On March 16, 1962, a military charter flight carrying 93 Army Rangers vanished over the Pacific Ocean during a secret mission to Vietnam. Despite one of the largest searches in aviation history, no trace of the aircraft or its 107 occupants was ever found. Join Alice and Zach as they explore how a mission so classified that soldiers had to leave their wedding rings and dog tags at home became one of aviation's most enduring mysteries—and why, 60 years later, families are still fighting just to prove their loved ones existed.

Sources:

• Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report, File No. 1-0002, April 8, 1963
• "Listing on Vietnam Wall sought for troops killed in 1962 plane crash" - Stars and Stripes, July 24, 2013
• "'He knew something': The 1962 flight of Army Rangers that vanished into thin air" - SFGATE, May 10, 2021
• "60 Years Missing: The Mystery Of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739" - FLYING Magazine, March 16, 2022
• "A New Memorial Is Unveiled for Those Lost on a Missing Vietnam War Transport Plane" - Military.com, May 22, 2021
• Wreaths Across America official documentation and family testimonies
• "The Mystery of Flying Tiger Line flight 739" - The History Guy (YouTube), 2024

Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:

• Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]
• 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.