Radar Contact Lost: The Podcast

Dave Gorham

"Radar Contact Lost: The Podcast" will discuss the tragic circumstances involved with some of the worst airplane crashes. When weather conditions are at fault or are a contributing factor to the accident (as is so often the case), the meteorology will be examined and explained. Hosted by a meteorologist with 40 years of professional experience including U.S. Air Force, broadcast and commercial meteorology. The Radar Contact Lost team includes experts from the fields of commercial meteorology, commercial aviation and air traffic control.

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Our Editor's Take

Radar Contact Lost: The Podcast explores the events that lead to airplane crashes. Host Dave Gorham examines a variety of crash factors, like weather and pilot error. He then explores how these factors have caused crashes throughout history. Airplane crashes are rare and much safer than road travel. The FAA has strict regulations to help prevent planes from failing. However, it does happen on occasion. The most common reason is unpredictable weather patterns. Gorham's strong knowledge of aviation and meteorology makes him an expert on the subject.

Gorham has a combination of experience with weather science, aviation, and broadcasting. He began his career as a meteorologist for the Air Force. Stationed in Florida and Texas, he studied tropical weather as well as tornadoes. Each of these can spell disaster for air travel. Gorham went on to be a broadcast meteorologist for TV and radio. He then wrote and narrated a documentary on paragliding. His film Into the Wind: The Sport of Powered Paragliding won several awards. With this podcast, he shifts his attention to history's most horrifying plane crashes.

Because modern air travel has become much safer, most of the cases come from the mid-20th century. The podcast has explored the infamous collision of a B-25 into the Empire State Building. The crash happened in 1945, and the pilot was a WW2 veteran who flew countless missions.

Gorham also details lesser-known crashes. One such case is the first known tornado forecast. In the 1940s, forecasters believed even a mention of the word "tornado" would cause mayhem. As twin tornadoes flew across Tinker Air Force Base, no one mentioned them on the air. The unreported tornadoes damaged hundreds of aircraft.

Many episodes use real sound effects from the aircraft Gorham discusses. His team captures audio from each aircraft at trade shows and expos. Whatever crash he explores, listeners hear a fascinating true story from aviation history. New episodes of Radar Contact Lost: The Podcast release every month or two.

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When A Snowy Crash Silenced the Voices of Early Rock and Roll, aka "The Day the Music Died"

When A Snowy Crash Silenced the Voices of Early Rock and Roll, aka "The Day the Music Died"

On February 3, 1959, a small, single-engine, 4-passenger plane took off from a remote airfield in rural Iowa. It was after midnight. It was snowing. It was windy. Moments later, the plane rolled over and flew into the ground at approximately 170mph – or about 275 kph. The 21-year-old pilot and the three passengers were killed on impact. The injuries to all four were horrific. This small crash, on a cold winter night, would reverberate through history – not only to this day, but likely until the end of time. But why? Did the pilot make errors? Was the young pilot in over his head? Was he even qualified? Could the plane’s instruments be blamed? Was the weather to blame? And then there’s this: Was there a gunshot onboard that killed the pilot and took the plane down? In this episode, the Radar Contact Lost team will examine what happened – I’ll start with the weather, but there were other issues – issues that, on their own, might’ve caused the plane to crash even without the complicating factor of snow, wind and darkness. I’ll also look at the pilot and his qualifications. I'll look at the plane and explain its unflattering reputation. I'll talk to pilots for their perspective. And I'll look at the famous musicians whose bright careers were tragically cut short.

Episodes

When A Snowy Crash Silenced the Voices of Early Rock and Roll, aka "The Day the Music Died"

When A Snowy Crash Silenced the Voices of Early Rock and Roll, aka "The Day the Music Died"

On February 3, 1959, a small, single-engine, 4-passenger plane took off from a remote airfield in rural Iowa. It was after midnight. It was snowing. It was windy. Moments later, the plane rolled over and flew into the ground at approximately 170mph – or about 275 kph. The 21-year-old pilot and the three passengers were killed on impact. The injuries to all four were horrific. This small crash, on a cold winter night, would reverberate through history – not only to this day, but likely until the end of time. But why? Did the pilot make errors? Was the young pilot in over his head? Was he even qualified? Could the plane’s instruments be blamed? Was the weather to blame? And then there’s this: Was there a gunshot onboard that killed the pilot and took the plane down? In this episode, the Radar Contact Lost team will examine what happened – I’ll start with the weather, but there were other issues – issues that, on their own, might’ve caused the plane to crash even without the complicating factor of snow, wind and darkness. I’ll also look at the pilot and his qualifications. I'll look at the plane and explain its unflattering reputation. I'll talk to pilots for their perspective. And I'll look at the famous musicians whose bright careers were tragically cut short.

