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:

1. Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
2. Email: [email protected]
3. Instagram: @FinalBoardingCallPod
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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.