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

Jul 28, 2022 · 48 min
A Reset Circuit Breaker Causes Crash / Indonesia AirAisia Flight 8501 Falls to the Sea
An Airbus A320 crashes in the ocean near Indonesia. Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 is cruising at 32,000 feet when the pilots receive an error message in the cockpit. The error is a minor problem and the pilots are able to fix it in a quick and easy way. The error message pops up again several times however, and eventaully the pilots try to permanently solve the problem by resetting a circuit breaker. Suddenly the pilots lose control of the airplane and they begin to fall to the ocean below. What
Jul 21, 2022 · 58 min
Airplane Crashes In A Mall Parking Lot / Fine Air Flight 101 Crashes in a Mall Parking Lot
A McDonnell Douglas DC-8 crashes in a busy Miami parking lot. Fine Air Flight 101 is packed with cargo bound for the Dominican Republic. Just after take off, the airplane pitches up sharply and starts to stall. The pilots don't have enough time to react to this unexpected pitch and are not able to get control. The plane crashes onto a busy Miami street and slides into a parking lot, crashing into several cars. What caused this flight to go so wrong? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Jul 14, 2022 · 49 min
Engine Goes Idle During Takeoff / TAROM Flight 371, Romania's Deadliest Plane Crash
An Airbus A310 crashes less than a minute after takeoff. TAROM Flight 371 has just taken off from Bucharest bound for Brussels. Moments after leaving the ground one of the engines starts to reduce to idle. The crew are unaware this happens and lose control. The plane dives to the ground and crashes killing everyone on board. How were the pilots not able to prevent this accident? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Jul 7, 2022 · 45 min
Did The Pilot Crash This Plane on Purpose? / EgyptAir Flight 990 Ends In Controversy
A Boeing 767 suddenly crashes into the Atlantic Ocean. EgyptAir Flight 990 has recently taken off from New York when crew members switch their rest shifts ahead of schedule. The captain leaves the cockpit for a moment leaving the first officer alone at the controls. Suddenly the airplane starts nose diving violently. The captain returns to the cockpit to try to recover the plane but is unsuccesful. Was this crash truly an accident? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Jun 30, 2022 · 46 min
Airplane Does a Barrel Roll with Passengers on Board / American Eagle Flight 4184 Loses Control
An ATR-72 starts to violently bank right on its own. American Eagle Flight 4184 is flying to Chicago when it gets placed in a holding pattern. After 45 minutes the crew start receiving further clearance but as they make their way down the controls suddenly whip all the way to the right. The plane does a full roll before the pilots can regain control, but soon the controls whip to the right again, causing the plane to crash. What went wrong on this flight? Find out on this episode of Black Box Do
Jun 23, 2022 · 48 min
Pilots Accidently Cause a Go Around / China Airlines Flight 140 Crashes At Airport
An Airbus 300 crashes on airport grounds. China Airlines Flight 140 is on final approach to Nagoya, Japan. As the crew is making final preperations, the first officer accidently activates the go around lever without realizing it. The pilots struggle to push the nose down but the plane ends up stalling and crashing near the runway. Was this accident unavoidable? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Jun 16, 2022 · 53 min
Pilots Struggle as Airplane Nosedives / Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Crashes off California Coast
A McDonnell Douglas MD-83 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. Alaska Airlines Flight 261 is cruising when the crew begin to notice a problem with the horizontal stabilizer. While the pilots are troubleshooting, the plane begins to suddenly nosedive. The pilots are able to recover, but the plane starts to nosedive again. What went wrong on this flight? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Jun 9, 2022 · 57 min
Was This Crash an Assassination? / Polish Air Force Flight 101 Crashes with President on Board
A Tupolev 154M carrying the President of Poland crashes while trying to land. Polish Air Force Flight 101 is carrying many high ranking Polish officials to Russia to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre. The weather conditions make landing nearly impossible, but the pilots decide to try anyway. With help from Air Traffic Control, the pilots are guided down to the runway, but hit some trees and crash into the terrain. Many suspect Russia of foul play and claim that this crash wa
Jun 2, 2022 · 46 min
Leaving Luggage in an Airport feat. Geoff Ramsey / Chris Left His Pants on a Plane
Hear more stories caused by airline travel. Gustavo and Chris are joined by Geoff Ramsey to share more stories from traveling on airplanes.
May 19, 2022 · 44 min
All About Airspaces / The Places You Can't Fly In
Go to flight school this week and learn all about Airspaces. Gustavo sits down with Chris to teach him all about the different airspaces in the United States. Find out how many there are in this episode of Black Box Down.
May 5, 2022 · 1 hr 1 min
Accident Ends in Murder / The Überlingen Mid-air Collision
A Boeing 757 and a Tupolev Tu-154M collide over southern Germany. Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 and DHL Flight 611 are both flying over southern Germany at night. Both crews start getting warnings about a possible collision from their in flight instruments. An Air Traffic Controller also notices that both planes might collide and gives instructions to one of the crews. Both crews take evasive manueuvers but they end up colliding and crashing to the ground. What series of events led to this col
Apr 28, 2022 · 46 min
Airplane Crashes Upside Down on Runway / Propair Flight 420 Loses a Wing
A Fairchild Metroliner SSA26 flips upside down just before making an emergency landing. Propair Flight 420 has just taken off from Montreal but must turn back due to a warning message. The left wing is overheating and as the pilots try to figure out what's happening, the left engine catches on fire. Seconds before the crew touches down on the runway, the left wing fails and the airplane flips upsisde down. What happened to this airplane? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Apr 21, 2022 · 51 min
Captain Survives Crashing Into Mountain / Air China Flight 129 Crashes on Approach
A Boeing 767 crashes while circling a runway. Air China Flight 129 is approaching Busan, South Korea when they are told to land in the opposite direction than they planned for. While the crew is circling, they fly in to clouds and comment that the wind is making the plane hard to fly. As the crew are making their final turn, they realize they are flying directly into a mountain. What events led to this crash? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Apr 14, 2022 · 55 min
Captain Continues Banking After Instrument Failure / Korean Air Cargo 8509 Crashes Immediately After Takeoff
A Boeing 747 crashes immediately after taking off. Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 takes off from London after some frustrating delays. The captain is angry and worried about a piece of equipment on board that appears to not be working properly. Immediately after takeoff the flight engineer tries to get the captain's attention about their bank angle but soon after the airplane crashes into the ground. What series of events led to this crash? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Apr 7, 2022 · 56 min
Air France Flight 296Q Crashes at Airshow / Airbus Crashes in Front of Hundreds of Spectators
A brand new Airbus A320 crashes while performing at an airshow. Air France Flight 296Q is being flown by the brand new Airbus A320 and is full of contest winners and journalists. The crew are told they will be part of an airshow and are supposed to fly over the runway at just 100 feet above the ground. While performing this maneuver, something goes wrong and the airplane flies into a forest and crashes into the trees. What series of events led to this crash? Find out on this episode of Black Box
Mar 31, 2022 · 59 min
Distracted Crew Enter a Deep Stall / West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 Falls From 33,000 Feet
A McDonnell Douglas MD-82 flies above its maximum altitude. West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 is over Venezuela when the crew decides to climb to 33,000 feet to avoid storms. The engines are unable to produce enough power to maintain speed at this height and start to produce less and less thrust. The crew becomes distracted and don't realize what's going on until it is too late. What are the events that led to this crash? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Mar 29, 2022 · 1 min
Introducing 30 Morbid Minutes
A dark journey into the morbid, creepy, and unexplained, pulled from history and the headlines of today. Hosted by Jessica Vasami and Elyse Willems.
Mar 24, 2022 · 51 min
Pilots Crash Doing a Go Around / USAir Flight 1016 Crashes in a Neighborhood
A McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashes seconds after starting a go around procedure. The crew of USAir Flight 1016 are cautious of heavy storms over their destination airport. As they are on final approach the crew decided to go around due to a wind shear. Twenty seconds later the plane suddenly crashes into the ground and comes to rest on a neighborhood street. What caused this plane to crash so suddenly? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Mar 17, 2022 · 51 min
Airplane Stalls 1 Mile Before Runway / Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 Falls Out of the Sky
A Boeing 737 on final stalls a few hundred feet in the air. Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 is descending when the airplane determins it is time to land. The throttle automatically goes to idle and the crew doesn't realize until they are about to stall. What led the airplane to carry out landing procedures on its own? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
Mar 10, 2022 · 55 min
Pilot Refuses to Declare Emergency / Avianca Flight 52 Runs Out of Fuel
The first officer of a Boeing 707 doesn't declare an emergency when he needs to. Avianca Flight 52 is running out of fuel over New York City and has to land. Bad weather forces the plane to do a go around. The captain repeatedly tells the first officer to declare an emergency but he does not do so. How did this flight run out of fuel? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.

