Radar Contact Lost: The Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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In what is a podcast series first - and perhaps last - for Radar Contact Lost, this episode does not tell the story of a tragic plane crash, but rather the intricate details of the landing of the Presidential Helicopter, Marine One, in dense fog. On this day, the fog was so dense, that the helicopter had to divert from its destination of the Presidential Retreat, Camp David, and instead land at a nearby high school football field. Our host describes the details of the landing with first-hand knowledge as he was the Air Force weather observer on duty at the football field that cold, rainy afternoon in the early 1980s. There was no crash, but how the president and his staff deal with unexpected weather conditions while airborne is a complicated issue.

Join this episode for a fascinating look at air operations at Camp David, as well as Camp David history, a look at the VH-3 helicopter, the Alternate National Military Command Center and more.

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On October 12th, 1974, an Air Force weather reconnaissance Hurricane Hunter aircraft crashed into the South China Sea while investigating Typhoon Bess, taking the lives of the six crew members onboard. No debris was ever found, no sign of the crew was ever discovered. The plane seemed to have been swallowed up by the tropical cyclone miles from nowhere. There were no emergency radio calls for help or that indicated any mechanical malfunction. There were no witnesses. To this day, what happened and why remains a mystery. With the Vietnam War nearby, was the plane shot down? The team at Radar Contact Lost takes a look at the typhoon, the plane, the history of the Hurricane Hunters, and even the war and the likelihood (or not) that the plane was taken down by the enemy.

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Part 1 of 2. On a summer day in 1975, Eastern Airlines Flight 66 crashed just yards away from its intended runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport near New York City. Witnesses at the time, said the plane exploded in midair, but this was not the case. The plane had flown through a thunderstorm and had been shoved to the ground by a microburst. In 1975, thunderstorms were not well understood and their potential for severe damage had not been realized. Updrafts, downdrafts and microbursts were terms that had not yet been embraced by meteorologists or aviation safety experts, but this crash would change their minds. The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, as well as the AAR (Aircraft Accident Report) from the NTSB, provided many of the clues to what happened, but not all. What happened in the moments before this crash? What did the air traffic controllers tell the crew? What did the pilots and controllers not know, that could've prevented this crash? Why was a tornado expert summoned to investigate this crash, and how did his findings impact aviation safety in the decades to come? Episode 8 of "Radar Contact Lost: The Podcast" answers all these questions and more.

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In 1963, there was an unusual crash of a U.S. Air Force B-52 Bomber. The plane, while attempting to escape severe turbulence, lost its vertical stabilizer and rudder – essentially losing its ability to fly straight. The plane lost control and then crashed into a mountain in north-central Maine, located in the far northeastern corner of the United States. The crash killed seven of the nine crew members. The two who survived – one spent the frigid January night in shoulder-deep snow and the other found himself stuck in a tree with temperatures far below zero as they waited to be found and rescued. This story is about the men and the plane – one of the most well-known Air Force planes (and, perhaps, one of the most well-known in the world). We’ll also look at the weather conditions that led to the crash, the crash-site memorial established after the crash and the changes in aircraft design that impacted not only future generations of the B-52 bomber, but the airliners we all fly in today.

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Imagine a world where the word "tornado" is banned from public weather announcements and tornadoes are considered unforecastable. This was not Bizzaro World, but the United States of America in the 1940s. It was thought the the mere word, tornado, would cause panic and the mass hysteria would cause more death than the tornado itself. Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force weather forecasters were laying the ground work for the first tornado forecast after two tornadoes in five days tore across an Air Force base near Oklahoma City, OK. These two tornadoes were responsible for damaging or destroying more than 200 aircraft. Join Radar Contact Lost to learn about the two Air Force forecasters who created the world's first tornado forecast and the Air Force general who spurred them on. Learn why the U.S. Weather Bureau would not issue tornado forecasts and why they prevented Air Force tornado forecasts from reaching the public, and learn how the Air Force is preventing massive destruction such as the damage caused by the Twin Tornadoes of 1948. While you're listening, learn a little about Tornado Alley and even a little bit of tornado safety.

