In Episode 2, TR reflects on her time as a beat reporter in the 1990s and early 2000s, covering various grim and sensational events, including accidents, murders, and cannibalism. She shares the story from a past assignment focused on the horrific aftermath of a single-person plane crash in a field in arid Northern New Mexico.

At the beginning of the podcast, TR explains the unconventional pronunciation of her pseudonym, “Tripping Raul,” derived from a humorous family incident involving their husky puppy named Raul. She continues by setting the scene of her arrival at the accident site, where she had to park about an acre away and was briefed by a stationed officer.

As TR walks towards the crash site, led by the officer, she notes the destruction path of the plane – apparent from the debris and impacted earth. She describes finding a prescription lens on the ground, which leads her to speculate whether it belonged to the pilot. She’s then escorted by another officer to a vantage point that offers a clearer view of the extensive damage.

She recounts the officer’s advice to keep her distance owing to the unbearable smell of the burned body. Despite being out of the stench’s range, TR takes a deep breath but only smells the burned brush. She talks about her preparation for this moment through her education in journalism and notes how she took in the scene without the assistance of photographers which was common in her reporting days.

TR surmises the crash impact based on the placement of the wreckage and the lack of discernible features on the remains, emphasizing the plane’s and pilot’s disintegration upon impact. She indicates that by the time of her arrival, the fire department had likely doused the scene to extinguish any burning materials.

After collecting the necessary details for her report, including the who, what, when, where, and why of the incident, TR heads back to the newspaper office. There, she informs her colleagues about the accident, and one of them, Bill, recognizes the pilot’s name from a previous interview. Bill finds an old edition of the newspaper featuring an article about the pilot, who had been working on a tool to boost the power of single-seat planes. The photo with the article shows the pilot wearing glasses with lenses that match the one TR noticed at the crash site.

TR ends the episode by suggesting improvement in future episodes and teases the topic of the next installment, which will deal with quoting individuals society views as “crazy.”

Throughout the episode, TR highlights the limitations of memory and reporting by emphasizing that her account is based on her recollections and interpretations of events, and she generally refrains from using real names to protect the identities of victims and those involved.

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