Final Boarding Call

Alice Stern
  • 5.0 (2)
  • 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. 4D AGO

    British Airways Flight 009

    What happens when all four engines on a Boeing 747 suddenly fail at 37,000 feet over the ocean? On June 24, 1982, Captain Eric Moody and his crew faced the impossible: flying the world's largest passenger jet as a glider through the darkness, with 263 lives depending on split-second decisions and a calm voice over the intercom. Join Alice and Zach as they explore one of aviation's most remarkable survival stories—where a former glider pilot's skills, a crew's unshakeable teamwork, and passengers' quiet courage turned certain death into an unforgettable lesson in airmanship. Discover the invisible enemy that brought them down, and learn why aviation authorities' failure to heed the warning nearly caused a second disaster just 19 days later. Sources: Betty Tootell, "All Four Engines Have Failed" (1985)Mayday: Air Disasters - Season 4, Episode 2, "Falling From the Sky"Captain Eric Moody interviews (BBC, Flight Safety Australia, aviation podcasts)Wikipedia: British Airways Flight 009SKYbrary Aviation Safety DatabaseMentour Pilot YouTube analysisAviation Safety Network accident reportRolls-Royce engine investigation documentationSingapore Airlines Flight 21A incident report 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.

    1h 5m

  2. 12/24/2025

    LANSA Flight 508

    When LANSA Flight 508 was struck by lightning and broke apart at 10,000 feet over the Amazon rainforest on Christmas Eve 1971, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke found herself falling through the sky still strapped to her seat. Against impossible odds, she survived - only to face an 11-day journey through one of the world's most dangerous environments while injured and alone. But she wasn't the only survivor. Join Alice and guest co-host Lydia as they explore this extraordinary story and discover what separated Juliane from the 14 others who survived the fall but died waiting for rescue - including her own mother. From the science of crash survivability to the psychology of extreme survival, this episode reveals why preparation, determination, and a lifetime of unique knowledge made all the difference. SOURCES: "When I Fell from the Sky: How the Jungle Gave Me My Life Back" by Juliane Koepcke"Wings of Hope" documentary by Werner HerzogLANSA Flight 508 crash investigation reportsMy Favorite Murder PodcastNot Today Podcast 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, with special guest co-host Lydia Stern and special guest Terren Judson. Researched and written by Alice Stern and Lydia Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.

    51 min

  3. 12/17/2025

    TransAsia Airways Flight 235

    On February 4, 2015, a routine 50-minute flight from Taipei to Kinmen Island turned into a two-minute-and-48-second nightmare captured on dashcam and watched by millions worldwide. Join Alice and Zach to learn how a microscopic circuit board failure triggered a cascade of catastrophic decisions in the cockpit—and how investigators proved that doing nothing would have saved 43 lives.  Sources: Mayday: Air Disasters - Season 17, Episode 7: "Caught on Camera""A Horrible Chain of Mistakes! TransAsia Airways flight 235" by Mentour Pilot (YouTube)Taiwan Aviation Safety Council Final Report (ASC-AOR-16-06-001)"Review of Medical Response in 2015 TransAsia Airways Flight 235 Aircraft Crash" - NCBI/PMCWikipedia: TransAsia Airways Flight 235Aviation Safety Network occurrence report Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.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 Stem

    45 min

  4. 12/10/2025

    UPS Airlines Flight 2976

    On November 4, 2025, a UPS cargo jet loaded with fuel for its trans-Pacific journey thundered down the runway in Louisville, Kentucky. But just seconds after liftoff, something catastrophic happened—the left engine tore away from the wing in a shower of sparks and flame. What followed was 30 seconds of horror as the crippled MD-11 carved a path of destruction through an industrial area, killing 14 people. But this disaster wasn't unprecedented—46 years earlier, an almost identical failure killed 271 people in Chicago and changed aviation forever. Or did it? Join Alice as she explores whether the lessons of America's deadliest aviation disaster were truly learned, and what it means that aging cargo aircraft are still experiencing the same catastrophic failures decades later. Sources: NTSB Preliminary Report DCA26MA024 (November 20, 2025)NTSB Media Briefing 3 (November 8, 2025) - YouTubeFAA Lessons Learned: American Airlines Flight 191"New photos show engine falling off UPS cargo plane before Louisville crash" - NBC News"Fleet of UPS planes grounded after deadly crash expected to miss peak delivery season" - CNN"Leading Aviation Attorney Comments on NTSB Preliminary Report" - Clifford Law Offices"Wrongful death lawsuit in UPS cargo jet crash planned by victims' families" - Reuters, December 2, 2025"UPS put profits over safety before plane crash that killed 14, lawyer alleges" - Associated Press, December 3, 2025"Investigators recover black boxes from UPS plane crash, detail data recovery process" - Tom's Hardware, November 8, 2025"Dramatic photos of doomed UPS plane show the aircraft on fire and its engine flying off" - Associated Press, November 20, 2025"Investigators find 'black boxes' from UPS plane crash that killed at least 12" - Reuters, November 5, 2025 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.

