tonight on "nightline" -- crash course. an astounding experiment. see what it's like from inside a 727 jet as it intentionally crashes down in the desert. why this unprecedented test could help you survive a worse case scenario. and taylor gets glam. she's mus musimusic's golden su selling concerts and her new single "we're never ever getting back together." we go behind the scenes for her "glamour" cover shoot. taylor swift on money, music and love. plus -- cover girls from emma watson to mila kunis. what's it take to make the gofr of the biggest-selling fashion magazine in america?

we're there. good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight the view from inside a cash landing. it's an extraordinary experiment a team of expert whose rigged a 727 jet with cameras and test dumbies and then crashed it into a mexican desert. the point? to see if there are ways to help passengers survive when the unthinkable happens. and the answer could be as simple as choosing the right seat. here's abc's neal karlinsky. >> plane is now on remote. >> the most critical phase is right now. >> reporter: you're watching the final moments of one of the most dramatic one-way trips ever recorded. >> don't need seat belts no

more. here we go. >> reporter: the daring pilots all wearing parachutes. bail out a hatch in the back. >> jumpers away. >> reporter: high-speed, high-risk jump with no margin for error. >> four miles to impact point. >> reporter: this boeing 727, which once carried bob dole during his presidential campaign is now speeding towards the mexican desert, controlled in its final seconds on remote from a chase plane flying nearby. >> adios, big flo. >> reporter: left behind more than $500,000 of crash test dummies and passengers, 38 specialized high-speed cameras and sensors imbedded in the frame. if there was a pilot on board this is when you would hear three crucial words "brace for impact." the huge jetliner careens into the ground, a horrific, yet

survivable krach that tears the plane apart. this stunning, made-to-order crash was done for the discovery channel show "curiosity: plane crash" after four years of planning and with a huge team of experts. >> red fire rescue rolling to impact. >> reporter: all to better understand what really happens to people on board. >> typical unbelted occupant? >> torso flies under the seat. >> ankle right up against the foot rest, would see maybe a broken average >> holly: >> reporter: despite the horror of the images, statistics show plane crashes are often survivable. between 1983 and 2000, more than 95% of people involved in plane crash notice u.s. made it out alive the vast majority, 08% happened in the minutes before takeoff or last eight minutes

landing. inside the crashed # 27 it's up to injury biomechanics expert dr. cindy burr to answer the burning question, why do some people walkway from plane crashes that kill so many others? >> this is their unbraced dummy. tray table really low. >> reporter: she told us the data makes crystal clear that bracing for impact can be a lifesaver. what should do you? is. >> put your hand over, hands over. and just hold it. >> reporter: and that works? >> well, yeah, we were able to really compare that brace position versus unbraced, where we saw the unbraced dummy seem more vulnerable. >> reporter: the crash was a belly flop, slight sli nose first. the results showed that passengers near the front took the brunt of it. rows 7 and forward were considered fatal, 7a catapulted out of the plane. accident investigator tom barth analyzed now the impact rippled through the air frame.

>> we measured the g forces, impact forces from the very front of the airplane all of the way to the back, front, cockpit and first class, completely destroyed, not survivable. just behind that but in front of the wing, 12 gs, serious potential for injury but is survivable. and then the middle of the airplane, about 8 gs, moderate potential for injury, survival and then the back, about 6 gs, you would have been fine if you were wearing your seat belt. >> reporter: while no crash is the same, where you seat can often make a difference. five rows with na exit can be critical to getting out fast before smoke and flames turn a survivable crash into a fatal one. but there is another obstacle, cables and wires from inflight entertainment systems. >> all this stuff, although relatively light can be significant in impeding your ability to get out of the aircraft. >> reporter: the average man's head? >> average man's head, yes.

