Mayday Monday

Nick
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  • Aviation
  • Updated Weekly

Mayday Monday is a weekly aviation podcast about the close calls, glitches, and strange moments that happen in and around aircraft — and why they're evidence the system works, not reasons to be afraid. Each episode takes one real incident, digs through the official investigation reports, and explains what actually happened in plain language: clear enough for nervous flyers, detailed enough for the avgeeks. No fear-mongering, no jargon left unexplained — just the story, the systems behind it, and the people and procedures that keep aviation the safest way to travel.

Episodes

  1. Jul 6

    Engine Shutdown near Billund

    A KLM Boeing 737 was climbing out over the North Sea, homebound from Bergen to Amsterdam, when passengers heard two loud bangs and smoke drifted into the cabin. Up front, the crew saw the reason: the right engine's oil pressure was falling — a red-line warning that means protect the engine and shut it down. So they did, turned for Denmark, and landed safely at Billund about 35 minutes later, everyone fine. We explain why low oil pressure is a shut-it-down item, why a twin-engine jet is built and certified to fly perfectly well on one engine, and where the honest line sits between what's known (the indication, the symptoms, the safe landing) and what only an engine teardown can answer (what actually broke, and whether the earlier starter glitch in Bergen was related or just an unlucky coincidence). Chapters 00:00 — Cold open00:27 — A routine evening run over the North Sea01:08 — A crooked start: the starter trouble in Bergen02:09 — Two bangs, smoke, and a burning smell02:57 — Low oil pressure — and why you shut the engine down04:06 — Why a 737 flies just fine on one engine04:49 — The diversion to Billund05:33 — What we know, and what we don't06:26 — The lesson: layers, not luckThe flight KLM Boeing 737-800, reg PH-BXY — flight KL1164, Bergen (BGO) → Amsterdam (AMS)What happened: two bangs + cabin smoke while climbing through FL380; right CFM-56 engine showed low oil pressure; crew shut it downWhere: diverted to Billund, Denmark (EKBI/BLL), runway 09Time from level-off to touchdown: ~35 minutesOutcome: safe single-engine landing; no injuries reportedJargon, decoded Engine starter — the device that spins a jet engine fast enough to "light"; a jet has no key to turn. A faulty starter delayed the departure in Bergen.CFM-56 — one of the most common airliner engines ever built (GE + France's Safran), the powerplant on the 737-800.Oil pressure — in a jet engine the oil both lubricates and cools; lose it and bearings can overheat and fail, so a low-oil-pressure warning means shut down.One-engine flight — twin-engine airliners are certified to lose an engine at the worst moment and still climb away and fly to an airport. Pilots rehearse it constantly.Diversion — landing at a suitable airport short of the destination once it makes sense to.Sources & credits Lead: The Aviation Herald — https://avherald.com/h?article=53a70d8fPrimary source: the operator's (KLM) account — one engine shut down in flight and a diversion to Billund with a safe landing. The cause is not yet established.Theme music: "Funk & Breakbeat" by alexguz (Pixabay).Mayday Monday explains real incidents using official and operator sources. The cause of this engine shutdown is under examination; we don't speculate ahead of the evidence.

