On June 14, 1986, the world's largest indoor triple-loop roller coaster became a death trap when a critical mechanical failure sent four passengers plummeting to the concrete floor below. Join Alice and Zach as they explore how missing bolts and maintenance oversights at West Edmonton Mall's Mindbender led to disaster, claiming three lives and forever changing amusement ride safety standards.

Sources:

• Wikipedia: Mindbender (Galaxyland)
• Coasterpedia: Mindbender at Galaxyland
• History and Headlines: June 14, 1986: A Mind-bending Disaster
• CBC News: Survivor of 1986 mall coaster crash wants memorial

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.

How can a single burnt-out light bulb bring down one of the most advanced aircraft ever built? A state-of-the-art Lockheed L-1011 TriStar jetliner plunges into the Florida Everglades when its experienced crew became fixated on a minor mechanical issue.

Sources:

• Mayday: Air Disaster - Season 5, Episode 9, titled "Fatal Distraction"
• "What CAUSED the Everglades DISASTER?" by Mentour Pilot
• Wikipedia page on Eastern Air Lines Flight 401

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.

Two jumbo jets filled with passengers came within seconds and mere feet of colliding over Japan in a high-stakes aerial game of chicken. Join Alice and Zach as they explore the harrowing near-miss that almost became one of aviation's deadliest disasters. On January 31, 2001, a Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 carrying nearly 700 people found themselves on a collision course when conflicting instructions from air traffic control and automated safety systems created an impossible dilemma for pilots. Discover how split-second decisions averted catastrophe and how this terrifying incident fundamentally changed aviation safety protocols worldwide.

• SimpleFlying.com article: https://simpleflying.com/japan-airlines-mid-air-incident/
• Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Japan_Airlines_mid-air_incident

• Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
• Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod
• Facebook: Final Boarding Call discussion group

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 March 23, 1994, an Aeroflot Airbus A310 crashed in the Siberian wilderness, killing all 75 people on board. Discover how a pilot's decision to let his children visit the cockpit led to disaster when his 15-year-old son inadvertently disengaged the autopilot. Learn how confusion over the aircraft's sophisticated systems, inadequate training, and a series of misinterpretations prevented the crew from recovering control as the plane entered a fatal spiral. This preventable tragedy forever changed cockpit access policies and highlighted the unforgiving consequences of breaking aviation's fundamental safety rules.

Sources:

• Mayday: Air Crash Investigation - Season 3, Episode 10, titled "Kid in the Cockpit"
• Official accident investigation reports from the Interstate Aviation Committee
• Interviews with aviation safety experts and crash investigators
• Wikipedia page on Aeroflot Flight 593

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 March 27, 1977, on the fog-shrouded runway of Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, two Boeing 747 jumbo jets collided during takeoff, claiming 583 lives. Discover how a chain of unlikely events—a terrorist bombing at another airport, deteriorating weather conditions, miscommunications between pilots and air traffic control, and fatal misunderstandings—culminated in catastrophe.

Sources:

• Mayday: Air Disasters - Season 16, Episode 3, titled "Disaster at Tenerife"
• Wikipedia Page on the Tenerife airport disaster

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 happens when a celebration of speed and technology transforms into a tragedy of unimaginable proportions? That’s the story of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, where a split-second collision sent a race car hurtling into packed grandstands, claiming 84 lives and injuring over 120 spectators in the deadliest accident in motorsport history.

Sources:

"1955 Le Mans Disaster: The Deadliest Crash in Motorsport History" by History Engine

Wikipedia page on the 1955 Le Mans disaster

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 happens when a single switch left in the wrong position turns a routine flight into one of aviation's most haunting tragedies? Join Alice and Zach as they explore the mysterious case of a Boeing 737 that continued flying on autopilot through the clear Mediterranean sky while something invisible and deadly was happening inside. Discover the cascade of small errors and misunderstandings that led to this unique disaster, and learn about the aviation safety changes implemented in its aftermath. Buckle up for one of the eeriest aviation mysteries in recent history.

Sources:

Mayday: Air Disaster documentary series, Season 4, Episode 10

Out of Oxygen! The Tragic Story of Helios Airways Flight 522 by Mentour Pilot

Official accident investigation report

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.

Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten is one of the world's most challenging and famous landing approaches. Discover how a routine landing turned perilous when multiple factors aligned against an experienced flight crew.

Sources:

Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigation report

Christine Negroni's aviation blog

Wikipedia page on WestJet Flight 2652

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.