>> reporter: at dr. bir's lab at wayne state university another test. >> i wanted to demonstrate a small female on a plane holding other baby. feel this, 6-month-old. >> reporter: substantial. a lot more than you would think looking at it. the experience with a simulated mother holding an infant on her lap, a familiar money-saver for parents everywhere. after a relatively minor impact the mother didn't hold on. baby didn't make it. >> no. went flying. >> reporter: having a child on your lap while flying simply isn't safe. >> here we have the actual impact. you can see the arms come apart. >> reporter: watch her hands. >> yep. baby just flies out. >> reporter: the science of destruction. a picture perfect crash, a wrecked jetliner and a treasure trove of new information about what it takes to survive the unthinkable. i'm neal corps skarlinsky for

"nightline" in detroit. >> "curiosity: plane crash" airs sunday on the discovery channel. she's known for her love songs like "you belong with me," come backstage with us at "glamour" cover shoot with the one and only taylor swift. [ female announcer ] e-trade was founded on the simple belief that bringing you better technology helps make you a better investor. with our revolutionary e-trade 360 dashboard you see exactly where your money is and what it's doing live. our e-trade pro platform offers powerful functionality that's still so usable you'll actually use it. and our mobile apps are the ultimate in wherever whenever investing. no matter what kind of investor you are, you'll find the technology to help you become a better one at e-trade.

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she was just 16 years old when she took the country music world by storm and now, a mere six years later, taylor swift is nothing short of a crossover superstar with a rapid breaking

collection of hits and millions of loyal fans. and now, she's gracing her third cover of "glamour" magazine. they invited me behind the scenes for an exclusive interview and to write their no-fly cover story. it was 100-plus degrees in nashville when we sat down to talk about money, fame, her new album and of course, love. ♪ >> reporter: she's music's golden girl, selling arenas out in minutes and driving some fans to near his tiria. but you'd never know it on a blistering august day in nashville. >> hey. >> reporter: taylor swift, show biz's wealthiest 20-something. arrives on time, entourage-free. >> look at all these things. ooh. amazing. >> reporter: here to shoot her third cover story for "glamour,"

newstands, october 9. the set is an old train station and taylor is all aboard. photographer ellen, and "glamour's" creative team shoot her in outfit after outfit, each ensemble vying for the all-important cover shot. when did you decide you wanted taylor swift? >> we pretty much decided we wanted her the month after we had on our cover last time. >> reporter: ban bach in "glamour" the editor in chief knows cover gold when she sees it. >> this is her first "glamour" cover. august 2009. this is taylor number two. >> reporter: she's growing up. what will it be this time? >> i used to be particular about things and now i'm just, i walk in and i'm like, whatever you want do. just put clothes on me, i don't care. >> reporter: for a young mogul swift as the rarecombination of

letting things roll off her back with wide-eyed enthusiasm. >> you fight your battles. >> reporter: it may look like a yard sale, racks and tables but all vintage and designer duds selected with swift in mind. >> i'm super tall. >> reporter: you are tall. tall. no heels. but you have on kitty shoes. >> this is my favorite thing. i love this. >> reporter: the real taylor swift would use these. >> i for real will steal them. >> reporter: i think you should. >> and kind of act like didn't know i was doing it. >> reporter: try it. make a getaway. >> sort of like, i just need a bag to hold my sandwich. just needed to take my lunch home. >> reporter: in person she's playful and even a little goofy. she's taken a bit of a rousing for her aw shucks enthusiasm.

it was spoofd by blake shelton at this year's academy of country music wards. >> taylor will have her own perfume it's call ed -- i can't believe i smell this good! now. >> now taylor swift is here. >> reporter: even by kristen wiig on "saturday night live." so that look that you give, that "i won" look. >> people make so nuchb of me for that. i don't know. it's like if you win an ward isn't that crazy? isn't that crazy? how do you sit there and be like, oh. another grammy. i guess i'll go get that now. >> reporter: so, you were not blase? >> i try to be something but it's just hard when you get excited about stuff. >> reporter: many speculated about her latest enthusiasm. so, as you know, there is a lot of talk about you in the kennedys these days. >> is there?

