Final Boarding Call

Alice Stern
  • 4.1 (7)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Final Boarding Call dives into the true stories of aviation disasters, survival tales, and near misses that have shaped history. Hosted by Alice, a disaster-obsessed frequent flyer, and her reluctant, homebody husband Zach, each episode explores the history, mechanics, and human decisions behind these harrowing events. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, we examine how small oversights and miscommunications can cascade into catastrophe, revealing the fragility of complex systems and celebrating the heroism that emerges in crisis. From ghost planes circling on autopilot to pilots sucked out of windshields at 17,000 feet, we unpack these incidents with equal parts fascination and respect for the lessons they've taught us. So stow your tray tables, fasten your seatbelts, and prepare for turbulence—because not every trip reaches its final destination.

  1. 7H AGO

    Malaysia Airlines Flight MH134

    On the night of July 18, 2018, a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 pushed back from Brisbane Airport carrying 215 passengers bound for Kuala Lumpur. Within seconds of takeoff, every airspeed display in the cockpit went red — and the crew had no idea how fast they were flying or why. Join Alice and Zach as they unravel a near-disaster that played out in the dark over the Queensland coast, the chain of small failures that put this aircraft in the air, and the very specific Brisbane Airport problem that nobody at Malaysia Airlines had been told about. Buckle up — this one is a wild ride. Sources: ATSB Final Investigation Report AO-2018-053 — Australian Transport Safety Bureau, March 2022"How Did EVERYONE Miss THIS!? | Malaysian Airlines Flight 134" — Mentour Pilot, YouTube"Malaysia Airlines mistakes led to 'serious incident' on packed A330" — Australian Aviation"Pitot covers left on made for tense BUSS ride" — Flight Safety Australia"A350 pitot probe covers left on prior to pushback demonstrates how assumptions, procedural omissions can lead to unsafe conditions" — Australian Transport Safety BureauMalaysia Airlines Flight MH134 — Wikipedia Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com | Email: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.com | Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod | Facebook: Final Boarding Call | Patreon: patreon.com/finalboardingcall Credits: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    45 min

  2. APR 29

    The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

    On a cold January morning in 1986, a launch that had been promoted as a celebration of science and education went catastrophically wrong in front of a watching nation. But the real story of this disaster didn't begin on the launch pad. It began six months earlier, in a memo an engineer wrote to his boss. It continued the night before, in a conference room in Utah, where that engineer laid photographs on a table and begged four men not to kill seven people. Join Alice and Zach as they unravel the story of how the warnings were raised, how they were overruled, and what it cost the people who tried to tell the truth. Sources: Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (Rogers Commission Report), Volumes I–V — NASA History Division"Personal Observations on the Reliability of the Shuttle," Appendix F to the Rogers Commission Report — Richard P. FeynmanThe Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NASA — Diane Vaughan, University of Chicago PressTruth, Lies, and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster — Allan J. McDonald with James R. Hansen"Challenger: The Final Voyage" — report by Dr. Joseph P. Kerwin to NASA Administrator, July 28, 1986"Ethical Decisions — Morton Thiokol and the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster" — Roger Boisjoly, MIT lecture, January 1989"The Challenger Disaster: Making it Personal" — paper presented at ASEE Annual ConferenceNASA Challenger STS-51-L crew report and transcript release, 1986"Christa McAuliffe's Lost Lessons" — NASA STEM archive"Former Students Remember Christa McAuliffe" — New Hampshire Public RadioPresident Ronald Reagan, Address to the Nation on the Challenger Disaster, January 28, 1986 — Ronald Reagan Presidential LibraryColumbia Accident Investigation Board Report, Volume I, August 2003 Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com Email: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.comInstagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod Facebook: Final Boarding Call Credits: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    57 min

  3. APR 22

    Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286

    On January 19, 1988, a twin-engine commuter plane descended through an overcast Colorado night toward a mountain valley and struck a ridge twelve miles from the runway at Durango. The pilots were experienced. The aircraft was functioning normally. Investigators found no mechanical failure of any kind. So what brought Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 down on a routine approach — and why did it take more than a year, a stranger's tip at a hotel in Phoenix, and a second round of toxicology testing to find the answer? Join Alice and Zach for the story of a crash that exposed the people hiding inside America's commuter airline system, and the slow, imperfect reforms that followed. Sources: Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-89/01: Trans-Colorado Airlines, Inc., Flight 2286 - National Transportation Safety Board"A Sickness and Its Cure: The crash of Trans-Colorado Airlines flight 2286" - Admiral Cloudberg, Medium"Dangerous Approach" - Mayday: Air Disaster, Season 16, Episode 6 - Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic"A Continental Express commuter plane crashed on a snow-covered ridge in southwestern Colorado" - UPI, January 20, 1988"No mechanical failure found in commuter plane" - UPI, January 22, 1988"Airline crash attributed to cocaine" - UPI, January 31, 1989"Anti-Drug Program for Personnel Engaged in Specified Aviation Activities, Final Rule" (53 FR 47024) - Federal Aviation Administration, November 21, 1988"Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996" - Federal Aviation Administration"Reinforcement and Rapid Delivery Systems: Understanding Adverse Consequences of Cocaine" - S. Cohen, National Institute on Drug Abuse Monograph 61"The Behavioral Pharmacology of Cocaine in Humans" - M.W. Fishman, National Institute on Drug Abuse Monograph 50 Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.comEmail: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.comInstagram: @FinalBoardingCallPodFacebook: Final Boarding Call Credits: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    59 min

