On December 15, 1967, during rush hour traffic, the Silver Bridge spanning the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio, suddenly collapsed in less than a minute, claiming 46 lives. Discover how a microscopic crack just one-tenth of an inch deep in a single eyebar brought down an entire bridge that had stood for nearly four decades. Learn about the innovative but flawed engineering decisions that prioritized cost savings over redundancy, and explore how this disaster forever changed America's approach to infrastructure inspection and maintenance. Plus, delve into the mysterious Mothman sightings that occurred in the months leading up to the collapse and how this legend became intertwined with the tragedy in local folklore.

SOURCES:

• Wikipedia entry on the Silver Bridge disaster
• National Transportation Safety Board accident report
• National Geographic's "The Collapse of West Virginia's Silver Bridge" from their Atlas of Cursed Places series

FIND FINAL BOARDING CALL ONLINE:

• Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
• 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.