.S. Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Miss.; the importance of accurate weather forecasting to the aviation industry.
How Did They Fix That? Fixing For A Fight: U.S. Army Mega Repair Base
Mike works with the U.S. Army in Germany inside the massive fix facility The MAK, Maintenance Activity Kaiserslautern, as teams repair over one hundred Bradley fighting vehicles, then embeds with troops in a massive two week long battle exercise.
How Did They Fix That? For-Everglades
Mike works with the Army Corps of Engineers on a massive project to restore essential flow of fresh water to the Florida Everglades. He also joins scientists, python hunters and the Miccosuke Tribe to eliminate invasive species.
How Did They Fix That? Water Bombers: Fixing Aerial Firefighters
With wildfire season ahead, Mike works with an aerial firefighting company as they fix and convert aircraft into firefighting machines, including the transformation of a 1960's C130 plane from aged military aircraft into a stateofthe art waterbomber.
How Did They Fix That? Philadelphia Transit
In Philadelphia, Mike Davidson is on streets, in tunnels, on tracks & in trolley restoration garages - working shoulder-to-shoulder with the team that keeps one of America's largest & oldest mass transit systems running smoothly and on time.
How Did They Fix That? Heli-Logger
A crew and its massive air crane helicopter haul millions of pounds of timber while battling the elements and handling emergency repairs.
How Did They Fix That? Deep Space Telescope
Host Mike Davidson goes to the remote Atacama desert in Chile; at observatory ALMA he works alongside the expert team as they repair some of the world's biggest antennas.
How Did They Build That? Arches & Opera Houses
The inside stories behind a new, horseshoe-shaped complex in Rotterdam, a rock-shaped opera house in China and a makeover of the British Museum.
How Did They Build That? High Waters & Harsh Winds
Defy gravity in an Amsterdam high-rise that hangs 164 feet above the water; marvel at three interconnected towers in Chicago that have a road running through them; examine the revolutionary framework of Paris' controversial Pompidou Centre.
How Did They Build That? Retrofits & Airport Glitz
Visiting the Hearst Tower in Manhattan and Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore to understand how they were built; covering how designers and engineers attempt to create a museum worthy of Salvador Dali in Florida.
How Did They Build That? Space Stations and Super
Learn how astronauts constructed the International Space Station while circling the Earth at 17,500 miles per hour; look at the meteorproof ship's power source and unique water-recycling technology; discover why it almost wasn't built at all.
How Did They Build That? High Waters & Harsh Winds
Defy gravity in an Amsterdam high-rise that hangs 164 feet above the water; marvel at three interconnected towers in Chicago that have a road running through them; examine the revolutionary framework of Paris' controversial Pompidou Centre.
Air Disasters Deadly Disturbance
How routine flights can turn catastrophic in mere seconds when the pilots become momentarily distracted; three flights end in a disaster.
Air Disasters Deadly Delay
Almost immediately after taking off from Madrid International Airport, Spanair Flight 5022 banked to the right, slammed into a creek and burst into flames.
Air Disasters Landing Hazards
Martinair 495 crashes on a rain-soaked runway in Portugal, showing how weather can doom a landing; American 1572 hits a storm and loses both engines amid a tower shutdown; crosswinds challenge an Air France crew already halfway down the runway.
Air Disasters No Control
An examination of three crashes that occurred when pilots battled against their sophisticated aircraft.
Air Disasters Mayday Munich
A plane with members of the Manchester United football team crashes while heading home from Yugoslavia, killing 23 aboard.
Air Disasters Focused on Failure
On 28 December 1978, the crew of United Airlines Flight 173 are preoccupied with a landing gear problem as the aircraft circles in a holding pattern in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon; it runs out of fuel and crashes in a sparsely populated area.