A brand-new Boeing 737 is thirty-four minutes into a routine flight from Jakarta to Singapore when its cockpit voice recorder goes dark — while the aircraft is flying straight and level in clear skies. Minutes later, the flight data recorder follows. Then the plane leaves cruising altitude entirely. Two official investigations examined the same wreckage. They did not agree on what happened, or why. Join Alice and Zach for the story of SilkAir Flight 185.

Sources:

• Final Report: Investigation of Aircraft Accident SilkAir Flight MI 185 — National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), Indonesia
• NTSB Letter to the NTSC Regarding SilkAir Flight 185 — National Transportation Safety Board
• "Pushed to the Limit" (also broadcast as "Pilot Under Pressure") — Mayday: Air Disasters, Season 12, Episode 4
• Crash of SilkAir Flight MI 185 — Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board Singapore
• SilkAir Flight 185 Case Summary — Wisner Law Firm
• SilkAir 185: Pilot Suicide? — National Geographic Documentary (2006)
• Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 737 Series Airplanes — FAA, Federal Register (2002)

Find FINAL BOARDING CALL online:

• Website: finalboardingcallpodcast.com
• Email: finalboardingcallpodcast@gmail.com
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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.