2026 Nominees

Why Planes Crash

Windfall Films, BBC

UK

- Science & Technology

Why Planes Crash is a powerful and informative documentary that turns real-life aviation disasters in-to compelling lessons about technology, human decision-making, and safety. Its balance of emotion, clarity, and expertise: survivors’ stories and cockpit recordings add tension and humanity, while investigators and pilots explain events with precision. The use of high-quality reconstructions, CGI, and flight simulations brings the viewer inside the cockpit, making complex engineering issues easy to understand. Rather than sensationalising, the film focuses on learning from mistakes, showing how every crash has made aviation safer. It’s both gripping and educational, a blend of detective story, science documentary, and human drama.