Survival video clips are among the most popular downloads on the Internet. But as captivating as it is to watch other people cheat death, there's more to surviving a close call than just luck. Survive This! deconstructs the most harrowing survival clips around, and through firsthand accounts and expert evaluation, takes viewers to the critical moment between life and death to reveal the science behind survival.

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Emergency Landing
Premiere: Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 10 p.m. ET/PT
First, aerial cameraman Tim Hutchins' helmet cam records his own parachute malfunction and struggles to escape disaster. Then, parachute expert Robert Sinclair deconstructs his accident to discover how he survived.

Next, on California's Trinity River, a whitewater rafter, John Lane, videotapes his friend Naomi Downey trapped in a fierce rapids. Professor Jeff Mount at the University of California, Davis, searches for the reasons she escaped drowning.

And finally, comedian Dave Reinitz captures with his video camera the ordeal of passengers on a flight from Burbank to New York City on September 22nd, 2005. In an emergency landing with stuck landing gear, the pilot diverts to LAX. Airline safety expert Richard Curtis, PhD, analyzes why, thanks to the pilot's expertise, the flight escaped disaster.

Pregnant Sky Diver
Premiere: Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
In this episode, a doomed helicopter is captured in its last desperate moments. On May 4, 2004 New York news-chopper pilot Russ Mowry is recorded by reporter Shannon Sohn, on another nearby news chopper, as he crashes on a rooftop. Helicopter accident investigator Larry Grandy analyzes what brought Russ's chopper down, and why he survived.

Then, on November 13, 2005, Jeremiah Nance, a resident of Woodward Iowa, keeps his video camera rolling as a tornado ravages his neighborhood, leaving a wake of destruction. Meteorologist Jim Purpura, with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, dissects keys to survival when a twister hits.

Finally, shot on October 9th, 2005, skydiving instructor Rick West's helmet-cam captures Shayna West as she suffers a parachute malfunction. As she spirals downward, we realize there is even more at stake because, as she later learns, she is pregnant. Skydiving expert Dr. Terry Smith analyzes the video and offers his insights into her survival.

Smokey Bear Balloon Crash
Premiere: Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 10 p.m. ET/PT
First, a snowmobiler's brush with disaster captured on film. On March 21, 2001, on Lion's Head Peak in West Yellowstone, Montana, Jim Phelan videotapes his friend Trennis Baer triggering an avalanche, then engulfed by it. Avalanche researcher Ed Adams analyzes how these awesome destructive forces of nature are unleashed and how Trennis was able to come out of the avalanche alive.

Next, on March 22nd, 2006, a dash-cam captures a vicious attack on Texas State Trooper Steve Stone by two shooters at point blank range. Body armor expert Sam Smith explains how Trooper Stone's survival hinged on the latest advances in body armor technology.

Finally, taking place at the Annual Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 10, 2004, the harrowing story of a balloon ride that went dangerously wrong. Captured on amateur video, balloon pilot Bill Chapel and two children are blown by a sudden wind-shear into a radio tower over 600 feet high. Flight instructor and weather expert Clarke O'Byrne examines the complex wind forces behind ballooning and offers his insights into why the balloonists survived.

Sea Cave Rescue
Premiere: Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
A disaster unfolds in January, 2005, 9000 feet above Mexico's Valle de Bravo. Paraglider Joe Parr's helmet-cam records him caught in a powerful thermal air current and spiraling downward, only to have him come down at the top of a fifty-foot-high tree. Paragliding Instructor Rob McKenzie explains the science behind these dangerous wind currents and the factors that led to Joe's survival.

Then, an incident from July 4th, 2001 shows motorcycle stunt rider Bubba Blackwell attempting to jump 21 cars at the Del Mar Fair in California - ending in a spectacular crash. Collision authority David Thom analyzes what went wrong in Bubba's motorcycle jump and how his helmet helped to save his life.

And finally, tension builds in Oahu, Hawaii on January 25th, 1993. Vacationer Hugh Alexander is swept off a cliff by a giant wave, then trapped in a dangerous sea cave. In footage shot by a local resident, we follow his dramatic rescue by lifeguard Brian Keaulana and his partner. University of Hawaii Professor Rick Grig examines the deadly wave forces that Hugh was up against, as well as the actions that made his survival possible.

