On June 2, 1983, Air Canada Flight 797 was halfway through a routine flight from Dallas to Montreal when circuit breakers started popping in the cockpit. What began as a seemingly minor electrical issue quickly escalated into a race against time as smoke filled the cabin and an invisible fire burned behind the lavatory walls. Join Alice and Zach as they explore how a small problem became a deadly inferno, the heroic efforts of the crew to land the plane safely, and the tragic flashover that claimed 23 lives just 90 seconds after touchdown. This episode reveals how split-second decisions during emergencies can mean the difference between survival and catastrophe.

Sources:

• "Fire on Board! Air Canada Flight 797" by Curious Pilot (YouTube)
• Mayday: Air Disaster - Season 4, Episode 3 "Fire Fight": Air Canada 797
• NTSB Aircraft Accident Report: Air Canada Flight 797, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32

Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:

• Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
• Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod
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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.

When 23-year-old Amy Lynn Bradley stepped onto the balcony of her family's cruise ship cabin in the early morning hours of March 24, 1998, she had no idea she was about to become the center of one of the most perplexing disappearances in maritime history. Join Alice and Zach as they navigate the murky waters of Amy's vanishing from the Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas during a family vacation in the Caribbean. Was it an accident, suicide, or something far more sinister? From alleged sightings in brothels to mysterious photographs and a heartbreaking message in a bottle, this case has more twists than a Caribbean current. Buckle up for a journey into one of the most haunting maritime mysteries of our time.

Sources:

• "A full timeline of how Amy Bradley went missing from a Caribbean cruise in 1998" by Suchismita Ghosh, Entertainment
• "What Happened to Amy Bradley? Here Are the Theories" by Troy Pozirekides, Status Update
• "Amy Bradley Sent Girlfriend a 'Message in a Bottle,' Lamenting 'an Ocean Between Us.' Then She Vanished at Sea" by KC Baker, People Magazine
• Wikipedia page on the "Disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley"
• Netflix documentary series "Amy Bradley Is Missing"

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.

What would you do to survive when all hope seems lost? Join Alice and Zach as they explore one of history's most remarkable survival stories. On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team crashed high in the Andes mountains. For the survivors, this was just the beginning of a 72-day ordeal in one of Earth's most hostile environments. Facing starvation, extreme cold, avalanches, and the crushing news that the search had been abandoned, these ordinary young men were forced to make extraordinary—and controversial—choices to stay alive. Discover how medical student Roberto Canessa and teammate Nando Parrado ultimately trekked across the seemingly impassable Andes mountains to save their friends, completing one of the most incredible rescue missions of all time.

Sources:

• Time magazine: "A Survivor Recalls the Harrowing 1972 Plane Crash Behind Society of the Snow" by Megan McCluskey, January 5, 2024
• My Favorite Murder Episode 307: Fun Cracker Reveal
• Wikipedia: Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Uruguayan Air Force flight 571

Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:

• Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
• Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod
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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.

On August 25, 2001, a Cessna 402B carrying R&B superstar Aaliyah crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport in the Bahamas, claiming all nine lives on board. Discover how multiple preventable factors—an overloaded aircraft, an unqualified pilot with falsified credentials and substances in his system, and a charter company operating without proper authorization—led to this devastating tragedy. The episode also reveals how Aaliyah herself sensed the danger and refused to board, only to allegedly be given an unidentified pill before being placed on the doomed flight.

• Official accident investigation report from the Bahamian Civil Aviation Department
• My Favorite Murder episode #304 titled "Show-Off Time"
• Wikipedia articles on Aaliyah and the 2001 Marsh Harbour Cessna 402 crash
• "Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah" by Kathy Iandoli (2021)

Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com

Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod

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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.

What happens when an ordinary day of paragliding transforms into a battle against one of nature's most violent forces? Join Alice and Zach as they explore the extraordinary survival story of Ewa Wiśnierska, a champion paraglider who was literally sucked into a massive thunderstorm and carried to an altitude higher than Mount Everest. Discover how this elite athlete endured temperatures of minus 50 degrees, oxygen levels too thin to sustain consciousness, and violent hailstorms that should have proven fatal. Learn what happens to the human body when suddenly exposed to conditions more extreme than the "death zone" of high-altitude mountaineering—without specialized equipment or training. Buckle up for an incredible journey into the stratosphere and back.

Sources:

• Wikipedia article on Ewa Wiśnierska
• "Not Today" podcast, Episode 141: "Straight To The Stratosphere"

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. This special episode featured guests Lydia Stern and Terren Judson.

On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed just moments after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 154 people and leaving only one survivor—a four-year-old girl who became known as the "miracle child." Discover how an experienced crew's missed checklist, combined with schedule pressure and a disabled warning system, led to one of America's deadliest aviation disasters. Learn about the fundamental safety changes that emerged from this tragedy and why Flight 255 became a watershed moment for aviation checklist procedures worldwide.

• NTSB Accident Report AAR-88/05: "Aircraft Accident Report - Northwest Airlines, Inc., McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, N312RC, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Romulus, Michigan, August 16, 1987"
• Mayday: Air Disaster - Season 9, Episode 4, titled "Alarming Silence"
• NTSB Investigation Database Case DCA87MA046
• Aviation Safety Network Database Entry for Northwest Airlines Flight 255
• "The Sole Survivor: Cecelia Cichan's Story" - Various news interviews and documentaries
• NASA Ames Research Center Checklist Design Studies
• FAA Advisory Circulars on Takeoff Warning Systems

Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com

Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod

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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.

In Part 1, we explored the three terrorist incidents that shaped TSA policy. Now, we examine whether the agency actually works. Join Alice and Zach as they dive into the TSA's shocking 95% failure rate in security tests, the human cost of security theater, and the recent policy changes that have everyone asking: if we can keep our shoes on now, why couldn't we before? After 23 years and over $200 billion, has the TSA made us safer, or just made us feel safer? This episode asks the tough questions about one of America's most controversial federal agencies.

Sources:

• "Transportation Security Administration" - Wikipedia
• "It Was Shoes On, No Boarding Pass Or ID. But Airport Security Forever Changed On 9/11" - David Schaper, NPR, September 10, 2021
• "A Look at How Airport Security Has Evolved Post 9-11" - Diane Gerace, Philadelphia International Airport, June 11, 2021
• "DHS to End 'Shoes-Off' Travel Policy" - Department of Homeland Security Press Release, July 8, 2025
• "TSA's new airport security: What travelers need to know in 2025" - Doc Louallen, ABC News, July 17, 2025
• "Is TSA PreCheck still worth it after security changes?" - Steph Whiteside, NewsNation, July 18, 2025

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.

Over two decades after 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration is finally letting us keep our shoes on at airport security. But how did we get here? Join Alice and Zach as they dive deep into the three terrorist incidents that shaped modern airport security: Richard Reid's shoe bomb attempt, the 2006 transatlantic liquid bomb plot, and the underwear bomber. Discover the shocking intelligence failures, the heroic passengers who actually stopped these attacks, and how each incident led to the security measures we know today. This is Part 1 of our examination of America's most controversial federal agency.

Sources:

• "Transportation Security Administration" - Wikipedia
• "Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab" - Wikipedia
• "2006 transatlantic aircraft plot" - Wikipedia
• "Richard Reid" - Wikipedia
• "It Was Shoes On, No Boarding Pass Or ID. But Airport Security Forever Changed On 9/11" - David Schaper, NPR, September 10, 2021
• "A Look at How Airport Security Has Evolved Post 9-11" - Diane Gerace, Philadelphia International Airport, June 11, 2021

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.