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
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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. 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
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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.

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.

On February 12, 2009, a routine commuter flight from Newark to Buffalo became a catastrophic lesson in pilot training and aviation safety. When stick shaker stall warnings activated during Colgan Air Flight 3407's approach, the captain's response turned a recoverable situation into an unrecoverable tragedy. Join Alice and Zach as they explore how fatigue, inadequate training, and a fundamental misunderstanding of stall recovery led to the deaths of 50 people—and sparked the most comprehensive aviation safety reforms in decades. This is the story of how one crash changed everything about how we train pilots and regulate regional airlines.

Sources:

• NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-10/01, "Loss of Control on Approach, Colgan Air Flight 3407"
• "Colgan Air Flight 3407: How a Single Crash Sparked Unprecedented Reform" - Aviation International News
• "Crew Errors Led to Fatal Colgan Air Crash" - Defense Daily
• Code7700.com Case Study: Colgan Air 3407
• Wikipedia article on Colgan Air Flight 3407
• Mayday: Air Disasters Season 10, Episode 4 "Dead Tired"

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 ambition and rule-breaking collide in the deepest parts of the ocean, the consequences can be catastrophic. Join Alice and Zach as they explore the shocking 2023 implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible, which claimed five lives during an expedition to the Titanic wreckage. Discover how a series of controversial design decisions, regulatory shortcuts, and repeatedly ignored warnings from industry experts led to this modern tragedy, raising profound questions about safety, innovation, and the future of extreme tourism.

• Documentary: "OceanGate Is Worse Than You Thought" by The Fool
• Documentary: "Fatal Flaws: The OceanGate Story" (2024) by 7NEWS Australia

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.

Join Alice and Zach as they explore the terrifying power of invisible turbulence. On March 5, 1966, BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707, disintegrated in mid-air while flying past Mount Fuji in Japan, killing all 124 people on board. Discover how an attempt to give passengers a scenic view of Japan's iconic mountain led the aircraft directly into catastrophic clear-air turbulence—powerful enough to tear the plane apart despite the seemingly calm, blue skies. Learn about the science behind this invisible danger, how the phenomenon of mountain wave turbulence forms, and why this rare but devastating case challenges the common reassurance that "turbulence alone has never caused a plane crash."

Articles and Reports

• "What Caused The Crash Of BOAC Flight 911?" - Jake Hardiman, Simple Flying (February 24, 2025)
• "BOAC Flight 911" - Wikipedia
• "Gravity Waves" - EUMeTrain Meteorological Training Team
• [PDF] BOAC, Boeing 707, G-APFE, accident at the foot of Mount Fuji - Official accident report (BAAA-ACRO)
• "BOAC Flight 911" - Take to the Sky: The Air Disaster Podcast - Stephanie Hubka and Shelley Price

Videos

• "The Mysterious Crash of BOAC Flight 911" - Víctor Vic (YouTube, June 13, 2025)
• "BOAC Flight 911 Crash & Aftermath Footage | 5 March 1966 Mount Fuji" - Plane Crash Investigations (YouTube, March 5, 2025)
• "Plane Disintegrates Mid-air Over Japan - BOAC Flight 911" - Dark Skies (YouTube, May 28, 2024)
• "BOAC Flight 911: The story behind the strangest accident" - History of Aviation (YouTube, June 8, 2025)
• "Turbulence So Bad It Broke The Plane (BOAC Flight 911)" - The Flight Channel (YouTube, October 8, 2022)
• "BOAC 911 Crash Animation: A Detailed Retelling" - saltot_44 (TikTok, May 15, 2025)

Other Sources

• "9568 BOAC Flight 911 Disaster" - PeriscopeFilm Archive Footage
• "BOAC Flight 911 Page 1" - Honolulu Star-Bulletin reproduction via Newspapers.com (May 25, 2023)

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.

Five months after Lion Air Flight 610, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashes under nearly identical circumstances, killing 157 more people and forcing the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX. Join Alice and Zach as they explore how Ethiopian pilots who knew about MCAS and followed Boeing's procedures still couldn't save their aircraft, revealing the inadequacy of the company's proposed solutions. Plus, learn about Boeing's controversial 2025 settlement that allows the company to avoid criminal prosecution despite what many consider the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history—and why victims' families are fighting back.

Sources:

U.S. Department of Justice Documents:

• "DOJ confirms it has a deal with Boeing to drop prosecution over deadly 737 Max crashes" - NPR, May 23, 2025
• "Boeing Reaches Deal with DOJ to Avoid Criminal Prosecution in 737 MAX Case" - Aviation Source News
• "Families of 737 MAX crash victims to object to deal allowing Boeing to avoid prosecution" - Reuters

Crash Investigation Reports:

• "Aircraft Accident Investigation Report. PT. Lion Airlines Boeing 737 (MAX); PK-LQP" - Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee, October 25, 2019
• "Aircraft Accident Investigation Report B737-MAX 8, ET-AVJ" - Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, December 23, 2022
• "Indonesia report finds fatal Lion Air jet crash due to Boeing, pilots, maintenance" - NBC News

Academic and Legal Analysis:

• "Boeing's 737 MAX 8 Disasters" - MIT Sloan case study by John Sterman and James Quinn, May 2, 2023
• "Lion Air Flight JT 610 Crash" - Wisner Baum law firm case analysis
• Wikipedia entries on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302

News Coverage:

• "5 Years On: Looking Back At The Crash Of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302" - Simple Flying, March 10, 2024

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.