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)

Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:

What happens when all four engines on a Boeing 747 suddenly fail at 37,000 feet over the ocean? On June 24, 1982, Captain Eric Moody and his crew faced the impossible: flying the world's largest passenger jet as a glider through the darkness, with 263 lives depending on split-second decisions and a calm voice over the intercom. Join Alice and Zach as they explore one of aviation's most remarkable survival stories—where a former glider pilot's skills, a crew's unshakeable teamwork, and passengers' quiet courage turned certain death into an unforgettable lesson in airmanship. Discover the invisible enemy that brought them down, and learn why aviation authorities' failure to heed the warning nearly caused a second disaster just 19 days later.

Sources:

1. Betty Tootell, "All Four Engines Have Failed" (1985)
2. Mayday: Air Disasters - Season 4, Episode 2, "Falling From the Sky"
3. Captain Eric Moody interviews (BBC, Flight Safety Australia, aviation podcasts)
4. Wikipedia: British Airways Flight 009
5. SKYbrary Aviation Safety Database
6. Mentour Pilot YouTube analysis
7. Aviation Safety Network accident report
8. Rolls-Royce engine investigation documentation
9. Singapore Airlines Flight 21A incident report

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.

When LANSA Flight 508 was struck by lightning and broke apart at 10,000 feet over the Amazon rainforest on Christmas Eve 1971, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke found herself falling through the sky still strapped to her seat. Against impossible odds, she survived - only to face an 11-day journey through one of the world's most dangerous environments while injured and alone. But she wasn't the only survivor. Join Alice and guest co-host Lydia as they explore this extraordinary story and discover what separated Juliane from the 14 others who survived the fall but died waiting for rescue - including her own mother. From the science of crash survivability to the psychology of extreme survival, this episode reveals why preparation, determination, and a lifetime of unique knowledge made all the difference.

SOURCES:

• "When I Fell from the Sky: How the Jungle Gave Me My Life Back" by Juliane Koepcke
• "Wings of Hope" documentary by Werner Herzog
• LANSA Flight 508 crash investigation reports
• My Favorite Murder Podcast
• Not Today Podcast

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, with special guest co-host Lydia Stern and special guest Terren Judson. Researched and written by Alice Stern and Lydia Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.