Pilot Whale Attack
Premiere: Tuesday, Feb.27, at 10 p.m. ET/PT
First, we examine the story of a racecar driver who survives the experience of being on fire for over a minute. On August 12th, 2000 at the Spanaway Speedway in Tacoma, Washington, Mike Easley escapes an explosive crash, but catches on fire. Richard Keyworth, a former firefighter and a fire protection specialist, examines Mike's crash to understand how he could survive being on fire for so long.

Then, a shocking story captured by underwater photographer Lee Tepley on May 12, 1991 in open ocean, 8 miles off the coast of Honolulu. Tepley tapes his friend Lisa Costello, an experienced diver, as a pilot whale drags her forty feet down, then brings her back up to the surface before she drowns. Bill Hoffman, a curator at Seaworld, has a unique viewpoint on the dynamics of whale behavior, as well as why she survived the pilot whale attack.

Finally, shot by a local cameraman on May 6th, 2001, Denis and Pam Steward and their friend Dennis Atkinson are racing their classic 1925 sailboat, "the Xylotox", in Poole Harbor, England when the boat meets disaster. A strong tide sucks their boat under a ferry, and the sailboat's crew of three all must be rescued. Hydrographer Steve Pierce delves into the harbor's unique features to investigate how the accident happened, as well as to learn lessons in survival.

Sinking of the Oceanos
Premiere: Tuesday, Feb.27, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
On November 29th, 2002 at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, retired Tech Sergeant Robert Clewis inadvertently sets himself on fire while filling up gas cans in the back of his pickup truck. Fire protection specialist and former firefighter Richard Keyworth analyzes in detail how the fire occurred and offers some critical fire safety precautions.

Next, during the World Extreme Skiing Championships in Valdez, Alaska, competitor Garret Bartelt stumbles and falls for 37 seconds down a terrifying chute studded with cliffs and rocks. Impact injury specialist John Brault then examines the amazing feat of Garret's survival and explains how he beat the odds.

Finally, the spectacular sinking of the Greek luxury liner Oceanos off the coast of South Africa on August 3rd, 1991. When the captain and crew abandon the cruise ship after it starts to sink, it's up to on-board entertainer-musicians Moss and Tracy Hill to rescue nearly 400 passengers, many of them elderly. Naval Architect Commander Paul Jackson offers a detailed theory about how the ocean liner sank and how to survive such a disaster.

Snowbank Burial
Premiere: March 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT
In March of 2001, expert snowboarder Steve Duke attempts a 40-foot jump at the Brighton Ski Resort in Utah and ends up buried head-first in several feet of new snow. Ski patroller and snow rescue expert Brandon Dodge explains how Steve's efforts to dig himself out nearly cost him his life.

Then, Nascar Racer Mike Harmon survives a horrifying accident at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on August 22, 2002. First, his car is sliced in half by an unsecured track gate, then finished off by another race car colliding with him. Mark Williams, Safety Manager for the Automobile Racing Club of America, analyzes each of the sophisticated safety features in Mark's race car that helped save his life.

Finally, on June 28, 2002 in Punta Gorda, Florida, city utility workers Jim Moss and CW Lehew fall into the dangerous rotating currents of a low-head dam and are dramatically rescued by Coast Guard rescue swimmer John Rice. Dam expert Bill Harper explains how the dam's design as well as the men's safety equipment contributed just the factors they needed to survive what's known as a "drowning machine."

Train vs. Semi
Premiere: March 6, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
On April 14, 2005, a semi truck driven by Theresa Ann Senator gets pulverized by a speeding train at a railroad crossing in Oxnard, California. Forensic Analyst and Accident Reconstruction expert Dave King then explains how the structure of the trailer and the massiveness and the speed of the train combined to allow Senator to emerge from her cab unscathed.

Then, on May 15th, 2001, a bungee jump taken by Malu Brayce of Las Vegas, Nevada goes terribly wrong when the bungee cord wraps around his neck, becoming a noose. Bungee jump expert Glenn Bruno explores what Malu could have done to avoid the accident and also how the type of cord he was jumping with may have saved his life.

Finally, the suspenseful story of a group of elk hunters and their horses trapped by a forest fire in the mountains near Helena, Montana on November 13th, 1990. Fire Battalion Chief Steve Gallegos, a veteran of over 200 wildfires, takes us step by step through the critical steps these brave men took that enabled them to survive.