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.
Six minutes after takeoff from Miami, a routine climb turns into a fight for control that lasts less than four minutes. Join Alice and Zach as they trace a chain of small decisions — made in a maintenance hangar weeks earlier — that put something dangerous where nobody expected it, and the regulator that had been warned about exactly this kind of failure eight years before it happened.
Sources
Aircraft Accident Report: In-Flight Fire and Impact with Terrain, ValuJet Airlines Flight 592, NTSB/AAR-97/06 - National Transportation Safety Board (August 1997)
United States v. SabreTech, Inc., 271 F.3d 1018 - U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (October 31, 2001)
"Flight crew shared love of aviation" - St. Petersburg Times, May 14, 1996
"Enough Blame To Go Around In ValuJet Crash" by Mark Sherman, Cox News Service - The Spokesman-Review, August 19, 1997
"ValuJet Flight 592" original crash coverage - The Miami Herald, May 12, 1996
"There was another tragedy in Miami after Eastern Flight 401. What happened with ValuJet" by Grethel Aguila - The Miami Herald, December 21, 2022
"FBI offers $10,000 reward for fugitive mechanic wanted in 1996 fatal airline crash" by Carli Teproff - The Miami Herald, April 6, 2018
"$250 Million to Families of Passengers who Died in the May 1996 ValuJet crash" - Podhurst Orseck firm landmark cases page
"Mishandled Hazardous Materials Results in Commercial Airplane Crash Lawsuit: Hyatt v. ValuJet Flight 592" - Slack Davis case summary
"We're Losing EVERYTHING…" Valujet 592 - Mentour Pilot YouTube channel
Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:
Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
Email: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.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.
30 Sept 2026
SilkAir Flight 185
A brand-new Boeing 737 is thirty-four minutes into a routine flight from Jakarta to Singapore when its cockpit voice recorder goes dark — while the aircraft is flying straight and level in clear skies. Minutes later, the flight data recorder follows. Then the plane leaves cruising altitude entirely. Two official investigations examined the same wreckage. They did not agree on what happened, or why. Join Alice and Zach for the story of SilkAir Flight 185.
Sources:
Final Report: Investigation of Aircraft Accident SilkAir Flight MI 185 — National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), Indonesia
NTSB Letter to the NTSC Regarding SilkAir Flight 185 — National Transportation Safety Board
"Pushed to the Limit" (also broadcast as "Pilot Under Pressure") — Mayday: Air Disasters, Season 12, Episode 4
Crash of SilkAir Flight MI 185 — Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board Singapore
SilkAir Flight 185 Case Summary — Wisner Law Firm
SilkAir 185: Pilot Suicide? — National Geographic Documentary (2006)
Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 737 Series Airplanes — FAA, Federal Register (2002)
Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:
Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
Email: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.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.
23 Sept 2026
DHL Airbus A300 OO-DLL
A cargo plane climbs out of one of the most dangerous airports on earth, carrying nothing but mail. Somewhere below, armed men are waiting for exactly this kind of target. Join Alice and Zach for the story of the only known case in aviation history where a large airliner lost every hydraulic control system to a missile strike — and the crew found a way to fly it anyway.
Sources
Aircraft accident record, Airbus A300B4-203F OO-DLL, Baghdad International Airport — Aviation Safety Network
"How An A300 Made An Injury-Free Landing After Being Hit By A Missile" by Jake Hardiman and Gaurav Joshi — Simple Flying
"Do you remember? A missile attack of a DHL A300 in Baghdad, Iraq" — Aviation24.be
"Attack Over Baghdad" — Mayday: Air Disaster, Season 3, Episode 2
Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:
Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com (http://finalboardingcallpodcast.com)
Email: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.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.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.3 / 5
12 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 36 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
