It is the nature of pilots to stay with their planes and bring them and their crews’ home, no matter what shape they are in and no matter the cost. It is not always a rational thing to do and often it fails. In this Challenge of Flight program, you’ll witness numerous damaged aircraft trying to make their way home. Some make it, some don’t.
See rare accident footage caught on film. Watch a B52 struggle home without a tail. Listen is as an F16 pilot declares an emergency and struggles to reach a runway after his jet flames out. These are the situations which take all a pilot’s got. You’ll witness first-hand the moments when things go wrong. The days when a small bolt brings down the finest technology the navy or air force flies. Best of all, you’ll see ingenuity at play as pilots give whatever it takes to the insurmountable odds, and walk away time and time again.