Situation Critical - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Critical Situation is an American documentary

Documentary

A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...

television series. Produced in conjunction with the National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...

, the series examines various disasters or violent incidents. It replaced Seconds From Disaster
Seconds From Disaster
-By original broadcast date:National Geographic Channel has broadcast many episodes under multiple titles. The title currently or most recently listed on the NGC Calendar is shown first...

, a similar program with a more forensic approach. The main tagline of the show reads, "This is Situation Critical," or some variation thereof. As of November 2007, 13 episodes have been aired.

Episodes

Ep#	Episode title	Situation	Date of situation	Nature of situation
1	North Hollywood Shootout	North Hollywood shootout North Hollywood shootout The North Hollywood shootout was an armed confrontation between two heavily armed bank robbers and officers of the Los Angeles Police Department in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles on February 28, 1997...	February 28, 1997	Bank robbery Bank robbery Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of... , gunfight
1	When two policemen see a pair criminals robbing a branch of the Bank of America Bank of America Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina... they call the local police department for support. A gun fight lasting almost 45 minutes ensues. One criminal commits suicide, while the other is shot to death.
2	Taliban Uprising	Battle of Qala-i-Jangi Battle of Qala-i-Jangi The Battle of Qala-i-Jangi took place between November 25 and December 1, 2001, in Northern Afghanistan. It began with the uprising of foreign Taliban prisoners held at Qala-i-Jangi fortress, and escalated into one of the bloodiest engagements of the War in Afghanistan...	November 25 - December 1, 2001	Prison revolt
2	Inmates try to shoot their way out of a makeshift prison for Taliban fighters in Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world... with tv reporters trapped in the crossfire.
3	Operation Certain Death	Operation Barras Operation Barras Operation Barras was the name given to a hostage rescue operation by the British Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Parachute Regiment in Sierra Leone on 10 September 2000...	August 25 - September 10, 2000	Hostage crisis Hostage crisis A hostage crisis develops when one or more terrorists or criminals hold people against their will and try to hold off the authorities by force, threatening to kill the hostages if provoked or attacked....
3	12 soldiers carrying out a patrol through a jungle in Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4... are taken hostage by a group of rebels. They're eventually rescued.
4	Apollo 13	Apollo 13 Apollo 13 Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the American Apollo space program and the third intended to land on the Moon. The craft was launched on April 11, 1970, at 13:13 CST. The landing was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded two days later, crippling the service module upon which the Command...	April 11-April 17, 1970	Oxygen Oxygen Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition... tank explosion, emergency landing
4	An explosion aboard Apollo 13 resulted in the lunar mission being aborted and a subsequent emergency landing.
5	Downed Pilot	Mrkonjić Grad incident Mrkonjic Grad incident The Mrkonjić Grad incident was the shooting down of a United States Air Force F-16C by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile near Mrkonjić Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on June 2, 1995...	June 2, 1995	Shootdown, manhunt and rescue
5	Serbian and United States military forces hunt for Scott O'Grady Scott O'Grady Scott Francis O'Grady is a former USAF Captain and former United States Air Force fighter pilot who gained prominence after the June 2, 1995 Mrkonjić Grad incident, in which he ejected over Bosnia when his F-16C was shot down by a Bosnian Serb SA-6 while he was patrolling the no-fly zone... after his F-16 is shot down while flying over Bosnia.
6	Hell on High Water	1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race The 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was the 54th annual running of the "blue water classic" Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It was hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia based in Sydney, New South Wales....	December 26, 1998	Thunderstorm Thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
6	A storm disrupts the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately... and destroys several yachts.
7	Killing Pablo	Capture of Pablo Escobar	December 2, 1993	Manhunt, criminal capture
7	Drug lord Pablo Escobar is killed while trying to evade capture.
8	Moscow Siege	Moscow theatre hostage crisis Moscow theater hostage crisis The Moscow theater hostage crisis, also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, was the seizure of the crowded Dubrovka Theater on 23 October 2002 by some 40 to 50 armed Chechens who claimed allegiance to the Islamist militant separatist movement in Chechnya. They took 850 hostages and demanded the...	October 23 - October 26, 2002	Hostage crisis Hostage crisis A hostage crisis develops when one or more terrorists or criminals hold people against their will and try to hold off the authorities by force, threatening to kill the hostages if provoked or attacked....