Black Box Down

A Reset Circuit Breaker Causes Crash / Indonesia AirAisia Flight 8501 Falls to the Sea

Airplane Crashes In A Mall Parking Lot / Fine Air Flight 101 Crashes in a Mall Parking Lot

Engine Goes Idle During Takeoff / TAROM Flight 371, Romania's Deadliest Plane Crash

Did The Pilot Crash This Plane on Purpose? / EgyptAir Flight 990 Ends In Controversy

Airplane Does a Barrel Roll with Passengers on Board / American Eagle Flight 4184 Loses Control

Pilots Accidently Cause a Go Around / China Airlines Flight 140 Crashes At Airport

Pilots Struggle as Airplane Nosedives / Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Crashes off California Coast

Was This Crash an Assassination? / Polish Air Force Flight 101 Crashes with President on Board

Leaving Luggage in an Airport feat. Geoff Ramsey / Chris Left His Pants on a Plane

All About Airspaces / The Places You Can't Fly In

Accident Ends in Murder / The Überlingen Mid-air Collision

Airplane Crashes Upside Down on Runway / Propair Flight 420 Loses a Wing

Captain Survives Crashing Into Mountain / Air China Flight 129 Crashes on Approach

Captain Continues Banking After Instrument Failure / Korean Air Cargo 8509 Crashes Immediately After Takeoff

Air France Flight 296Q Crashes at Airshow / Airbus Crashes in Front of Hundreds of Spectators

Distracted Crew Enter a Deep Stall / West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 Falls From 33,000 Feet

Introducing 30 Morbid Minutes

Pilots Crash Doing a Go Around / USAir Flight 1016 Crashes in a Neighborhood

Airplane Stalls 1 Mile Before Runway / Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 Falls Out of the Sky

Pilot Refuses to Declare Emergency / Avianca Flight 52 Runs Out of Fuel