Smithsonian TV Guide — Monday TV Listings & Schedule

Browse the full Smithsonian TV guide for Monday, 10 August 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

S6 · E1 · Science of Disaster: Ripped Apart True

Science of Disaster: Ripped Apart

A review of air disasters caused by explosive decompression or pressurization failure reveals problems ranging from design flaws to maintenance mistakes.

01:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S25 · E6 · Cabin Chaos Documentary

Cabin Chaos

After a Chinese airplane lands at a top-secret U.S. Air Force base, the search is on for the cause of a deadly rollercoaster ride in the sky.

02:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S17 · E2 · Deadly Myth Documentary

Deadly Myth

On January 9, 1997, Comair Flight 3272 spiraled out of control and crashed nose-first while on approach to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 29 passengers.

03:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S15 · E6 · Edge of Disaster Documentary

Edge of Disaster

Atlantic Airways Flight 670 unexpectedly sways off of the runway and down an embankment on Stord, the miniature Norwegian island.

04:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

Courage in the Cockpit True

Courage in the Cockpit

Exploring how pilots managed to stay in the air after planes experienced system failures.

05:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S18 · E9 · Deadly Go-Round Documentary

Deadly Go-Round

On April 26, 1994, China Airlines Flight 140, an Airbus A300, crashed while on route from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Taiwan, to Nagoya, Japan.

Morning

06:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S14 · E2 · Niki Lauda: Testing the Limits Documentary

Niki Lauda: Testing the Limits

In 1991, a Lauda Air Boeing 767 passenger jet crashed into a Thailand jungle, and after the airline's owner pressed for answers, Boeing added safety features.

07:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S22 · E3 · Holding Pattern True

Holding Pattern

Flydubai Flight 981 is forced into a holding pattern leading to a series of physical and mental errors that end in a fatal nosedive.

08:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S11 · E10 · I'm the Problem True

I'm the Problem

A recently fired airline employee buys a ticket on the flight on which his supervisor commutes to work and smuggles a large revolver on board.

09:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S16 · E3 · Tragic Takeoff True

Tragic Takeoff

When a twin-engine jet streaks off the runway in Kentucky, investigators attempt to determine why the plane was unable to take off.

10:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S4 · E5 · Hidden Danger Documentary

Hidden Danger

When two Boeing 737 planes crash, investigators are at a loss for an explanation; however, when a third reports a similar problem, the case is broken.

11:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S16 · E7 · Murder in the Skies True

Murder in the Skies

On March 24, 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525, an Airbus A320-211, crashed into the French Alps, west of Nice, France, on route from Spain to Germany.

Daytime

12:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S13 · E8 · Imperfect Pitch Documentary

Imperfect Pitch

During an in-flight test, an Airbus A320 goes out of control, loses lift, and crashes into the sea, leaving no survivors; investigators must learn what failed.

13:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S9 · E1 · Panic on the Runway True

Panic on the Runway

A loud thump prompts a pilot in Manchester, England to abort his takeoff, but as the Boeing 737 stops safely on the runway a fire spreads into the cabin.

14:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S17 · E10 · The Lost Plane Documentary

The Lost Plane

On July 31, 1992, Thai Airways International Flight 311 crashed into a mountain on approach to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu killing all aboard.

15:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

S3 · E7 · Helicopter Down True

Helicopter Down

A helicopter delivering workers to an offshore drilling rig near Scotland is struck by lightning and an engine fails, calling for an emergency landing.

16:00 1h

Mayday: Air Disaster

War Zone True

War Zone

After the Flydubai Flight 981 enters a rapid descent and crashes in Russia, investigators realize that it aborted its second landing attempt in poor weather.

17:00 1h

How Did They Build That?

S3 · E6 · Tricks & Trains Science

Tricks & Trains

Engineers are put to the test with a new Olympic and Paralympic museum's cutting-edge accessible design and a gravity-defying curved glass skyscraper in Milan.

Evening

18:00 1h

How Did They Build That?

S2 · E7 · Steep & Stunning Science

Steep & Stunning

Exploring the engineering and design history behind a renovated 145-year-old museum, an innovative condo in Miami and the world's steepest mountain railway.

19:00 1h

How Did They Build That?

S1 · E1 · Cantilevers & Lifts Science

Cantilevers & Lifts

Designers share what inspired their radical structural ideas, including a Manhattan skyscraper, a museum in Paris and a cliffside elevator in Hunan, China.

20:00 1h

How Did They Build That?

S2 · E6 · Upside Down & Undersea Science

Upside Down & Undersea

Host Jay Ellis goes to the Vancouver House, Norway's Under Restaurant and the Seattle Central Library to figure out how these visionary buildings were created.

21:00 1h

How Did They Build That?

S5 · E3 · Cables Cars & Rooftop Parks Science

Cables Cars & Rooftop Parks

Witness amazing buildings, bridges, lifts, and other structures that pushed structural concrete engineering to the edge.

22:00 1h

How Did They Build That?

S2 · E1 · Riverparks & Artworks Science

Riverparks & Artworks

Engineers and architects discuss the stories behind the Hearst Tower in New York City, the Library Learning Centre in Vienna and the Audain Museum in Vancouver.

23:00 1h

How Did They Build That?

S5 · E3 · Cables Cars & Rooftop Parks Science

Cables Cars & Rooftop Parks

Witness amazing buildings, bridges, lifts, and other structures that pushed structural concrete engineering to the edge.