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On December 8, 1963,  Pan Am N709PA, a Boeing 707 with the call sign "Clipper 214," exploded in flight just minutes from its final destination. Thunderstorms delayed that landing and frequent lightning around the plane made the passengers uneasy. But lightning doesn't cause airliner crashes, so the crew took no special measures to avoid the lightning. And then the plane exploded, killing all on board. Investigators quickly ruled out lightning, focusing instead on sabotage, metal fatigue and turbulence. As evidence was gathered, it became apparent that the impossible had become possible: the cause of the crash was lightning. What happened to Clipper 214 and what happened to the aviation industry after the crash? Radar Contact Lost will examine the crash, the meteorology, the sweeping changes to aircraft construction and regulations, as well as a look at the future of aircraft safety in the highly-charged environment of aircraft skin. Join the RCL team to learn about aviation weather from the meteorologists and pilots who deal with this phenomenon every day.

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This is the tragic tale of an Air Force cargo plane that went un-rescued for 60 years after it crashed in a blinding snowstorm and over some of the harshest terrain that Alaska has to offer. Lost and entombed in a glacier after the large Globemaster II crashed in 1952, it was finally recovered in 2012 thanks to an Air National Guard helicopter crew on a routine training mission. Today, each summer, dedicated members of the Air Force and Army return to the Colony Glacier to search for remains of the souls lost, as well as pieces of the C-124. What happened to this plane and why did it crash? Radar Contact Lost has the answers and proposes new ideas as to why the plane was where it was when it crashed.

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In the conclusion of "When Delta Flight 191 Crashed into the Ground One Mile Short of the Runway," we will look at the complicated way weather information moves from the air traffic controllers to the cockpit and the various sources of weather data the pilots have access to - both today and in 1985. We'll also examine some factors that may have been rising frustration levels on the ground and in the cockpit. Other aspects of this episode will examine the emergency response to the crash, the ensuing trials, the NTSB accident report (Findings and Probable Cause), and the way this accident accelerated technology (like Doppler radar) to such a degree that this crash has been called one of the most influential aviation disasters of all time. We'll even take a look at the theory that it is safer to sit in the rear of an airplane, as opposed to sitting up front. This crash triggered advancements in technology, safety and training that touches every commercial aircraft and every one of us who flies today.

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On August 2, 1985, a Lockheed-Martin L-1011 - Delta Flight 191 - crashed into the ground just over one mile from the runway at the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW). It was a hot afternoon in Texas and thunderstorms were beginning to percolate. However, one of these small storms was growing at the end of Runway 17L, almost directly in front of the approaching jetliner. The plane never made it to the runway, despite being less than 2 minutes from the anticipated touch-down. The resulting catastrophe was later proclaimed to be the most influential plane crash in history. What went wrong? Was the stormy weather insurmountable? Were mistakes made by the pilots? The air traffic controllers? The meteorologists? Turns out, all were involved and mistakes were made. This is Part 1 of "When Delta Flight 191 Crashed into the Ground."

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It was a cold and snowy day in Washington, DC as passengers boarded the narrow-body Air Florida 737. The plane was sprayed with de-icing fluid while waiting at the gate, but a series of errors before the plane reached the runway, and more errors on the runway, sealed the fate of this flight. Just moments after take-off, the plane fell from the sky and crash-landed on the 14th Street Bridge and then plunged into the icy Potomac River. Only five passengers and one crew member survived the crash, while four motorists were killed on the bridge. Following the crash, heroes emerged with names still recognized today. What went wrong with Flight 90? Was it a mechanical failure? Could the weather be blamed? What role did the flight crew play in this disaster? And was the nearby train derailment, where three people died, related to the plane crash? This episode of Radar Contact Lost has the answers. Note: None of the sound effects in this episode are from the actual Air Florida crash.