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
• 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 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

Facebook: Final Boarding Call

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.