Black Box Down

A true crime podcast in the air. Lifelong aviation enthusiast Gustavo Sorola and his co-host Chris Demarais break down the major accidents in aviation and the steps taken to prevent future disasters. If you like true-crime podcasts but want something fresh and unique, you’ll love Black Box Down. Subscribe now and fasten your seat belt.

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150 episodes
Updated Jun 29, 2023

Episodes150

Newest first

The Future of the Aviation Industry
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais discuss the future of the aviation industry in this final episode of Black Box Down.
Jun 29, 2023 · 1 hr 13 min
The Troubled History of the Berlin Brandenberg Airport
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais explore the more than 25 year saga of the Berlin Brandenberg Airport.
Jun 15, 2023 · 1 hr
Frozen Flight Crashes In the Potomac River
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais discover the details of Air Florida Flight 90 after it crashed in the frozen Potomac River just after takeoff. A harrowing rescue managed to extract only 6 people after the aircraft struck the 14th Street bridge connecting Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Find out what happened on this episode of Black Box Down.
Jun 1, 2023 · 1 hr 2 min
Passenger Flight Disappears in Dense Jungle Near Colombian Border
Chris Demarais and Gustavo Sorola dig through the details of what caused Copa Flight 201 to crash into one of the most remote jungles on the planet. What happened to this flight that led it to become the deadliest accident in Panamanian aviation history?
May 25, 2023 · 53 min
Kenya Airways Flight Fails to Recover From Hard Bank Roll
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais investigate what happened to Kenya Airways Flight 507 after the pilots failed to recover from a hard bank roll that fatally ended in the tragic loss of all 114 people on board. Find out what happened on this episode of Black Box Down.
May 18, 2023 · 53 min
Wrong Turn Proves Fatal for Garuda Indonesia Flight 152
Chris Demarais and Gustavo Sorola uncover how a wrong turn became deadly for Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 on this episode of Black Box Down.
May 11, 2023 · 54 min
Pilots Fight Hardover Rudder to Regain Control of Aircraft
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais investigate what happened to Northwest Airlines Flight 85 that caused the plane to get stuck in a hard left bank over the Bering Sea. Find out how the flight crew managed to fight an unresponsive rudder and if they managed to make it back to the ground safely on this episode of Black Box Down.
May 4, 2023 · 49 min
Explosion Hits Plane After Landing Safely in Taiwan
Chris Demarais and Gustavo Sorola discover what happened to Uni Air Flight 873 after an explosion rocked the passenger cabin just after landing, spreading a fire and forcing an emergency evacuation. Find out what caused this tragic event on this episode of Black Box Down.
Apr 27, 2023 · 47 min
Propeller Detaches and Cuts Open Belly of Passenger Plane
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais get to the bottom of what happened when a propeller detached from a Lockheed L-188C and cut open the belly of the fuselage forcing Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 crew to take drastic measures to attempt to land the aircraft with no controls.
Apr 20, 2023 · 38 min
Hijacker Murders All 43 Passengers/Crew on Commuter Flight
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais uncover the details of Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 after a hijacker took over the aircraft with a revolver he smuggled past security and ended up murdering all 43 people on board. Find out how this nightmare unfolded on this episode of Black Box Down.
Apr 13, 2023 · 34 min
Fire Breaks Out During Takeoff Resulting in Major Changes for Airline Safety Procedures
Chris Demarais and Gustavo Sorola uncover what happened to British Airtours Flight 28M when a fire broke out during the takeoff roll. Find out what happened and how this tragedy changed the safety protocols for the airline industry on this episode of Black Box Down.
Apr 6, 2023 · 1 hr 16 min
Terrorist Bomb Fails to Down Philippine Airlines Flight 434
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais figure out how a terrorist bomb explosion failed to bring down Philippine Airlines Flight 434. With the aid of a competent crew and quick thinking, the aircraft managed to land safely with the tragic loss of one passenger. Find out what happened on this episode of Black Box Down.
Mar 30, 2023 · 44 min
Picking Apart Planes in Movies with Blaine from 'Tales from the Stinky Dragon'
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais are joined by Blaine Gibson of 'Tales from the Stinky Dragon' fame to pick apart the details of Hollywood's attempts to portray air travel in movies. Find out which films got it right in this Bonus episode of Black Box Down.
Mar 23, 2023 · 1 hr 16 min
This Is Why We Can’t Smoke on Flights Anymore
Chris Demarais and Gustavo Sorola dive into the reasons smoking has been banned on airlines. Find out why airlines have put a stop to the Madmen era of smoking on flights in this episode of Black Box Down.
Mar 9, 2023 · 50 min
Mid Air Collision Crashes in San Diego Neighborhood
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais uncover what happened to Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 after it collided with a Cessna 172 and crashed into a San Diego neighborhood below. How did these planes collide if the PSA captain had the Cessna in sight? Could air traffic control have done more to intervene? What prevents this kind of thing from happening today? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Feb 23, 2023 · 1 hr 11 min
Charter Flight Carrying Brazilian Football Squad Disappear in the Mountains Outside Medellín
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais uncover the details of LaMia Flight 2933 carrying a Brazilian soccer team and their entourage from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to the final match of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana tournament in Colombia. The flight would disappear in the mountains outside of Medellín after a fuel emergency and resulting engine flame out. What happened to LaMia Flight 2933? How did a low fuel situation get out of hand so quickly? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Feb 16, 2023 · 1 hr 17 min
Loss of Propeller Blade Forces Emergency Crash Landing
Chris Demarais and Gustavo Sorola investigate what happened after a propeller exploded and forced Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 out of the air shortly after takeoff. What caused the left engine to malfunction? Could anything have been done to make it back to the airport? Did anybody survive this crash? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down. Find us on social media and buy our merch here! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly!
Feb 9, 2023 · 51 min
Boeing 757 Crashes in the Atlantic Ocean Shortly After Takeoff
Chris Demarais and Gustavo Sorola find out why Birgenair Flight 301, a Boeing 757 with 189 people on board, fell out of the sky and crashed in the Atlantic shortly after taking off from the Dominican Republic. What could have caused the airliner to stall so soon after departure? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down. Find us on social media and buy our merch here! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly!
Feb 2, 2023 · 55 min
Commuter Airliner Crashes Less Than 30 Minutes After Takeoff
Chris Demarais and Gustavo Sorola uncover what happened to KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 after the airliner failed to reach enough speed to takeoff safely. After a failed landing attempt in Amsterdam, the flight crashed in a field less than 2,000 feet to the right of the runway killing 3 of the people on board. What happened to cause this flight to crash so close to the runway? Was this accident avoidable? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down. Find us on social media and buy our merch here!
Jan 26, 2023 · 59 min
Indonesian Flight Lost at Sea
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais attempt to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of Adam Air 574, a Boeing 737 with 102 people on board, en route to Manado from Surabaya in Indonesian when Air Traffic Control lost them from radar over the ocean in the vicinity of the Makassar Strait.
Jan 19, 2023 · 59 min