>> reporter: there is. >> do tell. >> reporter: reports that you're dating conor kennedy, true? >> i don't talk about my personal life in that great detail. i write by the all in my songs but when i get in an interview it's just sort of feels -- it's not as much what i do. talking about it. >> reporter: conor, son of robert kennedy, jr., is an 18-year-old student. eth el kennedy was asked what she would think of having as a granddaughter-in-law and she said, we should be so lucky. >> she's fantastic. i love her. i met her about a year ago and she just, she puts you at ease when you're around her and she's just the embodiment of youthful energy. it's really inspiring. >> reporter: speaking of inspiration, taylor's new album "red" released october 22, is inspired by a familiar theme. love. she's already released one

track, a take on love gone wrong "we are never ever getting back together." ♪ we are never ever ever getting back together ♪ >> reporter: it shot to number one on i tunes in 32 countries. setting records along the way. this morning on "gma" she debuted another song. >> the song we're releasing this week is the title track "red." ♪ >> reporter: you're the number one earning star 30 years old or younger, beating justin bieber, lady gaga, all of them. reportedly $56 million last year. that's a lot. >> reporter: does it feel a little intimidating sometimes or not? >> what part of it? >> reporter: it's big. >> it just doesn't feel that -- it doesn't feel like a weight. there are times when it gets really busy and i get intimidated by all of it but

most of the time i'm able to really go back to that place where it feels balanced. >> reporter: are you a worrier? >> yes. i worry about like everything. like, like, everything. future, past, present, where is this all going? what am guying to feel like in 20 years, what about in 28 years? what's my like going to be like? where am guying to live? where am guying to send my kids to school and that and that and that, literally everything. >> reporter: back in the "glamour" shoot, even taylor can't find much to worry about. >> oh, my gosh, i love that! >> you killed it. that's so amazing. >> reporter: taylor thinks she knows what dress will make the cover. the pink one. will she be right? >> this is a beautiful picture buttite nom sure we have it. >> reporter: when we return. when we got married.

i had three kids. and she became the full time mother of three. it was soccer, and ballet, and cheerleading, and baseball. those years were crazy. so, as we go into this next phase, you know, a big part of it for us is that there isn't anything on the schedule.

the racks of designer clothes, the flowing hair, the perfect makeup, well magazine cover shoots may seem like a glamorous game of dress-up but the stakes are actually sky-high. it may surprise you to find out what they're looking for. for "glamour" nothing is more important than the cover shot. whether it's mila kunis, carrie underwood, victoria beckham or emma watson. almost a fifth of "glamour's" sales happen at the newsstand and that's where taylor swift comes in. >> what is really going to sell magazines and make a winning issue is that quality that just

says, i want to sit down with you, i want to talk with you, i want to be your girlfriend and taylor has that. put every page up as a design. >> reporter: a month after the shoot, we visited "glamour's" offices to witness the decision for the november cover in person. >> what comes down to is just that gut moment when i look at that cover and am i happy? >> reporter: am i happy? >> am i happy. it's instinctual, that woman at the newsstand is making her decision in literally three seconds. >> reporter: we get down to it. >> i love how her hair looks and this piece coming out. she looks so beautiful but she is turned away from me a little bit. >> she's turned to the side. >> reporter: you are fussy. >> it's a beautiful image but is she welcoming you? >> reporter: now the pink dris taylor thinks might be the winner. will it get chosen? >> i think it's a beautiful dress and it's a great moment

and taylor always looks beautiful. but i'm not sure it's commanding enough to be a cover. >> reporter: the next one? >> the third choice. >> oh. >> reporter: you like. >> well, that's the cover. i mean, the color is incredible. you have got the red that you have here but she's facing me, it's strong, it's confident. she looks gorgeous. >> reporter: am i going to see that on the newsstand on november? >> i want that on the cover. yes. you'll see that on the newsstand in november. are we all agreed. >> reporter: here it is. not the pink one. >> hope you love it, taylor. >> reporter: but a winner nonetheless. "glamour's" november issue on newsstand s nationwide octobr 9. congratulations to the "nightline" staff who won an impressive five emmys tonight at the news awards. bravo, team. thank you for watching abc news. good night, america.