  4. APR 15

    Air Astana Flight 1388

    What happens when maintenance technicians reverse a single set of cables, turning a routine ferry flight into a two-hour battle for survival? Join Alice and Zach as they explore the harrowing story of Air Astana Flight 1388, where three pilots found themselves fighting an aircraft that did the exact opposite of what they commanded. With the plane flipping inverted, pulling crushing g-forces, and tearing itself apart in Portuguese skies, the crew faced an impossible challenge: land an aircraft that simply would not obey. Discover how quick thinking, exceptional teamwork, and sheer physical endurance turned what should have been a fatal crash into one of aviation's most remarkable survival stories. SOURCES Official Accident Investigation Report - Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com Aeronaves e de Acidentes Ferroviários (GPIAAF), Portugal"Runaway AIRCRAFT! This Aircraft Flew TWO HOURS Without CONTROLS!" - Mentour Pilot YouTube Channel"Air Astana Flight 1388 - Uncontrollable" - Mini Air Crash Investigation YouTube Channel"How to Land a 'Completely Uncontrollable' Passenger Jet" - Alex Davies, WIRED Magazine"How A Maintenance Error Caused Severe Control Issues Onboard Air Astana Flight 1388 In 2018" - Nicole Kylie, Simple FlyingAviation Safety Network Database Entry for Air Astana Flight 1388"Air Astana Out Of Control (KC1833 in 2018)" - Fear of Landing FIND FINAL BOARDING CALL ONLINE: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.comEmail: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.comInstagram: @FinalBoardingCallPodFacebook: Final Boarding Call CREDITS: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    54 min

  5. APR 8

    China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735

    On March 21, 2022, a Boeing 737 carrying 132 people entered a near-vertical dive over southern China. Forty minutes into a routine one-hour flight, it was gone — no mayday call, no distress signal, no warning of any kind. But then something strange happened: for thirty seconds, the plane climbed back up. Join Alice and Zach as they piece together what the flight recorders revealed, what one government has refused to tell the world, and why the truth behind this disaster has now been officially classified as a matter of national security. SOURCES: "China Eastern Crash Lab Data Suggests Intentional Nosedive" — The Wall Street Journal, Andrew Tangel and Alison Sider"China Eastern Flight 5735: No Evidence of Mechanical Failure in Preliminary Report" — Reuters"Four Years Later: China Eastern Investigators Offer No Answers" — Channel News Asia"China's CAAC Invokes National Security to Keep Crash Investigation Secret" — Wikipedia Reference Archive"The Mysterious Descent of MU5735: What the Black Boxes Really Told the NTSB" — Simple Flying"Pressure on Families: The Non-Disclosure Agreements of China Eastern" — The Kathmandu Post"Boeing 737-800 Safety Records and the Silence of Post-Crash Bulletins" — Boeing Newsroom"China Eastern MU5735 — Was This a Deliberate Crash?" — Mentour Pilot"Black Box Analyzed for Pilots' Actions in China Eastern Airlines Crash" — ABC News, Karson Yiu and Bill Hutchinson"China Eastern Crash May Have Been Intentional" — BBC News"US Officials Say Evidence Suggests Intentional Crash of China Eastern Jet" — CNN, Nectar Gan"China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 Crashes En Route to Guangzhou" — Flightradar24 Blog, Ian Petchenik"Preliminary Report on China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 Accident" — Civil Aviation Administration of China FIND FINAL BOARDING CALL ONLINE: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.comEmail: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.comInstagram: @FinalBoardingCallPodFacebook: Final Boarding Call CREDITS: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    51 min

  6. APR 1

    Ram 2500 and 3500 Transmission Fires

    What happens when America's best-selling heavy-duty truck develops a flaw that can turn a routine highway drive into a fireball? Join Alice and Zach as they investigate a design defect that left Ram owners watching their six-figure trucks melt on the roadside—and the three-year gap between the first fires and corporate action. Discover how a 2019 engineering change created an invisible time bomb under the hood, learn about the "geyser effect" that turned transmission fluid into a blowtorch, and find out whether the recall fix actually solved the problem or just redirected it. SOURCES: NHTSA Safety Recall Report 22V-835 (Recall ZA3) - Stellantis transmission fire recallNHTSA ODI Preliminary Evaluation PE22-003 - Internal investigation documentationNHTSA Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ ID 11463132, 11425998, and related complaints)Stellantis Part 573 Defect Information Report - Technical breakdown of pressure buildup mechanismNHTSA CAIRS (Consumer Assistance Inquiries) - Field reports and warranty claims"Ram 2500 and 3500 Engine Fire Recall: What Owners Should Know" - Lemon Law Help by Knight Law GroupTFLTruck (The Fast Lane Truck) - Early investigative reporting on 68RFE overheatingMoparInsiders - Technical history of 68RFE transmission and 2019 valve body redesignRam truck owner forums (HDRams, Turbo Diesel Register) - Near-miss incidents and owner experiencesClass-action litigation documents (Top Class Actions, Robins Kaplan LLP) FIND FINAL BOARDING CALL ONLINE: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.comEmail: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.comInstagram: @FinalBoardingCallPodFacebook: Final Boarding Call CREDITS: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    44 min

