Smithsonian TV Guide — Sunday, 12 July 2026

Browse the full Smithsonian TV guide for Sunday, 12 July 2026. 24 programmes listed , including 6 tonight. US listings updated daily — scroll down to tonight's highlights or use the day tabs above to browse the weekly schedule.

Early Morning

00:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S14 · E4 · Sideswiped Documentary

Sideswiped

In 1992, a Boeing 737 leaves Panama City and then vanishes from ATC radar minutes later, and it is found that the plane has crashed in a remote jungle.

01:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E1 · Terror Over the Pacific Documentary

Terror Over the Pacific

When a massive explosion tears a hole in United Airlines Flight 811 over Hawaii, the search for answers ultimately leads to a deadly short circuit.

02:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E2 · Disaster at Dutch Harbor Documentary

Disaster at Dutch Harbor

While landing at a notoriously tricky Alaskan island airport, the pilots of a twin turboprop can't stop their plane.

03:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E3 · Deadly Departure Documentary

Deadly Departure

When a DC-8 with just three working engines crashes during take-off, killing all three pilots, the training simulator is found to have been fatally wrong.

04:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E4 · Without Warning Documentary

Without Warning

When two float planes carrying tourists collide near a spectacular Alaskan waterfall, investigators turn to 3D technology to figure out why.

05:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E5 · Eleven Deadly Seconds Documentary

Eleven Deadly Seconds

Experts examine the tragic crash of China Airlines Flight 676 hinges on 11 baffling seconds when neither pilot controls the airplane.

Morning

06:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E6 · Fight for Survival Documentary

Fight for Survival

With flames emerging through the cockpit floor, the pilots of Pilgrim Airlines flight 458 manage a heroic landing on a frozen Rhode Island reservoir.

07:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E12 · Massachusetts Travel

Massachusetts

The sights of the Bay State span hundreds of years, including the Pilgrims' landing place, the highway on which Paul Revere rode and Boston's sports venues.

08:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E63 · Natural Wonders Travel

Natural Wonders

A collection of aerial views of America's natural wonders includes the story of the original debates over how the Grand Canyon was formed.

09:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E4 · Connecticut Travel

Connecticut

A tour of the historic state by air shows towns with colonial-era churches and meeting houses built around village greens as well as a 17th-century university.

10:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E5 · Tennessee Travel

Tennessee

An aerial tour of the width of the state reveals mountains and rivers, Civil War battlefields, and the cities where country music and the blues were born.

11:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E7 · Arkansas Travel

Arkansas

From the air, the green forests and the spectacular terrain of the Ozark Mountains and the wide Arkansas and Mississippi rivers are impressive sights.

Daytime

12:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E17 · North Carolina Travel

North Carolina

The Tar Heel State has mountains, a picturesque coastline and the U.S.' first gold mine, and it is famed as the site of the Wright Brothers' first flight.

13:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E20 · New Mexico Travel

New Mexico

From the air, the Land of Enchantment displays the Rio Grande Rift, dormant volcanoes and adobe villages, and the birthplace of atomic weapons.

14:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E65 · Trailblazers Travel

Trailblazers

A helicopter team travels from coast-to-coast seeking out landmarks that celebrate over two centuries of leaders who had a hand in shaping America's history.

15:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E39 · Idaho Travel

Idaho

The millions of acres of untamed land and great ancient stones of the state of Idaho are explored, featuring a look at the state's unique visual treasures.

16:00 1h

Aerial America

S1 · E58 · Northern California Travel

Northern California

An aerial crew presents a dramatic view of Northern California where the region displays natural landmarks and historical manmade structures.

17:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E8 · Under Fire Documentary

Under Fire

Three hundred people are killed in one of the deadliest aviation accidents of all time after a fire breaks out on board Saudia Flight 163.

Evening

18:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E9 · Lost Star Footballer Documentary

Lost Star Footballer

A plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala vanishes over the English Channel, but questions are raised when investigators find the wreckage.

19:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S24 · E10 · Deadly Directive True

Deadly Directive

When Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashes shortly after takeoff, the catastrophe leads to the grounding of the entire Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet.

20:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S25 · E1 · Pacific Ditching Documentary

Pacific Ditching

Two pilots who bailed on their cargo jet over the Pacific Ocean believed they'd lost both engines, but as the wreckage washed ashore, a different story emerged.

21:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S25 · E2 · Running on Empty Documentary

Running on Empty

A cargo plane approaching its destination runway in Cincinnati suddenly has both engines flame out, sending the whole plane down in a nearby golf course.

22:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

Fight to the Finish True

Fight to the Finish

Even when they're pushed to the limits of their training and willpower, three flight crews try to land their crippled aircrafts despite the impossible odds.

23:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S25 · E2 · Running on Empty Documentary

Running on Empty

A cargo plane approaching its destination runway in Cincinnati suddenly has both engines flame out, sending the whole plane down in a nearby golf course.