    56 min

  5. 12/03/2025

    LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16

    When a Boeing 767 loses a critical system minutes after takeoff, the experienced crew makes a reasonable decision: continue across the Atlantic and deal with it when they land. After all, they've trained for this exact scenario, and backup systems are designed for situations like this. But as Flight 16 approaches Warsaw with 231 people on board, the backup systems mysteriously fail. Join Alice and Zach as they unravel how a perfect landing became impossible, why experienced pilots missed something hiding in plain sight, and how one captain's extraordinary skill brought everyone home alive from one of aviation's most dramatic belly landings. Sources: "Final report" - State Commission on Aircraft Accidents Investigation (SCAAI), December 18, 2017"LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16" - Wikipedia"Accident: LOT B763 at Warsaw on Nov 1st 2011, forced gear up landing" - Simon Hradecky, The Aviation Herald"Boeing 767 BELLY LANDING! What happened?!" - Mentour Pilot (Petter Hörnfeldt), YouTube"Emergency Landing without Landing Gears" - World's Wildest Flights, Season 1 Episode 1 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

  6. 11/26/2025

    TWA Flight 514

    On the Sunday after Thanksgiving 1974, what should have been a routine diversion turned into one of aviation's most consequential disasters. Join Alice and Zach as they explore how TWA Flight 514's crash into Mount Weather, Virginia, exposed a deadly gap in communication between pilots and air traffic controllers—a misunderstanding so fundamental that it had nearly caused another crash just weeks earlier. Discover how confusion over three simple words, "cleared for approach," led to 92 deaths and triggered safety changes that transformed modern aviation. This Thanksgiving, we remember a tragedy that taught the industry an unforgettable lesson about the cost of ambiguity. Sources: National Transportation Safety Board Aircraft Accident Report NTSB-AAR-75-16Federal Aviation Administration Lessons Learned: TWA Flight 514Air Line Pilots Association: "The Legacy of TWA Flight 514: 50 Years of Reflection and Aviation Safety"Check-Six.com: "In a Place that Doesn't Exist - The Crash of TWA Flight 514"AOPA: "TWA 514's Legacy" by Peter A. BedellAviation Safety Network DatabaseBluemont Heritage: TWA Flight 514 MemorialABC 7 News - WJLA: "FULL DOCUMENTARY: TWA Flight 514 airplane crash in Loudoun County, Virginia"Green Dot Aviation: "Descent into Disaster! | TWA Flight 514" Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.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.

    56 min

  7. 11/19/2025

    Japan Airlines Flight 123

    On August 12, 1985, Japan Airlines Flight 123 climbed into the evening sky with 524 people aboard, bound for a routine 54-minute flight to Osaka. Twelve minutes later, a thunderous explosion tore through the aircraft, severing all hydraulic controls and leaving the crew fighting to control an uncontrollable jumbo jet using only engine thrust. What followed was 32 minutes of extraordinary airmanship as three pilots battled against impossible odds. Discover how a seven-year-old maintenance error led to the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in aviation history—and how the heroic actions of the crew would later help save lives in future emergencies. Sources:Mayday: Air Disasters - Season 3, Episode 3, titled "Out Of Control""Japan Airlines Flight 123 | A Short Documentary" - Fascinating HorrorJapan Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission Official ReportNTSB Investigation DocumentsWikipedia - Japan Airlines Flight 123Survivor testimonials and witness 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.

    58 min

  8. 11/12/2025

    The MV Doña Paz Disaster

    On December 20, 1987, the passenger ferry MV Doña Paz collided with the oil tanker MT Vector in the Tablas Strait of the Philippines, creating a catastrophic inferno that claimed over 4,300 lives—nearly three times the death toll of the Titanic. Join Alice and Zach as they investigate how corporate negligence, regulatory failure, and a culture of overlooking safety standards converged to create the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history. Discover the harrowing stories of the 26 survivors who escaped burning waters, the families who fought for decades seeking justice, and why this tragedy—despite its massive scale—remains largely forgotten outside the Philippines. Sources: "4,385 Souls Gone: The Nightmare Voyage of the Doña Paz" - Stunning History (YouTube documentary)"Burning at Sea: The Sinking of MV Doña Paz" - Philippines' Most Shocking Stories, Episode 6, ABS-CBN News"Asia's Titanic" - National Geographic Channel-Asia documentary"MV Doña Paz" - Wikipedia article"Hell at Sea: Remembering the Tragedy of the MV Doña Paz" - Nicai de Guzman, Esquire Magazine PhilippinesPhilippine Coast Guard Marine Board of Inquiry Report - February 29, 1988Caltex Philippines v. Sulpicio Lines - Supreme Court of the Philippines, September 30, 1999Vector Shipping Corp. v. Macasa - Supreme Court of the Philippines, July 21, 2008"Doña Paz victims waiting for justice 25 years after" - Joey Gabieta, Philippine Daily Inquirer"MV Doña Paz survivor reunites with family after 25 years on 'Wish Ko Lang'" - GMA News, GMA NetworkRV Petrel Wreck Discovery Footage - Released December 19, 2019 Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online: Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com Instagram: @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.

    58 min
See All (41)

5
out of 5
2 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
    2K
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Alice Stern
  • Show Website
    Final Boarding Call

You Might Also Like