  2. Jun 29

    Pilot Incapacitated near Munich

    On June 17th, 2026, an Easyjet A320 was cruising over Germany on a holiday run from Edinburgh to Crete when one of its two pilots became incapacitated — the airline called it a “welfare issue.” What happened next is the whole reason commercial aircraft carry two qualified pilots: the other one took control, declared the situation, and diverted to Munich, landing safely about 25 minutes later. We explain why two-pilot crews are a deliberate safety design rather than a tradition, what a “diversion” actually involves, and how a quiet machine — controllers, a cleared runway, medics on standby — swings into action the moment a crew says they need help. No drama it hasn’t earned: we’re careful about what’s known (a safe landing) and what isn’t anyone’s business to guess (the pilot’s private medical condition). Chapters 00:00 — Cold open00:27 — A holiday flight, high over Germany02:00 — A pilot becomes unwell (and what we won’t guess at)02:41 — Why every airliner carries two pilots03:31 — The decision: divert to Munich04:26 — The quiet machine on the ground05:08 — Twenty-five minutes to a safe landing06:06 — The real lesson: safety is built in layersThe flight Easyjet Airbus A320-200, reg G-EZUN — flight EZY3223, Edinburgh → Heraklion (Crete)What happened: one pilot incapacitated ~90 nm NW of Munich; the other divertedWhere: landed at Munich (EDDM/MUC), runway 26RTime from onset to touchdown: ~25 minutesOutcome: safe landing; aircraft and everyone aboard arrived intactJargon, decoded Incapacitation — a crew member becoming unable to perform their duties. Crews train for single-pilot incapacitation precisely because it can happen.Diversion — changing destination mid-flight to land somewhere safe and suitable as soon as it makes sense. One of the most normal “abnormal” things in aviation.Flight level — altitude in hundreds of feet on a standard pressure setting (FL370 = ~37,000 ft), so all aircraft up high measure height the same way.Runway 26R — a runway pointing ~260° (west); “R” distinguishes it from the parallel runway beside it.Sources & credits Lead: The Aviation Herald — https://avherald.com/h?article=53aa5d91Primary source: the operator’s (Easyjet) account, which described a crew “welfare issue” and the diversion to Munich. No formal accident investigation was announced, as is typical for an in-flight medical diversion.Theme music: “Funk & Breakbeat” by alexguz (Pixabay).Mayday Monday explains real incidents using official and operator sources. We do not speculate about individuals’ medical circumstances. Details may evolve.

  3. Jun 22

    Nose to Nose at Madrid

    On May 10th, 2026, at one of Europe’s busiest airports, an Iberia A350 bound for Rio and a Wizz Air A321neo headed for London rolled onto the same runway at the same moment — from opposite sides — and ended up nose to nose. Nobody was hurt and nothing was damaged, but it’s a textbook example of aviation’s most carefully guarded mistake: the runway incursion. We break down exactly how two crews ended up staring at each other across Runway 14 Right, why the “nose to nose” headline sounds scarier than it was, what Spain’s accident investigators have said (and pointedly haven’t), and how the layers of defense — readbacks, a glance left and right, ground radar — are designed to make sure this stays a story instead of a tragedy. Chapters 00:00 — Cold open00:27 — Madrid, and two jets on a collision-shaped course01:43 — “Line up and wait”: the runway’s golden rule02:09 — How they ended up nose to nose (the taxiway geometry)02:57 — What the headline gets wrong03:28 — Runway incursions, and the shadow of Tenerife04:33 — What the investigators have said — and haven’t05:29 — Confusing taxiways, and the layers of defense06:31 — The verdict: the system workedThe aircraft Iberia Airbus A350-900 — flight IB-269, Madrid → Rio de Janeiro, 276 passengers + 13 crewWizz Air UK Airbus A321neo — flight W9-5356, Madrid → London Luton, 229 passengers + 9 crewWhere: Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas (LEMD/MAD), Runway 14R, via taxiways Lima-Charlie and Lima-AlphaOutcome: both crews stopped; no injuries, no damage; both flights continuedJargon, decoded Line up and wait — ATC telling a crew to taxi onto the runway and hold, ready for takeoff. The iron rule: only one aircraft on a runway at a time.Runway incursion — any time an aircraft, vehicle, or person is on a runway it shouldn’t be. Two airliners on the same runway is about as textbook as it gets.Readback — pilots repeating a clearance back to ATC so errors get caught on the air.Ground radar (A-SMGCS) — surface surveillance that tracks everything on the field and can alarm when two of them are about to conflict.Sources & credits Lead: The Aviation Herald — https://avherald.com/h?article=53ab3d69Primary source: CIAIAC, Spain’s civil aviation accident investigation board (Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil), which confirmed the sequence and opened an investigation. Aerodrome chart: AIS España.Historical reference: the 1977 Tenerife disaster (KLM/Pan Am, 583 fatalities), the deadliest accident in aviation history and a runway collision.Theme music: “Funk & Breakbeat” by alexguz (Pixabay).Mayday Monday explains real incidents using official investigation sources. Findings described as preliminary may change as investigations conclude.

  • 3 Episodes

About

Mayday Monday is a weekly aviation podcast about the close calls, glitches, and strange moments that happen in and around aircraft — and why they're evidence the system works, not reasons to be afraid. Each episode takes one real incident, digs through the official investigation reports, and explains what actually happened in plain language: clear enough for nervous flyers, detailed enough for the avgeeks. No fear-mongering, no jargon left unexplained — just the story, the systems behind it, and the people and procedures that keep aviation the safest way to travel.

Information

  • Creator
    Nick
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Nick
  • Show Website
    Mayday Monday