When Colgan Air Flight 3407 Fell Out of the Sky in Buffalo, New York

When Colgan Air Flight 3407 Fell Out of the Sky in Buffalo, New York

On the evening of February 12, 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 was on final approach to Runway 23 at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York. It was dark, it was snowing, it was windy and the pilots had noted the accumulation of ice on the wings and windshield of the 78-seat regional airliner. Still, the pilots were not under undue stress as the cockpit voice recorders indicated a casual, unhurried atmosphere, there was even some unrelated chit-chat on the flight deck. Then, just moments before landing, air traffic controllers noticed the plane was no longer on their radar screens. Flight 3407 was down for reasons unknown.In the post-crash investigation, the most likely cause of the crash – the weather (including the snow, the wind and the ice) was quickly dismissed. If not the weather, then what happened to Colgan Air Flight 3407 that caused it to fall out of the night sky and claim the lives of all on board and one on the ground?

When a Russian Airliner Flew Into Cuban Power Lines

When a Russian Airliner Flew Into Cuban Power Lines

On final approach to Havana’s José Martí International Airport in 1977, the Aeroflot Ilyushin IL-62M with 69 people on board, descended below the clouds and the pilot immediately was confronted with power lines between the plane and the runway – and the runway was close. The pilot attempted to pull the nose up to avoid the powerlines, but the emergency maneuver was not enough – the plane clipped the power lines and the steel-reinforced cables severed the vertical stabilizer from the rest of the plane. Rendered uncontrollable, the plane pitched sharply down and to the right, impacting the ground within seconds of contact with the power lines. The plane burst into flames, and though the rear of the fuselage was relatively intact, there were only two survivors. What, exactly, happened on this day, some 46 years ago? An airliner from one of the world’s largest airlines clipping powerlines? A rookie mistake like this seems impossible. How did – how could – this happen? There aren’t many details, but the Radar Contact Lost team examines the details and tries to fill in the blanks.

When a Boeing 707 Broke Apart in Mid-air Near Mt. Fuji

When a Boeing 707 Broke Apart in Mid-air Near Mt. Fuji

At just before 2 o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday, March 5, 1966, British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 911, took off from Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport. Bound for Hong Kong, the Boeing 707 broke apart in mid-air, just 15 minutes after departure. The crash left no survivors. The weather conditions were not an issue – at least, nothing obvious: there were no thunderstorms, no typhoons, there was no rain or snow. In fact, it was a sunny, clear, cloud-free day. It was so nice that the crew had requested a clearance so that they could stray from their intended route to Hong Kong, so that the captain could give the passengers a glorious view of the snow-capped and iconic Mt. Fuji. It was while viewing Mt. Fuji in this “sightseeing mode,” that Flight 911 met its demise.What happened to Flight 911? What caused the mid-air break-up? Was it a bomb? Did the plane strike the mountainside? Was it a mechanical failure of some kind? Was the plane unsafe? Had the crew made a mistake? Or, despite the sunny skies, was the weather to blame. In this episode, the Radar Contact Lost team will examine what happened. We’ll look at the airplane, the pilot, the airline and Mt. Fuji itself; we’ll also take a dive into the phenomenon known as Clear Air Turbulence - not only what it is, but how, why and where it occurs and why, on this day over Japan, BOAC Flight 911 was ripped apart in midair.

