On January 1, 1985, Eastern Air Lines Flight 980 crashed into the 21,000 foot Mt. Illimani while on approach to La Paz, Bolivia. The Boeing 727 was carrying 29 passengers. None survived. High altitude, rugged terrain, and avalanches thwarted multiple attempts to reach the wreckage. The plane was buried in a glacier, and the only evidence of the crash was the faint smell of jet fuel and a few pieces of the aircraft’s fuselage. No bodies were found. By 1986, the Bolivian government and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had formally abandoned the search for Flight 980, citing pilot error and inclement weather as the likely causes of the accident. Many, however, have cast their doubts on this “offcial” account of the crash. MAY–2016 In the history of aviation, only 21 airline black boxes remain unrecovered. Most lie at the bottom of an ocean, sea or lake. Several were destroyed by fre, including the two that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11. The last three unrecovered black boxes belonged to a Boeing 727 that was stolen in 2003, a Nigerian domestic fight from 2005, and Eastern Air Liness Flight 980. That’s it. Former Eastern Air Liness pilot George Jehn calls the crash of EA980 “the single greatest aviation mystery of the 20th century.” In 2016, Dan Futrell and Isaac Stoner, two Bostonians with no climbing experience, mounted a small expedition to search for the remains of the missing Eastern jet. After a few days on Mt. Illimani, they discovered the plane’s wreckage in a vast debris feld, exposed by recent glacial melting. Along with obliterated plane parts, the victims’ personal belongings, and human remains, Dan and Isaac discovered the plane’s black box. They returned to Boston ready to deliver the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder to the NTSB in hopes of providing answers to the mystery of how Eastern Air Lines Flight 980 went down, and to bring closure to the families of the victims. Dan and Isaac thought this would be the fnal chapter in the decades-long saga surrounding the crash. What they couldn’t possibly know was that the story was just beginning. Dan Futrell and Isaac Stoner thought they had uncovered the wreckage of a 30-year-old Boeing 727. In fact, they stumBled into a complex and potentially far-reaching conspiracy — a dark plot involving a major U.S. airline, corporate greed, South American drug traffcking, and the Iran-Contra Affair. Eastern Air Lines pilot George Jehn calls the crash of Former EA980 “the single greatest aviation mystery of the 20th century.” In the vacuum created by a tragedy whose mysteries remain unsolved, dark theories run wild… THIS DOCUMENTARY SERIES BLACK BOX is a down-the-rabbit-hole documentary series like no other. Part Making a Murderer, part Serial, part high on cocaine, with guerrilla warfare, redactedThe documents, Jinx - but never-before-seen testimony, and an incredible cast of real characters leading the way. And the best part — still unfolding in real time… the story is Flight 980’s black box is currently in the hands of the NTSB, which recently revealed that the damaged device is incomplete, leading investigators to believe that key portions of it are still lying on the side of Mt. Illimani. A new expedition is in the works, with former NTSB investigators, climbers, and forensic experts on board to help get to the bottom of this story. This six-part documentary series combines elements of true crime storytelling and investigative journalism in an effort to both solve the mystery of Eastern Air Lines Flight 980 and to answer larger questions about journalism, conspiracies, and governmental corruption. In this remarkable story, the crash of Flight 980 serves as a portal to the scandals of the 1980s, a vehicle to explore and explain the Reagan-Era’s complex legacy in the larger context of American history. Through congressional testimony, newly declassifed documents, eyewitness accounts, and interviews with journalists and government investigators, BLACK BOX unravels not only the complicated narrative of Iran-Contra but the narcotraffc saga of the 1980’s - all connected to a singular plane crash and a major airline’s complicity. BLACK BOX will inspire the audience to question, hypothesize, and devise their own theories based on the overwhelming evidence presented by our series. • MISSION ACCOMPLISHED? • Decision is made to bring black box back to United States • Smuggle through customs, return to Boston. • Contact with FAA and NTSB. Dan and Isaac violated international law. CHAPTER ONE: ASCENT AND DESCENT • Frosty relations with Bolivian government. • LATE NIGHT PHONE CALL - Dan and Isaac receive a call from an This episode marks the initial entry into the mystery of Flight unknown man claiming to have information about the sabotage of 980, as well as the remarkable and dangerous ascent of Mt. Illimani Flight 980. by Dan, Isaac, and Peter. • Details of Alfredo Straussner, Paraguayan