  7. MAR 25

    US Airways Flight 1549

    What happens when a flock of birds turns an ordinary winter flight into a 208-second race against physics? Join Alice and Zach as they explore the incredible story of US Airways Flight 1549, where Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger made a split-second decision that saved 155 lives on a freezing January afternoon. But this isn't just a story about one heroic pilot—it's about the ferry captains who arrived in four minutes with skills forged during 9/11, the flight attendant who evacuated passengers with a metal beam through her leg, and the strangers who formed human chains to pull survivors from 41-degree water. Discover how preparation, training, and an extraordinary cast of ordinary people transformed certain disaster into aviation's most celebrated survival story. Sources: Mayday: Air Disasters Season 10, Episode 5: "Hudson River Runway"NTSB Final Report NTSB/AAR-10/03Dave Sanderson's accounts and book "Moments Matter"Ric Elias TED Talk: "3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed"Flight attendant testimony from NTSB hearingsNY Waterway ferry captain interviews Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.comEmail: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.comInstagram: @FinalBoardingCallPodFacebook: Final Boarding Call Credits: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    1 hr

  8. MAR 18

    Eastern Air Lines Flight 212

    On September 11, 1974, Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 crashed three miles short of the runway in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing 72 people. The cause wasn't mechanical failure or bad weather — it was a conversation. Discover how cockpit distraction during a routine approach led to one of aviation's most preventable tragedies, and learn about the landmark safety rule that now governs every takeoff and landing worldwide. Among the 72 lives lost were a father and his two sons — a family whose youngest sibling would grow up to become one of America's most recognizable voices and redefine how we talk about grief. Sources: National Transportation Safety Board: "Aircraft Accident Report: Eastern Air Lines, Inc., Douglas DC-9-31, N8984E, Charlotte, North Carolina, September 11, 1974" (Report No. AAR-75-09, May 23, 1975)Federal Aviation Administration: Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 121.542 and Part 135.100 (The "Sterile Cockpit Rule")Aviation Safety Network: "Accident Description — Eastern Air Lines Flight 212"Janes, Théoden and Fowler, Scott. "9/11/74: The Untold Story of Charlotte's Deadliest Plane Crash" (Multi-part series). The Charlotte Observer, September 2024Janes, Théoden and Fowler, Scott. "'I'm Human,' Said the Co-Pilot: The Fight to Regain His License." The Charlotte Observer, May 21, 2025Fowler, Scott. "Charlotte's Deadliest Plane Crash Has Finally Been Memorialized After 51 Years." The Charlotte Observer, September 10, 2025Sullenberger Aviation Museum: Flight 212 Memorial Dedication Ceremony Records, June 21, 2025Gerard, Philip. "The 1970s: Fatal Distraction." Our State Magazine, August 31, 2021 (includes extensive Colette Watson interview)"The Courage to Fly: Colette Watson's Story." Our State Magazine, 2021Cooper, Anderson. "Stephen Colbert: Grateful for Grief." All There Is Podcast, September 2022Lovell, Joel. "Stephen Colbert on Making The Late Show His Own." GQ, August 17, 2015Schorn, Daniel. "Stephen Colbert On Insincerity." CBS News, April 28, 2006Admiral Cloudberg. "The Rules of the Game: The Crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212" (aviation history analysis)SkyBrary. "Sterile Cockpit Compliance." Flight Safety Digest (context on FAA delay and pilot union resistance)NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System. "The Sterile Cockpit" (Directline #4, June 4, 1993) Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.comInstagram: @FinalBoardingCallPodFacebook: Final Boarding CallEmail: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.com Credits: Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    50 min
See All (59)

4.1
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Final Boarding Call dives into the true stories of aviation disasters, survival tales, and near misses that have shaped history. Hosted by Alice, a disaster-obsessed frequent flyer, and her reluctant, homebody husband Zach, each episode explores the history, mechanics, and human decisions behind these harrowing events. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, we examine how small oversights and miscommunications can cascade into catastrophe, revealing the fragility of complex systems and celebrating the heroism that emerges in crisis. From ghost planes circling on autopilot to pilots sucked out of windshields at 17,000 feet, we unpack these incidents with equal parts fascination and respect for the lessons they've taught us. So stow your tray tables, fasten your seatbelts, and prepare for turbulence—because not every trip reaches its final destination.

Information

  • Creator
    Alice Stern
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Alice Stern
  • Show Website
    Final Boarding Call

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