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  • The stripped Acme nut sheared at cruise speed - did they land in time?

    The stripped Acme nut sheared at cruise speed - did they land in time?
    2026/09/10
    A routine northbound flight faces a hidden crisis when an Acme nut controlling pitch has stripped most threads - did they land in time?

    The stripped Acme nut sheared at cruise speed - did they land in time?

    In this episode, we follow the final hours of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 and the chain of maintenance decisions, measurements, and missed warnings that set the stage for an in-flight emergency. The narrative tracks the aircraft, crew actions, and the failing jackscrew assembly while asking whether earlier choices cost crucial minutes.

    Aircraft: MD-83 N963AS
    Event: In-flight jam of horizontal stabilizer trim system
    Date: January 31 (timeframe given in transcript)
    Crew: Captain Ted Thompson; First Officer William Tansky; three flight attendants
    Maintenance history: Last measured September 1997; last lubrication September 1999

    - A steel jackscrew rotated through an aluminum-alloy Acme nut beneath the cockpit floor that translated rotation into stabilizer movement.
    - Ninety percent of the nut’s threads were gone when the plane departed, described in the transcript as “not worn, gone.”
    - A mechanic had warned supervisors three years earlier about this part on that specific aircraft and was later placed on paid leave.
    - Scheduled inspections used nonstandard tools and the last formal measurement missed the true condition; lubrication recorded as a four-hour job was logged as about one hour.
    - During the flight the trim system jammed, the captain applied continuous force to the yoke, and the crew debated diverting to Los Angeles versus continuing to San Francisco.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • Eighteen Feet of Sky: The Flight That Lost Its Roof

    Eighteen Feet of Sky: The Flight That Lost Its Roof
    2026/09/10
    Eighteen Feet of Sky: The Flight That Lost Its Roof

    Blue sky where an aircraft ceiling should be: at 1:46 PM on April 28, 1988, eighteen feet of fuselage roof peeled away at 24,000 feet over the Pacific, yet the plane kept flying - how did a 19‑year‑old Boeing 737 lose its roof with no weather warning and no alarm?

    In this episode, we tell what happened on Flight 243 and follow the sequence of events, the people on board, and the maintenance realities that allowed microscopic cracks to grow for years; could a single missed crack at the gate have been the same crack that opened the sky?

    Date: April 28, 1988
    Aircraft: Boeing 737, registration N73711, line number 152
    Altitude at failure: 24,000 feet
    Passengers and crew aboard: 96
    Fatalities: 1 (Clarabelle Lansing)

    - The forward fuselage roof separated in an 18‑foot section at 1:46 PM.
    - The aircraft had accumulated 35,496 flight hours and 89,680 flight cycles by that date.
    - One person, Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing, age 58, was swept out and did not survive; her body was never recovered.
    - The airplane used cold‑bonded lap joints with epoxy and scrim cloth that wicked moisture over 19 years.
    - A passenger, Gayle Yamamoto, saw a crack at the gate in Hilo before boarding and did not report it.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分
  • The Night a Number-One Song Killed Hawksaw Hawkins

    The Night a Number-One Song Killed Hawksaw Hawkins
    2026/09/09
    The Night a Number-One Song Killed Hawksaw Hawkins

    A sudden, small kindness put a rising star on a private plane that crashed 22 minutes after takeoff - killing him three days after his song entered the Billboard country charts. How did a trade of a commercial airline seat for a spot on a four-seat Piper Comanche become the moment that ended Hawkshaw Hawkins's life and stalled a number-one record?

    In this episode, we tell the story of Hawkshaw Hawkins from his childhood trade of five rabbits for a guitar through war, radio shows, and a career finally reaching the charts - and the fatal decision on the night of March 5th that led to the Camden, Tennessee crash. What unfolded in the 72 hours between his song charting and the wreckage in the woods?

