What are Layover Episodes? If you think of our new episodes released every Thursday as nonstop flights, Layover Episodes are like connections between your departure and arrival airports. Instead of having to wait until you arrive at your final destination to stretch your legs and eat something more than a packet of peanuts, layovers give you a chance to walk around or get a snack during your journey.

Layover Episodes will pop up on occasion in between our regularly scheduled Thursday episodes to provide some mini stories, discussion on current events, or other surprises to make the wait for new episodes a little easier. And since our layovers will never lead to flight delays or lost luggage, we hope you look forward to them as much as we do!

Here are the Layover Episodes we've released so far.


Layover Episode: The 1970 Wichita State Football Team Plane Crash
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: In episode 143, we covered the crash of Southern Airways Flight 932, the worst-ever US sports air disaster. But on October 2, 1970, just six weeks before this crash, the Wichita State football team had lost 31 … Read More

Layover Episode: Nevada Triangle
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: There are mysteries throughout aviation, but a staggering 2000 of them stem from the little-known Nevada Triangle. In this month’s Patreon-exclusive layover episode of Take to the Sky: the Air Disaster Podcast, Stephanie tells several stories of … Read More

Layover Episode: Ghost Ship: The 1942 Disappearance of a Navy L-8 Blimp
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: It began as a routine surveillance mission on the morning of August 16, 1942, when a Navy L-8 blimp took to the sky to patrol the waters for enemy submarines with two crewmen onboard– and were never … Read More

Layover Episode: Distracted Pilots
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: Distractions are all around us, but what happens if a flight crew finds themselves succumbing to tasks, conversations, or thoughts that take their minds off the task at hand? In this month’s Patreon-exclusive episode of Take to … Read More

Layover Episode: Eastern Airlines Flight 212 Continued: The Colbert Family Story
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: When Eastern Airlines 212 crashed on September 11, 1974, just short of the runway, 72 people were killed, including 3 members of the Colbert family. Their loss forever changed their remaining family members, including then 10 year … Read More

Layover Episode: Listener Shared Stories
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: There was a lot happening in the skies above in 2022, and no one kept us more informed about what was going on than our listening community! In this month’s Patreon-exclusive layover episode, Stephanie shares some of … Read More

Layover Episode: 2016 Terrorist Attack on Brussels Airport
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: Not all aviation disasters result in plane crashes; instead, some aviation disasters happen right here on the ground. Join Shelly for this Patreon-exclusive layover episode of Take to the Sky: The Air Disaster Podcast where we explore … Read More

Layover Episode: Haunted Travel
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: Ready for a couple of aviation-related ghost stories this Halloween? In this month’s Patreon exclusive layover episode of Take to the Sky: The Air Disaster Podcast, Stephanie shares five stories about haunted crash sites, planes, airports, and … Read More

Layover Episode: The 1966 Attacks on Flight Attendants Lisa Wick and Lonnie Trumbull
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: In the early morning hours of June 23, 1966, tragedy struck when an unknown assailant attacked United Airlines flight attendants Lisa Wick and Lonnie Trumbull as they slept in their beds, an attack that ultimately left Lonnie … Read More

Patreon Episode: Phoenix News Helicopter Collision
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: The local news plays a huge role in how we stay up-to-date on what is going on in our communities, and TV stations have many methods for bringing us right into the action. In this month’s Patreon-exclusive … Read More

Layover Episode: Accidental Pilots
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: For the casual traveler, many of us have looked up to the sky and wondered if we have what it takes to fly a plane and land it safely. But could you really do it in an … Read More

Layover Episode: JetBlue Airways Flight 292
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: Shortly after takeoff on September 21, 2005, the pilots of JetBlue Airways 292 began receiving messages from the plane’s onboard computer system that the front landing gear had not retracted. Over the next several hours, and as … Read More

Layover Episode: Mantell UFO Incident
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: Are we alone in this universe? The idea that aliens might be real and UFOs might be out there is fascinating for many of us, and on January 7, 1948, the Kentucky Air National Guard was ordered … Read More

Layover Episode: Air Force Helicopter Crash and the Cold Case Murder of Candy Rogers
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: When 9-year-old Candy Rogers went missing in 1959, no one could ever guess what would end up being her fate – or the fates of some of those who searched for her by helicopter. In this Patreon-exclusive … Read More