Black Box Down

The Future of the Aviation Industry

The Troubled History of the Berlin Brandenberg Airport

Frozen Flight Crashes In the Potomac River

Passenger Flight Disappears in Dense Jungle Near Colombian Border

Kenya Airways Flight Fails to Recover From Hard Bank Roll

Wrong Turn Proves Fatal for Garuda Indonesia Flight 152

Pilots Fight Hardover Rudder to Regain Control of Aircraft

Explosion Hits Plane After Landing Safely in Taiwan

Propeller Detaches and Cuts Open Belly of Passenger Plane

Hijacker Murders All 43 Passengers/Crew on Commuter Flight

Fire Breaks Out During Takeoff Resulting in Major Changes for Airline Safety Procedures

Terrorist Bomb Fails to Down Philippine Airlines Flight 434

Picking Apart Planes in Movies with Blaine from 'Tales from the Stinky Dragon'

This Is Why We Can’t Smoke on Flights Anymore

Mid Air Collision Crashes in San Diego Neighborhood

Charter Flight Carrying Brazilian Football Squad Disappear in the Mountains Outside Medellín

Loss of Propeller Blade Forces Emergency Crash Landing

Boeing 757 Crashes in the Atlantic Ocean Shortly After Takeoff

Commuter Airliner Crashes Less Than 30 Minutes After Takeoff

Indonesian Flight Lost at Sea