8	40 armed members of the Special Purpose Islamic Regiment Special Purpose Islamic Regiment The Special Purpose Islamic Regiment , also known as the al-Jihad-Fisi-Sabililah Special Islamic Regiment, was a Chechen criminal organization loosely formed by renegade Chechen warlord Arbi Barayev in 1996... took 850 theatre goers hostage at the Dubrovka Theatre in Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , culminating in a rescue operation that resulted in the deaths of many of the hostages.
9	Entebbe Hostage Rescue	Air France Flight 139 Operation Entebbe Operation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...	June 27 - July 4, 1976	Aircraft hijacking Aircraft hijacking Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001... , hostage rescue
9	Air France Flight 139, originating from Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with... , takes off from Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... . Minutes later, it is hijacked by two Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations or Special Operations or Special Operations Group were organizational names used by Palestinian radical Wadie Haddad when engaging in international attacks, that were regarded as terrorism, and were not sanctioned by the... (PFLP-EO) and two German Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... s from the German "Revolutionary Cells Revolutionary Cells (RZ) Revolutionary Cells was a German left-wing political militancy of self-described "urban guerillas" who were active from 1973 to 1993. According to the office of the German Federal Prosecutor, the RZ claimed responsibility for 186 attacks, of which 40 were committed in West Berlin... ". The hostages were eventually rescued from the old terminal of Entebbe International Airport Entebbe International Airport Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport of Uganda.-Location:It is located near the town of Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria, and about from the capital, Kampala... in Uganda Uganda Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... by Israel Defense Forces Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel... special forces Special forces Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform... troops.
10	Running Out of Air	AS-28 training accident AS-28 AS-28 is a of the Russian Navy, which entered service in 1986. It was designed for submarine rescue operations by the Lazurit design bureau in Nizhny Novgorod...	August 4 - August 7, 2005	Submarine entanglement, undersea rescue
10	A submarine Submarine A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability... entangled in sunken fishing nets is freed using a remotely operated vehicle.
11	Al Qaeda Ambush	Battle of Takur Ghar Battle of Takur Ghar The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and Taliban insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain, Afghanistan. For the U.S...	March 3, 2002	Meeting engagement Meeting engagement A meeting engagement, a term used in warfare, is a combat action that occurs when a moving force, incompletely deployed for battle, engages an enemy at an unexpected time and place.-Description:...
11	Members of United States Navy SEALs United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their... are ambushed by Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad... forces. During the initial ambush and subsequent battle, three Chinook CH-47 Chinook The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s... helicopters were lost before the SEALs and reinforcements consisting of units of the 75th Ranger Regiment 75th Ranger Regiment (United States) The 75th Ranger Regiment , also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations light infantry unit of the United States Army. The Regiment is headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia with battalions in Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield and Joint Base Lewis-McChord... brought the engagement to a conclusion.
12	Coal Mine Disaster	Quecreek mine rescue Quecreek Mine Rescue The Quecreek Mine Rescue took place in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, when nine miners were trapped underground for over 78 hours, from July 24 to 28, 2002...	July 24 - July 28, 2002	Mine shaft flooding
12	At the Quecreek Mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania Somerset County, Pennsylvania Somerset County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 77,742. Somerset County was created on April 17, 1795, from part of Bedford County and named for Somerset, United Kingdom. Its county seat is Somerset. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania,... , coal miners accidentally dug into the poorly documented Saxman Mine, causing 500 million tonnes of underground water to flood the Quecreek mine. All nine miners trapped by the water were eventually rescued.
13	Nightmare on Mt. Hood	2002 climbing accident Mount Hood climbing accidents Mount Hood climbing accidents are mountain climbing- or hiking-related incidents on Oregon's Mount Hood. As of 2007, about 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Hood each year. As of May 2002, more than 130 people have died climbing Mount Hood since records have been kept...	May 30, 2002	Climbing accident, fall into crevasse Crevasse A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement... , helicopter crash
13	Seven men fall in a crevasse. Three die as a rescue operation goes wrong causing the crash of a helicopter.

Episodes

See also