TV Schedule for Smithsonian Channel USA
Wednesday, August 13th TV listings for Smithsonian Channel USA
Air Disasters Bad Data
A billion-dollar Stealth Bomber crashes at a U.S. Air Force base-the costliest aviation disaster ever. Bad data misleads a charter flight into a Portuguese mountain, and conflicting alarms send a cutting-edge jetliner plunging into the Atlantic.
Air Disasters Fuel Trouble
History's most terrifying air disasters, and the investigations that followed, are revisited and reexamined.
Air Disasters Perilous Payload
Three planes fatally out of balance force investigators to question every calculation; it's a flight risk that's entirely preventable, and yet repeated disasters reconfirm the need for critical backup systems.
Air Disasters Deadly Myth
The crash of a commuter flight to Detroit leads investigators to a cause the industry has known about for years.
Air Disasters Edge of Disaster
Atlantic Airways Flight 670 careened off the runway and became engulfed in flames.
Air Disasters Deadly Data
With hidden flaws buried in their navigation systems, three planes suffer catastrophic computer errors that force investigators to dig deep for clues.
An in-depth look at how things are repaired.
How Did They Fix That? Volcano Power
Mike is in Iceland, where teams harness the power of volcanos to keep the geothermal energy flowing; they battle harsh weather to maintain and upgrade giant power systems, fixing miles of steam pipes. and bringing a dead well back to life.
How Did They Fix That? Sky Rides
In the Alps of Switzerland, Mike helps an elite team install a new cable (rope) system on an iconic mountain gondola line, helps fix the world's steepest cogwheel railway track and explores mountaintop family farms only accessib.
How Did They Fix That? Tunnel Vision
Mike joins crews as they build the world's longest railway tunnel in the Alps, fixing gridlock through the infamous Brenner Pass by drilling, blasting and digging their way through the mountains.
How Did They Fix That? Powerships
Mike Davidson heads to Brazil, where an offshore crew is racing the clock to set up giant power ships to deliver electricity to a country in desperate need.
How Did They Fix That? Scream Machines
Mike works with repair and construction teams at Dreamworld, Australia's largest theme park, after a cyclone caused $4M in damage; they fix scream machines and finish a $50M expansion featuring the world's first triple switch rollercoaster.
How Did They Build That? Breakthroughs & Bridges
Visiting London's Gherkin, Seattle's Evergreen Point Floating Bridge and Lyon's Musée des Confluences to uncover how and why they were built.
Witness amazing buildings, bridges, lifts, and other structures that pushed structural concrete engineering to the edge.
How Did They Build That? Viaducts & Hotels
A towering bridge in France; upside-down hotel in China; Italy's forest into the sky.
How Did They Build That? Sky Gardens & Seismic Stations
The engineering secrets behind a massive sky garden in Singapore, the world's most slender tower in Brighton, and a railway station in the shadow of Vesuvius.
Witness amazing buildings, bridges, lifts, and other structures that pushed structural concrete engineering to the edge.
Air Disasters Seconds From Touchdown
Facing a cascade of failures and a fire on board, a turboprop is just seconds from landing when it flips over and crashes.
Air Disasters Blown Away
The investigation into the 2014 crash of a TransAsia flight uncovers a systemic problem with the airline.
Air Disasters Splash Down
Three last-resort water landings, all handled differently yet each one crucial to improving the outcomes of ditching on open water.
Air Disasters Slam Dunk
A quick trip from Washington D.C. to Ohio in 1994 turns deadly when pilots of a twin-engine turboprop attempt a risky landing.
Air Disasters Killer Attitude
The pairing of a domineering pilot and an inexperienced first officer has deadly consequences in northern Minnesota.
Air Disasters Deadly Go Round
When an A300 stalls and crashes just before landing in Japan, fears arise about the plane's complex automated systems.
Combat Ships Game Changers
A look at experimental ships and revolutionary designers that have changed the tide of war through the centuries.