When a Volcano Silenced a Boeing 747 High Over the Indian Ocean

When a Volcano Silenced a Boeing 747 High Over the Indian Ocean

Today’s episode, “When a Volcano Silenced a Boeing 747 Over the Indian Ocean," is the heart-stopping tale of a commercial jetliner – a Boeing 747 – that, contrary to every other episode in this podcast series, did not crash. However, the world’s largest passenger jet at the time came about as close to a spectacular and deadly crash as it could, before the crew saved the plane and the lives of everyone on board from near-certain destruction. Even after the plane landed safely, the mystery of what happened in the dark skies, so far above the ocean remained a mystery for days. How the superior airmanship of this crew saved the lives of 248 passengers, 15 crew and the B-747 has been called one of the most heroic of all time.Join the "Radar Contact Lost" team as we discuss the meteorology, the weather, the piloting, the plane and even the geology of this amazing story.

When a Helicopter Crash Silenced ‘Number One' - The Story Behind the Stevie Ray Vaughan Helicopter Crash

When a Helicopter Crash Silenced ‘Number One' - The Story Behind the Stevie Ray Vaughan Helicopter Crash

“When a Helicopter Crash Silenced ‘Number One’" is about the 1990 crash of a Bell JetRanger helicopter that was carrying a pilot and four passengers. The helicopter crashed into a ski slope at night and in the fog, killing all on board. Among the passengers was Stevie Ray Vaughan, the legendary Blues guitarist from Texas. The crash stunned the world with not only the crash that was attributed to pilot error, but the end of an amazing career of a guitarist that had burst onto the scene only seven years before with his debut album, Texas Flood, which went double-platinum and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues Performance category. The crash occurred late at night and in fog. A lot of helicopters, unfortunately, have crashed in fog. Except that’s not the end of the story. In fact, it’s really only a cursory understanding of the crash, as there were other factors both before the crash and factors after the helicopter lifted above the ground – neither of which were mentioned in the official Aviation Accident Report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board. Though fog was a significant factor to the crash, there was another factor that was as surprising as it was dangerous, and it was perhaps even more lethal than the fog.

When Eastern Airlines Flight 66 Crashed Moments from Landing at JFK International Airport, Part 2

When Eastern Airlines Flight 66 Crashed Moments from Landing at JFK International Airport, Part 2

This is Part 2 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.

When Eastern Airlines Flight 66 Crashed Moments from Landing at JFK International Airport, Part 1

When Eastern Airlines Flight 66 Crashed Moments from Landing at JFK International Airport, Part 1

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.

When the B-52 Lost Its Tail and Crashed into Elephant Mountain

When the B-52 Lost Its Tail and Crashed into Elephant Mountain

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.

The First Tornado Forecast Emerges Amidst Aircraft Destruction

The First Tornado Forecast Emerges Amidst Aircraft Destruction

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 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 forecasters were laying the ground work for the first tornado forecast after two tornadoes in five days tore across Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City. 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.

When Lightning Strikes

When Lightning Strikes

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.

When the C-124 Globemaster Crashed into a Mountain and was Buried Under Snow for 60 Years

When the C-124 Globemaster Crashed into a Mountain and was Buried Under Snow for 60 Years

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.

When Delta Flight 191 Crashed Into the Ground One Mile Short of the Runway: Part 2

When Delta Flight 191 Crashed Into the Ground One Mile Short of the Runway: Part 2

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.

When Delta Flight 191 Crashed Into the Ground One Mile Short of the Runway: Part 1

When Delta Flight 191 Crashed Into the Ground One Mile Short of the Runway: Part 1

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."

When Air Florida Flight 90 Crashed into the 14th Street Bridge

When Air Florida Flight 90 Crashed into the 14th Street Bridge

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.

When the B-25 Crashed into the Empire State Building

When the B-25 Crashed into the Empire State Building

It was a cloudy, dreary July day in New York City in 1945. What was supposed to be a routine flight from Massachusetts to New Jersey to South Dakota, ended suddenly when a combat pilot with hundreds of hours in the flak-filled skies over Germany, inexplicably slammed his B-25 bomber, the Old John Feather Merchant, into the 79th floor of the most iconic building in the United States - the Empire State Building. Did this seasoned pilot let his guard down? Did the weather forecast suddenly change? Did air traffic control provide faulty information? Why didn't radar, one of the most amazing and life-saving inventions of the war, prevent this tragedy? This episode will address all of these questions and more. Note: Sound effects in this episode are from actual B-25 Mitchell Bombers recorded at recent airshows.