Episode 892: The Lost Plane

By Nick Fountain,

Karen Duffin

Published February 6, 2019 at 8:20 PM EST

When a listener emailed to tell us that a plane full of passengers had just unexpectedly landed in Iran, we just had to figure out what happened.

Today on the show, we hear what it's like to go to Iran by accident from two passengers who were on that flight. And we discover that, while getting people out of Iran is one thing, getting an airplane out of Iran is just a very expensive intercontinental geopolitical mess. It's a vacation story with tourists, a sanctioned government, and an unlucky plane from Norway.

Music: "Future Satisfaction" and "Mr. Superious."

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Nick Fountain

Nick Fountain produces and reports for Planet Money. Since he joined the team in 2015, he's reported stories on pears, black pepper, ice cream, chicken, and hot dogs (twice). Come to think of it, he reports on food a whole lot. But he's also driven the world's longest yard sale, uncovered the secretive group that controls international mail, and told the story of a crazy patent scheme that involved an acting Attorney General.

See stories by Nick Fountain

Karen Duffin

Karen Duffin (she/her) is a co-host and reporter for Planet Money, NPR's award-winning podcast that finds creative, entertaining ways to make sense of the big, complicated forces that move our economy. She joined the team in March 2018.

See stories by Karen Duffin