    Person: Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins
    Date: March 5, 1963
    Location: Camden, Tennessee
    Event: Piper Comanche crash
    Topic: "Lonesome 7-7203" entering the Billboard country charts three days before the crash

    - The plane had been airborne for exactly 22 minutes before crashing into a stand of trees outside Camden, Tennessee.
    - "Lonesome 7-7203" entered the Billboard country charts on March 2, 1963, 72 hours before the crash.
    - Hawkshaw Hawkins was 41 years old at the time of the crash and had a pregnant wife, Jean, and two children, Donnie and adopted daughter Susan Marlene.
    - Hawkins had traded five rabbits for his first guitar as a child and later performed on radio shows including WCMI, WSAZ, and WCHS.
    - Four people were on the Piper Comanche: Hawkshaw Hawkins, Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and pilot Randy Hughes; Hawkins had given his commercial airline seat to Billy Walker and took the private plane seat instead.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分
  • They Never Said "Emergency": The Night Flight 052 Ran Out of Fuel

    They Never Said "Emergency": The Night Flight 052 Ran Out of Fuel
    2026/09/09
    A Boeing 707 circles over New York with engines and radios working but no one ever declares "emergency" - did they make it in time?

    They Never Said "Emergency": The Night Flight 052 Ran Out of Fuel

    In this episode, we follow the nine-hour flight from Medellín to New York that ended when a Boeing 707 ran out of fuel and struck trees at Cove Neck. The episode traces the crew, aircraft history, fuel planning and the chain of decisions and silences that unfolded - could clearer communication or different choices have changed what happened?

    Date: January 25, 1990
    Aircraft: Boeing 707
    People: 158 aboard
    Captain: Laureano Caviedes Hoyos, 51, 16,000+ hours
    Fuel at departure: 78,000 pounds

    - The flight departed Medellín at 15:03 EST and had been airborne for over nine hours when the engines stopped.
    - Avianca's maintenance records noted a hush kit and aircraft age raised fuel burn by about 10% compared with a newer 707.
    - The autopilot altitude-hold was inoperative before departure, requiring full manual flying for the whole route.
    - The flight entered holding patterns (first over Norfolk at 19:04) and circled New York airspace for more than an hour while ATC communicated with the crew.
    - The cockpit voice recorder had been wrapped in adhesive tape before departure, leaving investigators to rely on audio transmissions to piece together the final hour.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    15 分
  • The eighteen‑foot roof tore away - did anyone reach the exit in time?

    The eighteen‑foot roof tore away - did anyone reach the exit in time?
    2026/09/08
    A flight attendant walks the aisle when an eighteen‑foot section of fuselage peels away midflight - did anyone reach the exit in time?

    The eighteen‑foot roof tore away - did anyone reach the exit in time?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of a routine Hawaiian inter‑island flight on April 28, 1988, when an eighteen‑foot section of a Boeing 737’s upper fuselage separated at cruise altitude. The narrative traces the aircraft’s long service, the crew on duty, and the moments before and after the roof failed - what happened next is the central question.

    Date: April 28, 1988
    Aircraft: Boeing 737 registered N73711
    Location: 24,000 feet over the Pacific, 23 nm SSE of Kahului, Maui
    Person: Clarabelle Lansing (chief flight attendant, 37 years of service)
    Event: Eighteen‑foot section of upper fuselage separated during flight

    - The airplane had completed 89,680 pressurization cycles over 19 years on short Hawaiian hops, far exceeding the conditions of its certification lab tests.
    - The missing fuselage section spanned from just behind the cockpit to the forward edge of the wing, removing the cockpit door and first‑class ceiling.
    - A passenger, Gayle Yamamoto, noticed a crack near the forward door on the jetway before boarding but did not report it.
    - The crew that day included Captain Robert Schornstheimer and First Officer Mimi Tompkins, both highly experienced on the 737, with Lansing conducting cabin service near row five.
    - At 13:46 HST, witnesses described a single whoosh and sudden wind as insulation and ceiling elements blew into the cabin and cockpit.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    16 分
  • The Engine Fell Off - Flight 191 Kept Flying for 31 Seconds

    The Engine Fell Off - Flight 191 Kept Flying for 31 Seconds
    2026/09/08
    The Engine Fell Off - Flight 191 Kept Flying for 31 Seconds

    A missing engine, a clear May afternoon, and 31 seconds of apparent normal flight before the deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history claimed 273 lives - could following the checklist have become the fatal mistake? The engine detached and landed on the runway while the DC-10 climbed away; what the crew could not see would unravel into a year-long investigation into hidden structural damage and procedural consequences.

