TORONTO (August 31, 2017) – Investigating legendary aviation disasters to find out what went wrong and why, Discovery’s long-running hit original Canadian series MAYDAY returns for Season 17, airing Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 8. The captivating primetime series, now in production on Season 18, continues to reveal the often harrowing truth behind plane crashes, providing viewers a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the world’s most catastrophic aviation accidents in search of clues that might prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
“Since the series debut on Discovery in 2003, MAYDAY has continued to resonate with our viewers as a longstanding mainstay on our primetime schedule, while uncovering important lessons that have actually made commercial aviation safer,” said Ken MacDonald, Vice-President and General Manager, Discovery Networks. “We’re delighted to not only premiere a 17th season for this unique Canadian series, but also to announce that production is currently underway on Season 18.”
“To date we’ve covered 150 disasters for this series, seen all over the world in 45 languages,” said Alex Bystram, Executive Producer, Cineflix. “We’re tremendously proud of this series; from the meticulous research that ensures each episode is technically accurate to the emotional undercurrent conveyed with each story told.”
All 10 of this season’s one-hour episodes offer in-depth analysis using MAYDAY’s signature blend of gripping reenactments, state-of-the-art CGI, cockpit voice recorders, accident reports, and insider accounts by the investigators themselves.
Highlights from the first two episodes of MAYDAY Season 17 include:
“Killer Attitude”
Friday, Sept. 8 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
After a routine one-hour flight from Minneapolis, Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 crashes in northern Minnesota, killing everyone on board. As investigators face intense pressure to find the cause of the crash, the cockpit voice recorder raises disturbing questions about an inexperienced pilot. As investigators dig deeper, they uncover a troubling pattern of behaviour that led to a breakdown in human cooperation.
“Deadly Myth”
Friday, Sept. 15 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
When a commuter flight to Detroit ends in a fiery death spiral, it's up to investigators to determine the cause and prevent it from ever happening again. They sort through the shattered wreckage in search of clues, with a close analysis of the flight data eventually leading to a stunning revelation — what doomed Flight 3272 is a danger the industry has been aware of for years.
Other episodes feature the aviation investigations of:
MAYDAY is a Cineflix (Mayday 17) Inc. production, in association with Discovery Canada, National Geographic Channels International, and Canal D. Executive Producer for Cineflix is Alex Bystram. MAYDAY is distributed internationally by Cineflix Rights.
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