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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.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Black Box Down turns aviation investigations into clear accounts of how technical failures, human decisions, and safety reforms connect.
Black Box Down reconstructs aviation disasters as chains of decisions, warnings, and missed opportunities. Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais move carefully through timelines such as the Manchester runway fire, the collision over San Diego, and LaMia Flight 2933's fuel emergency.
A plane rolls left, the wrong engine goes quiet, and you get to ask why.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A farewell supplemental that makes the C919 a clear, grounded story about aviation's next phase.
Black Box Down's farewell supplemental shifts from crash stories to what comes next in aviation, using the Comac C919 to frame a straightforward look at who is shaping the market.
A careful teardown of how Berlin's new airport turned into a nearly 25-year headache.
Black Box Down treats Berlin's Brandenburg Airport saga as a careful account of how a major airport project can keep drifting off course. Gus and Chris lean into the passenger-side questions, then walk through site selection, construction, and the wiring and ventilation problems…
A clear, sobering reconstruction with real technical depth.
Black Box Down presents a careful reconstruction of Air Florida Flight 90, moving through the delays, de-icing, sudden stall warning, and the final seconds before the plane hit the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the Potomac.
A takeoff fire story that makes procedure feel like part of the horror.
Black Box Down turns the British Air Tours flight 28M takeoff abort into a calm, unsettling account of how procedure can fold into disaster. It moves step by step from the bang at roughly 125 knots to the cockpit alarms, the tower's advice, and the grim fact that 55 people die…
A light, approachable promo for a five-episode D and D run that is easy to jump into.
This is a cheerful promo for Tales from the Sinking Dragon, and it keeps the pitch clear without getting bogged down. It frames the show as a Rooster Teeth production and a Dungeons and Dragons podcast that stays welcoming even for people who are not deep into D and D, which…
A clear, sober reconstruction of how a routine approach became a catastrophic collision.
Black Box Down treats the PSA Flight 182 collision over San Diego with a steady, orderly pace that suits the subject. The episode traces the approach, the visual separation call, and the fatal collision without drifting away from the central question of how the crew could have…
A chartered flight, a holding pattern, and a fuel emergency turn a delay into a tense procedural breakdown.
Black Box Down covers a chartered flight, a holding pattern, and a fuel emergency that builds with plain, effective force. The episode is strongest as a procedural account, with the ATC timeline doing the heavy lifting and keeping the sequence easy to track.
A precise crash story that turns one warning light into a tense chain of decisions.
Black Box Down follows KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 from the first low-oil-pressure alert to a go-around and a crash less than 2,000 feet from the runway, shaping a technical sequence into a tense, readable account.
ABC Audio's Theranos fraud series that also introduces its other true-crime podcasts.
Patrick Radden Keefe investigates whether the CIA secretly wrote a Scorpions hit.
Jake Halpern and the Snowball team track a con artist who defrauded a family.
A city-by-city true-crime documentary, from Detroit's Kwame Kilpatrick scandal to mob confessions.
A murder rumor in rural Alabama unravels into a clockmaker's suicide and estate feud.
Hosts Gustavo and Chris explore the future of aviation, focusing on China's COMAC as a rising competitor to Airbus and Boeing.
This episode of Black Box Down explores the disastrous 25-year construction of Berlin Brandenburg Airport, detailing massive budget overruns, engineering failures like a non-functional fire suppression system, and corruption scandals that plagued the project.
This episode analyzes the 1982 crash of Air Florida Flight 90, which stalled and plunged into the frozen Potomac River after takeoff from Washington D.C., killing 78 people.
This episode investigates the 1992 crash of Copa Airlines Flight 201, which disappeared over the Darien jungle with no survivors.
The hosts analyze Kenya Airways Flight 507, which crashed in 2007 just two minutes after takeoff from Cameroon, killing all 114 on board.
This episode investigates the 1997 crash of Garuda Indonesia Flight 152, which killed 234 people after the plane flew into a mountain near Medan.
The episode analyzes Northwest Airlines Flight 85, where a Boeing 747 experienced a sudden rudder hardover over the Bering Sea, causing a dangerous bank.
Hosts Gus and Chris investigate Uni Air Flight 873, which exploded after landing in Taiwan in 1999, killing two.
The episode details the 1983 incident of Revolution Airways Flight 8, where a propeller detached mid-flight, causing explosive decompression and control issues.
The episode investigates Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, hijacked in 1987 by fired employee David Burke, who murdered his former boss and crashed the plane, killing all 43 on board.
The episode analyzes the 1985 British Air Tours flight 28M accident, where an engine failure during takeoff caused a fire that killed 55 people.
This episode investigates the 1994 bombing of Philippine Airlines Flight 434, where a terrorist planted a bomb that killed one passenger but failed to down the plane due to crew heroics.
Hosts Gustavo and Chris, with guest Blaine, analyze aviation accuracy in three movies: Final Destination, Commando, and Airplane!.
This episode explores the history of smoking on airplanes, from its unrestricted early days to the global bans.