    In this episode, we present the sequence of events from pushback to the moment the left engine separated, outline the crew and aircraft details, and trace how an invisible eight-week-old crack turned a routine departure into catastrophe - would different decisions or inspections have changed what happened?

    Date: May 25, 1979
    Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10
    People on board: 273
    Captain: Walter Lux, 53 years old, ~22,000 flight hours
    Event: Left-engine pylon fracture and separation during takeoff

    - The left engine separated at rotation and landed on the runway behind the aircraft.
    - The DC-10 continued to climb for 31 seconds after the engine fell off.
    - The aircraft had carried the hidden pylon crack for eight weeks before failure.
    - There were 258 passengers and 15 crew aboard, totaling 273 people on board.
    - The speed for a safe single-engine climb in a DC-10 was 153 knots as stated in the manual.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分
  • The radio died - he kept broadcasting the pilot's location and burned up

    The radio died - he kept broadcasting the pilot's location and burned up
    2026/09/07
    A Skyraider pilot’s cockpit fills with smoke over karst limestone as he keeps broadcasting a downed F-4 pilot’s location - did they make it in time?

    The radio died - he kept broadcasting the pilot's location and burned up

    In this episode, we follow Lieutenant Colonel William Atkinson Jones III on a September 1, 1968 rescue mission over North Vietnam, tracing the decisions, equipment, and terrain that shaped his choices. What compelled him to keep transmitting while his aircraft burned, and how did that shape the rescue attempt?

    Person: William Atkinson Jones III
    Date: September 1, 1968
    Location: Karst limestone country northwest of Đồng Hới, North Vietnam
    Aircraft: A-1H Skyraider
    Squadron: 602nd Special Operations Squadron, Nakhon Phanom RTAFB

    - Jones left Nakhon Phanom leading four Skyraiders with two helicopters to recover a downed F-4 pilot twenty miles northwest of Đồng Hới.
    - The Skyraider’s role was low-altitude loitering: suppress enemy fire, broadcast coordinates, and protect arriving helicopters.
    - Cockpit smoke began from an explosion while Jones was running a search pattern over karst towers riddled with gun positions.
    - Jones located the downed pilot near a limestone tower with a multiple-barrel gun and made repeated low, direct attack passes with cannon and rockets.
    - As he pressed attacks, Jones continuously transmitted the survivor’s location to the rescue aircraft despite his radio and cockpit being compromised.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分
  • Pieces of towel cloth in a fuel line killed two men over Connecticut pine woods

    Pieces of towel cloth in a fuel line killed two men over Connecticut pine woods
    2026/09/07
    Pieces of towel cloth in a fuel line killed two men over Connecticut pine woods

    A fragment of ordinary shop towel cloth lodged inside a Cessna 182 fuel line and silenced an engine over the pine woods of Plainville, Connecticut - two men aboard did not survive. How did such a small, mundane piece of cloth end a four-decade racing career and a routine flight in one afternoon?

    In this episode, we present the documented account of the September 16, 2017 flight, the subsequent NTSB investigation, and the unanswered question about how shop towel material entered the aircraft fuel system; what the record finds - and what it does not - is the subject we pursue.

    Person: Ted Christopher
    Person: Charles "Pat" Dundas
    Date: September 16, 2017
    Location: pine woods south of Plainville Airport, Connecticut
    Event: engine stoppage due to pieces of towel cloth obstructing a fuel line

    - Ted Christopher was 54 years old at the time of the crash.
    - The NTSB report states "pieces of towel cloth obstructing a fuel line" as the cause.
    - Ted Christopher had 131 feature wins at Stafford Motor Speedway.
    - The aircraft was a single-engine Cessna 182 that departed Plainville Airport in the early afternoon.
    - Both occupants, Ted Christopher and Charles Dundas, were killed when the engine stopped and the plane crashed.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    14 分