On December 8, 1963, Pan American World Airways Flight 214 was struck by lightning while holding in a thunderstorm near Philadelphia, triggering an explosion that tore off the aircraft's left wing. All 81 people aboard perished when the Boeing 707 crashed into a Maryland cornfield. Join Alice and Zach as they explore how this tragedy fundamentally changed aviation safety—proving for the first time that lightning could destroy a commercial airliner and sparking an urgent overhaul of aircraft fuel systems that continues to protect passengers today. Discover how a single bolt of electricity led to static discharge wicks, flame arrestors, and design changes that have prevented any U.S. commercial aircraft from being lost to lightning in over 60 years.

Sources:

1. Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report SA-376, File No. 1-0015, "Pan American World Airways Inc., Boeing 707-121, N709PA, Near Elkton, Maryland, December 8, 1963," released March 3, 1965
2. "81 Perish as Jet Crashes in Storm Near Elkton, Md." The New York Times, December 9, 1963
3. "Witnesses Tell of Ball of Fire in the Sky." The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 9, 1963
4. "A Night of Fire and Rain: 50 Years Since Flight 214." The Cecil Whig, December 8, 2013
5. FAA Lessons Learned: Pan Am Flight 214 at Elkton, Maryland
6. Historical Society of Cecil County archives

Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:

1. Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
2. Email: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.com
3. Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod
4. 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 April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 became an impromptu convertible at 24,000 feet when an explosive decompression tore away the entire upper fuselage. Discover how a flight attendant crawled through hurricane-force winds to save passengers, how pilots landed half an airplane, and how one woman's premonition saved her life while another's hesitation haunts her still. This is the story of thirteen minutes of terror that revolutionized how we understand aging aircraft—and the extraordinary heroism that kept 93 people alive.

SOURCES:

1. NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-89/03
2. "Miracle Landing" (1990) - TV movie by LionHeart FilmWorks
3. Mayday: Air Disaster - Season 3, Episode 1, titled "Hanging by a Thread"
4. The Washington Post - "A Flight Attendant's Moments In The Maelstrom" (May 18, 1988)
5. Survivor and crew member interviews
6. NTSB witness statements and testimony
7. Aviation safety databases and reports

FIND FINAL BOARDING CALL ONLINE:

1. Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
2. Email: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.com
3. Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod
4. 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.

Join Alice and Zach as they close out 2025 with a comprehensive look at the year's final quarter in aviation. From the deadliest accident in UPS Airlines' history to a violent mid-flight attack with a metal fork, this episode covers cargo disasters, military transport failures, a deadly medical mission in fog, tourism flight spatial disorientation, ground collisions, and some of the strangest passenger incidents ever recorded. Discover what investigators have uncovered and what 2025's final months reveal about aviation safety heading into 2026.

Sources:

1. "NTSB Investigation Dashboard - Case DCA26MA024" - National Transportation Safety Board
2. "Death toll from UPS cargo plane crash rises to 15" - CBS News (December 25, 2025)
3. "Lithuanian Ministry of Justice - Interim Statement on EC-MFE" - Lithuanian Ministry of Justice
4. "Aviation Safety Network Wiki - Swiftair 5960" - Aviation Safety Network
5. "Cockpit Errors Lead to Fatal DHL Crash" - Mentour Pilot YouTube
6. "Libya's military chief and 7 others killed in plane crash" - Associated Press (December 23, 2025)
7. "FlightAware Track Log - 9H-DFS" - FlightAware (December 23, 2025)
8. "Search continues for missing plane crash victim" - ABC13 Houston (December 23, 2025)
9. "Mexican Navy Official Press Release" - SEMAR (December 23, 2025)
10. "Kenya Aircraft Accident Investigation Department Preliminary Findings" - Kenya AAID (November 2025)
11. "Eleven Lives Lost in Kwale Crash" - Travel and Tour World
12. U.S. Attorney's Office (District of Massachusetts) Press Release
13. Federal criminal complaint - U.S. District Court (October 25, 2025)
14. "Man charged in alleged fork stabbing of 2 teens on flight" - ABC News
15. "NTSB Final Report on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282" - National Transportation Safety Board (2025)
16. "Boeing and FAA share blame in door plug incident" - Aviation Week
17. "Airbus Alert Operators Transmission (AOT)" - Airbus (November 28, 2025)
18. "Emergency software patch for 6,000 A320s" - Aviation International News
19. "NTSB Investigation - Statesville Regional Airport" - National Transportation Safety Board
20. "Former NASCAR champion Greg Biffle killed in plane crash" - Associated Press (December 18, 2025)
21. "NTSB briefing on Biffle crash" - Charlotte Observer (December 20, 2025)

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