TV Horizon - Season 40 Episode 12 : Flight 587 Horizon - Season 40 Episode 12 : Flight 587 7.516/10 by 32 users 265 people died when an Airbus operated by American Airlines crashed into the New York suburb of Queens in November 2001. The twin-engined jet took off from John F Kennedy Airport in fine conditions but hit trouble after just 67 seconds. In the following 38 seconds the plane started to disintegrate before nose-diving into the residential Rockaway area of the city. Everyone aboard was killed (along with five people on the ground) so the crash investigators had to rely on eyewitnesses, recovered parts of the plane and information from both air traffic control and the flight data recorders. The discovery of the Airbus' vertical tailfin hundreds of metres from the fuselage immediately focussed attention on whether the pilots lost the ability to control the plane. Why the tailfin detached was at the heart of the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The airline and the manufacturer blame each other for creating a situation in which the stress on the rudder and tailfin exceeded the so-called ultimate load, the worst-case scenario set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A number of American Airlines pilots have taken matters into their own hands though: requesting transfers to other aircraft because of their safety concerns. Details Casts Posters Images Title Horizon - Season 40 Episode 12 : Flight 587 Alternative Titles BBC Horizon First Air Date 1964-02-04 Last Air Date 2024-07-22 Number of Episodes 1169 Number of Seasons 60 Genres Documentary, Networks BBC Two, Casts Plot Keywords , Episodes List Horizon Season 40 :Episode 1 The Mystery Of Easter Island The Mystery Of Easter Island 2003-01-09 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 2 Living Nightmare Living Nightmare 2003-01-16 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 3 Averting Armageddon Averting Armageddon 2003-01-23 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 4 Dirty Bomb Dirty Bomb 2003-01-30 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 5 Sexual Chemistry (Update) Sexual Chemistry (Update) 2003-02-13 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 6 The Day We Learned To Think The Day We Learned To Think 2003-02-20 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 7 Trial and Error Trial and Error 2003-02-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 8 Earthquake Storms Earthquake Storms 2003-03-06 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 9 Life On Mars (Update) Life On Mars (Update) 2003-03-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 10 The Secret Life Of Caves The Secret Life Of Caves 2003-04-03 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 11 God On The Brain God On The Brain 2003-04-17 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 12 Flight 587 Flight 587 2003-05-08 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 13 SARS: The True Story SARS: The True Story 2003-05-29 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 14 The Big Chill The Big Chill 2003-11-13 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 15 The Bible Code The Bible Code 2003-11-20 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 16 Last Flight of the Columbia Last Flight of the Columbia 2003-11-27 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 17 The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine The Hunt for an AIDS Vaccine 2003-12-04 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 18 Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine Percy Pilcher's Flying Machine 2003-12-11 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before. Horizon Season 40 :Episode 19 Time Trip Time Trip 2003-12-18 Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.