dictator. • Arthur Davis changed plans last minute on fight, wife is • BACKGROUND - An introduction to the crash of Flight 980 through killed. Dan, Isaac and Peter’s trip to Bolivia and climb up Mt. Illimani. • They return back to George Jehn, the former pilot who urged them to read his book. • OUR MAN IN PORTLAND - Meet Peter Frick-Wright, a journalist and the objective, outside perspective into this story. • TWO GUYS FROM BOSTON - The backstory and motivation for the journey. • What inspired Dan and Isaac to investigate a 30-year-old plane crash in Bolivia? • What attracted Peter to their story? • What happened on Mt. Illimani? • PREPARATION - The road to Bolivia. • Altitude tents, long runs, and learning the basics of mountain climbing. • They contact George Jehn, former Eastern pilot who simply tells them to “read his book”. They do not heed Jehn’s advice. • EXPEDITION - A chronicle of the trip to Bolivia. • Robert Rauch and Jose Lazo - Sherpas and guides introduced. • Altitude sickness and challenges in foreign terrain. • Through this new adventure, Dan and Isaac’s friendship grows deeper. • DISCOVERY - The expedition fnds the wreckage and a frantic search for the black boxes begins. • Human remains, mementos, clothes and contraband discovered. • Meet Stacey Greer, daughter of Flight 980 co-pilot Mike Bird, and Judith Kelly, wife of passenger William Kelly, who was President of the U.S. Peace Corps in Paraguay at the time. • Explore Stacey and Dan’s connection over military service and trauma. • Dan and Isaac fnd the black box. CHAPTER ONE: ASCENT AND DESCENT CLIFFHANGER As the seeds of doubt and conspiracy are planted, we conclude the episode with uncovered footage of an unidentifed pilot giving explosive testimony before Senator John Kerry in 1988, testimony which describes the pilot witnessing the offoading of drugs and money on an Eastern fight in Panama City in 1984. The details are part of an unreleased FBI report obtained by Kerry’s investigation. CUT TO: George Jehn, the pilot Dan and Isaac reached out to before the trip: “I told them to read my book.” SMASH TO BLACK. • THE CRASH: AN EXPLANATION - In the midst of the union negotiations and dismantling of Eastern Air Lines, Flight 980 crashes on January 1, 1985. • NTSB never able to reach crash site, recover black box and conclusively determine cause of plane crash. CHAPTER TWO: EASTERN PROMISES • Possible causes • Pilot error -- A perfect storm of antiquated technology, an The second installment is the frst step into the rabbit hole of this inexperienced crew, problematic fight conditions, a lack of series, which focuses on the state of Eastern Air Lines following the ground radar and inclement weather. deregulation of the airline industry in the 1970s. Through a combination of archival footage, interviews, and the detailed accounts of former • Sabotage -- The plane was brought down on purpose, but why? Eastern employees, we chronicle the rise and fall of Eastern Air Lines as And by whom? it relates to the timeline of the crash of Flight 980. • BUILDING THE CONNECTION - In the months following the crash, a paper trail reveals deliberate interference on the part of Eastern Air Lines upper management and the NTSB, and potential collusion by the • BOOTSTRAP BEGINNINGS 1938 - 1960s - A brief history of Eastern Air Reagan State Department. Lines starting with its founding by World War I ace and aviation legend, Eddie Rickenbacker. • Quickly becomes one of the largest carriers in the United States. • Glory days of aviation exemplifed by Eastern. • DEREGULATION - END OF THE JET SET - 1970s - A look at the deregulation of the airline industry in the 1970s. • MEET FRANK BORMAN - Former Apollo astronaut is made CEO in 1975. • Chain of events begin with Borman and Eastern’s acquisition of South American routes from competitor airline and deregulation casualty, Braniff Airways. • GREED IS GOOD - 1980s - George Jehn, the chief airline pilot’s union negotiator during Eastern’s labor disputes of the 1980s, provides a frst-hand account of deceit and deception on the part of Eastern management in an effort to bankrupt the airline and liquidate the company’s assets. • Eastern Air Lines was second largest airline in the United States in early 1980’s when contentious labor negotiations began. • In 1986, after a year of record profts, Eastern sold for cents on the dollar to Frank Lorenzo, the infamous corporate raider. • Eastern’s assets sold over the next six years until the airline ceased operations in 1991. • With the end of the airline came the end of the pensions and careers of over 50,000 Eastern Air Lines employees. CHAPTER TWO: EASTERN PROMISES CLIFFHANGER George Jehn: “All of a sudden, I started looking at the timeline…” 1983-84 - The Boland Amendment cuts off Congressional funding to CIA- baCked Contras in NiCaragua 1984 - EA pilot Jerry Loeb witnesses money palettes boarding fights in and out of Panama 1984-1985 - Eastern turns record profts JAN.