Hosts Gus and Chris analyze the 1978 mid-air collision between Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 and a Cessna over San Diego, which killed 144 people and crashed into a neighborhood.
Black Box Down hosts Gus and Chris reconstruct the November 2016 crash of LaMia Flight 2933, a charter Avro RJ-85 carrying the Chapecoense football club and 77 people from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to Medellin, Colombia for a Copa Sudamericana final.
This episode examines Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, which crashed in 1995 after a propeller blade failed due to a fatigue crack.
This episode of Black Box Down investigates the 1996 crash of Bergen Air Flight 301, a Boeing 757 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from the Dominican Republic, killing all 189 people on board.
The episode investigates KLM City Hopper Flight 433, which crashed near Amsterdam in 1994 after a false oil pressure warning.
The hosts investigate the 2007 crash of Adam Air Flight 574, a Boeing 737 that vanished over Indonesia.
Hosts Gus and Chris analyze British Midland Airways Flight 092, which crashed in 1989 after a fan blade fracture caused engine failure.
The hosts analyze the 2007 crash of TAM Airlines Flight 3054, an Airbus A320 that overran a short, wet runway in São Paulo, killing 199 people.
This episode analyzes Thai Airways Flight 311, which crashed in the Himalayas in 1992 due to a series of errors including flap malfunctions, poor communication between the captain and first officer, and an inexperienced air traffic controller.
This episode investigates TANS Peru Flight 204, which crashed in 2005 during a severe storm near Pucallpa Airport, killing 40 people.
Gus and Chris explore the hidden world of airline baggage handling, covering how systems work, the history of baggage fees, and shocking real-life incidents involving baggage handlers.
Gus and Chris discuss Gus's journey from 10 to 140 flight hours, covering milestones like solo flights, the pilot exam, and emergency procedures.
The episode investigates the 1996 midair collision between Saudi Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 near Delhi, which killed all 349 people onboard.
This episode analyzes the 2012 crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 during a demonstration flight in Indonesia, where all 45 people died after the plane hit Mount Salak.
Hosts Gus and Chris investigate the 1991 crash of Lauda Air Flight 004, a Boeing 767 that disintegrated over Thailand killing all 223 people on board after the left engine thrust reverser deployed in flight at 24,700 feet.
This episode investigates Tuninter Flight 1153, which ditched in the Mediterranean after both engines failed due to fuel exhaustion caused by a maintenance error—installing the wrong fuel gauge.
The episode investigates Trigana Air Flight 267, which crashed into a mountain in Papua, Indonesia, in 2015, killing all 54 on board.
The episode investigates the 2008 crash of XL Airways Germany Flight 888T, an Airbus A320 on a test flight over the Mediterranean.
This episode explores the history of air rage, from early incidents like a 1947 assault to modern cases such as Gerard Finneran's 1995 defecation on a flight.
The hosts analyze the 1993 crash of Northwest Airlink Flight 5719, which killed all 18 on board after striking trees short of the runway in poor weather.
The episode investigates the 2007 crash of Air Moorea Flight 1121, a Twin Otter that crashed shortly after takeoff from Moorea to Tahiti, killing all 20 on board.
The episode investigates the 2005 crash of Chalks Ocean Airways Flight 101, a seaplane that lost its wing shortly after takeoff from Miami.
Gus and Chris host Brian Gaar to explore the history of seaplanes, covering early patents, failed and successful flights, and their evolution through wars and commercial use.
Gus and Chris are joined by Barbara Dunkelman to analyze aviation realism in movies, covering Operation Dumbo Drop's elephant transport, Red Eye's in-flight inaccuracies, and Catch Me If You Can's pilot impersonation scams.
This episode of Black Box Down examines the 1975 crash of a U.S.
The hosts investigate the 1996 crash of TAM Flight 402, which crashed shortly after takeoff from São Paulo due to an uncommanded thrust reverser deployment.
Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea on December 28, 2014, killing all 162 people aboard.
Hosts Gus and Chris analyze the 1997 crash of Fine Air Flight 101, a cargo plane that crashed into a mall parking lot shortly after takeoff from Miami.
The hosts investigate TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310 that crashed shortly after takeoff from Bucharest in 1995, killing all 60 on board.
This episode investigates EgyptAir Flight 990, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 1999, killing all 217 people on board.
The hosts investigate American Eagle Flight 4184, which crashed in 1994 after an unexpected barrel roll caused by ice accumulation behind the de-icing boots, leading to a loss of control.
The hosts analyze the 1994 crash of China Airlines Flight 140 in Nagoya, Japan, where a first officer accidentally triggered the go lever during landing.
This episode analyzes the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, where a horizontal stabilizer failure due to inadequate lubrication caused the plane to dive uncontrollably.
Hosts Gus and Chris investigate the 2010 crash of Polish Air Force Flight 101, which killed President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others.
Gus and Chris are joined by guest Geoff Ramsey to share personal travel and aviation anecdotes, including nostalgic stories about outdated airport technology, scary plane experiences, and humorous mishaps like lost luggage and drunken escapades.
In this supplemental episode, hosts Gus and Chris break down the classes of U.S.