Layover Episode: The Life and Legacy of Kara Hultgreen
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: Kara Hultgreen had seemingly limitless aspirations: she wanted to be an astronaut, and she wanted to fly fighter jets. When she became the US Navy’s first female carrier-based fighter pilot, one of those dreams became a reality, … Read More

Layover Episode: Review of “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: After two fatal crashes involving the Boeing 737 MAX, both the public and regulatory agencies worldwide want to know what caused a brand new jet to dive uncontrollably back to earth… twice. In this month’s Patreon-exclusive Layover … Read More

Layover Episode: Harrison Ford’s Flight History
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: The call of the open skies can be answered by any of us with the proper training, and in this month’s Patreon-exclusive layover episode of Take to the Sky: the Air Disaster Podcast, Stephanie takes a look … Read More

Layover Episode: The Disappearance of Naval Flight 19
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: On December 5, 1945, five ABM Avenger torpedo bombers known as Naval Flight 19 and manned by 14 servicemen, flew a routine training mission over the Atlantic Ocean – and never were heard from again. In this … Read More

Layover Episode: 2021 Podcast Year in Review
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: Can you believe another year is wrapping up? In this Patreon-exclusive Layover Episode of Take to the Sky: the Air Disaster Podcast, Shelly and Stephanie recap a very full year of telling air disaster stories and learning … Read More

Layover Episode: The Death of Skydiver Stephen Hilder
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: Air disasters come in many different forms, and one type of air disaster that rarely happens is a skydiving accident. But on July 4, 2003, experienced skydiver Stephen Hilder was left falling to his death when his … Read More

Layover Episode: The Town of Gander, Newfoundland (Come From Away)
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: On September 11, 2001, millions of US citizens found themselves grappling with the aftermath of terrorist attacks from within the country’s borders. Around the world, though, thousands of people found themselves stranded far from home when US … Read More

Layover Episode: American Airlines Flight 63: The Shoe Bomber
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: A little more than three months after the devastating attacks of September 11th, people were trying to find a new sense of normal. And for many people, that “new normal” included getting on an airplane again. But … Read More

Layover Episode: The Night Witches 588th Night Bomber Regiment
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: As the Soviet Union entered World War II in 1941, one of their most critical offenses came from the Night Witches. The all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment was responsible for some of the most daring missions during … Read More

Layover Episode: Operation Diamond: The Story of Munir Redfa
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: In this Layover Episode for our Podcrasher community, Shelly recounts how an Iraqi pilot absconded to Israel with a MiG-21 – and forever ripped open the secrets of Soviet fighter capabilities for the West during the now … Read More

Layover Episode: Bad Behavior on Planes
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: If there is one thing most of us have missed over the last year, it’s travel. When you think of flying, it’s easy to get lost in the magic of it: gliding through the clouds, marveling at … Read More

Layover Episode: Aurelia Grigore: The Stewardess who Survived Two Crashes
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: In this Layover Episode for our Podcrasher community, Shelly recounts the very little-known story of Aurelia Grigore, the airline stewardess who survived not one but two plane crashes and lived to tell about it. We were seriously … Read More

Layover Episode: How to Survive a Plane Crash
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Exclusive for Podcrashers: We learn something new about safe travel through every episode of Take to the Sky: the Air Disaster Podcast, yet there’s often still one question in the back of our minds: what does it take to survive … Read More

Layover Episode: Review of “Invisible Sky”
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Summary: Accident investigations are almost synonymous with the National Transportation Safety Board, or the NTSB. Recognized around the world as the gold standard in investigations, the NTSB’s diligence and authority have contributed to findings, probable causes, and recommendations that have … Read More

Layover Episode: 2020 Podcast Year in Review
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Summary: 2020 was an unforgettable year for many reasons, but for us it’s because we started Take to the Sky: The Air Disaster Podcast! In this Layover Episode, Shelly and Stephanie toast to a year of exploring air disasters and … Read More

Layover Episode: Interview with Witness to 9/11 Pentagon Attack
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Summary: September 11th will live in many people’s memories as the day when devastating terrorist attacks on US soil forever changed air travel. 9/11 also changed and reshaped the lives of many Americans, many of whom are still impacted by … Read More

Layover Episode: COVID-19 Crashes
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Summary: We’re so excited to bring you our very first Layover Episode of Take to the Sky: The Air Disaster Podcast! If you think of our new episodes released every Thursday as nonstop flights, Layover Episodes are like connections between … Read More