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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On April 17, 2018, terror took hold of every passenger and crew member on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 just as quickly as oxygen masks dropped from the overhead compartment. In this month’s Patreon-exclusive episode of Take to … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On the night of May 25, 1962, strong storms threatened to keep Continental Airlines Flight 11 from reaching its destination. But after the flight crew adjusted its flight plan, things were looking better for Flight 11. That … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On December 8, 1972, United Air Lines Flight 553 departed from Washington, DC- but it never reached the runway at Chicago’s Midway Airport. In this week’s episode of Take to the Sky: the Air Disaster Podcast, Stephanie … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On September 8, 1989, Partnair Flight 394 crashed off the Danish coast, killing all 55 people onboard. In this Patreon-exclusive episode, Shelly shares how the AIBN investigation exposed a dark secret in the aviation industry, and in … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: In the early morning hours of October 11, 1984, Aeroflot Flight 3352 descended toward the runway at the airport in Omsk, Russia. Moments later, the plane was in flames– and the reason for the catastrophe represented a … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On the night of February 1, 1991, controllers at LAX airport are busy handling departing and arriving flights. When US Air 1493 explodes on the runway, no one is prepared to come to terms with what has … Read More
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
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
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: Imagine having an experience during flight that you could not explain. And on December 4, 1970, this is exactly what happened when general aviation pilot Bruce Gernon and his two passengers flew over the Bahamas. In this … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: As fog encircled Detroit’s Wayne County Airport, multiple flights prepared for takeoff despite the undesirable conditions. In this month’s Patreon-exclusive episode of Take to the Sky: The Air Disaster Podcast, Stephanie tells the story of two ill-fated … Read More
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On January 26, 1950, a US Air Force Douglas C54-D Skymaster took to the skies with 44 people onboard – and was never heard from again. Join Shelly for this exclusive Patreon-only episode as she walks us … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: It had been a long day for everyone on Corporate Airlines Flight 5966, but as the plane began its descent to Kirksville, Missouri as its short trip from St. Louis came to an end, everyone was excited … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: It’s three days after Christmas in 2014 and AirAsia 8501 is over the Java Sea when its two pilots begin getting warnings from the plane’s highly automated flight system. At first, things go routinely as the crew … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: As two pilots prepared for touchdown as the last leg of a long day of flying concluded, they had no idea what was waiting for them on the runway in Quincy, Illinois. In this month’s Patreon-exclusive episode … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: While commercial space travel is still a future dream, progress requires space flight companies to experiment with spacecraft to ensure these vehicles are safe for human flight. And on October 31, 2014, while the VSS Enterprise, a … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: Just a few minutes before landing, the BSAA Avro Lancastrian Star Dust was preparing for its final descent into Santiago, Chile. When the plane sent a very strange transmission three times in a row, air traffic control … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On August 20, 2011, First Air 6560 crashed into a hill while approaching the airport in Resolute Bay, Canada, killing 12 of the 15 people onboard. In this Patreon-exclusive episode of Take to the Sky: the Air … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: This Patreon-exclusive episode of Take to the Sky: the Air Disaster Podcast shares an unforgettable story that starts at 39,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Stephanie tells the story of Captain Robert Piché and First Officer Dirk … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On December 1, 1974, TWA Flight 514 crashed into the side of Mount Weather, Virginia, while on approach to Dulles Airport near Washington, DC. Join Shelly for this exclusive Patreon-only episode of Take to the Sky: The … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: A busy evening in New Delhi’s skies turned tragic on November 12, 1996 when Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 met 14,000 feet above this ground. In this Patreon-exclusive episode, Stephanie shares the … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On January 8, 2003, Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashed shortly after takeoff at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, in Charlotte, North Carolina. All 20 people aboard the airplane were killed and one person on the ground received minor injuries. … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On February 15, 1961, Sabena Flight 548 was carrying a plane full of travelers across the Atlantic Ocean. Among the passengers was the entire US Figure Skating team as they looked ahead to participating in the World … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On May 5, 2007, Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashed shortly after takeoff near Douala, Cameroon. The investigation unraveled a startling sequence of events that pointed toward a flight doomed only because a preventable human error was exacerbated … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: Bad weather is nothing new for pilots, but when a line of thunderstorms looked more menacing than expected, the flight crew on Braniff Airlines Flight 352 wondered if a diversion might be in order. What happened next … Read More
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
Exclusive for Podcrashers: On July 9, 1982, Pan Am Flight 759 took off from New Orleans International Airport just like any other flight. Right after the plane took to the sky, disaster struck not only for Pan Am 759, but … Read More