"From the ashes of disaster can come the truth," is the breathless announcement from The History Channel of its forthcoming documentary, "Secrets of the Black Box." The documentary airs Dec. 22 in two parts at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. The 8 p.m. show focuses on Korean Airlines Flight 007, shot down by a Russian interceptor in Sept. 1982, and the 9 p.m. show focuses on Aloha Airlines Flight 243, which lost the upper part of its fuselage from metal fatigue and corrosion in April 1988 but the pilots were able to land the airplane, thus preserving evidence that led to a major effort to assure the structural integrity of old jetliners.

Neither case involved the recovery of evidence "from the ashes," but the show, which we have previewed, is instructive nonetheless.

According to The History Channel announcement:

"Although air travel is still considered the safest mode of transportation, airline accidents are nearly unmatched in our sense of size, scope, and impact. These horrific tragedies are front page news - but the real reasons are revealed when the investigations into the crashes begin."

It should be mentioned that the discovery and retrieval of the KAL Flight 007 black boxes was denied for years by the Soviets/Russians, and the transcripts from them weren't released until 1992.

The shows are hosted by Greg Feith, a former accident investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Feith said of his participation, "I've always used the news media as an educational platform."