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.

True Crime
Documentary
Aviation
51
Accident Ends in Murder / The Überlingen Mid-ai...
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 collision? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
60 min
52
Airplane Crashes Upside Down on Runway / Propai...
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.
45 min
53
Captain Survives Crashing Into Mountain / Air C...
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.
50 min
54
Captain Continues Banking After Instrument Fail...
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.
54 min
55
Air France Flight 296Q Crashes at Airshow / Air...
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 Down.
55 min
56
Distracted Crew Enter a Deep Stall / West Carib...
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.
58 min
57
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.
1 min
58
Pilots Crash Doing a Go Around / USAir Flight 1...
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.
50 min
59
Airplane Stalls 1 Mile Before Runway / Turkish ...
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.
50 min
60
Pilot Refuses to Declare Emergency / Avianca Fl...
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.
53 min
61
Pilot Has A Breakdown / US Bangla Airlines Flig...
The captain of a Bombardier Q400 becomes fixated with landing the plane no matter what. US Bangla Airlines Flight 211 is on approach when the crew becomes overwhelmed. The captain is in the middle of a breakdown and becomes disoriented. Once the crew finds the runway, the captain commits to landing at all costs. What was going on in the cockpit of this flight? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
47 min
62
Introducing Ship Hits The Fan
Charlotte, Patrick and Brian are here to introduce a new podcast about maritime disasters: Ship Hits The Fan!
0 min
63
What It Takes to Animate Airplanes / Aviation E...
Learn what it takes to turn Black Box Down into an animated show. Gustavo and Chris are joined by Jordan Cwierz, Andrew Lhotsky and Al McClelland to learn the behind the scenes of Aviation Explanation. Learn some animation information on this bonus episode of Black Box Down.
41 min
64
When Movies are Realistic with Insidious Inspir...
Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais are joined by Nichole Goodnight to talk about the realism of aviation in movies. Listen as they discuss Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Yellowjackets, and 7500 in this bonus episode of Black Box Down.
50 min
65
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet | Insidious Inspiratio...
Find out the real life inspiration for this Twilight Zone episode. Gustavo and Chris guest star on the Insidious Inspirations Podcast to tell you what inspired the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet".
20 min
66
The Amsterdam Apartment Disaster / El Al Flight...
A Boeing 747 has engine trouble after takeoff. El Al Flight 1862 has just taken off and is flying over Amsterdam when the plane loses power from two engines. The crew realizes they are too high and too fast to land and must circle over the city. Suddenly the pilots lose control and the plane crashes into a nearby apartment building. What series of events led to this crash? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
50 min
67
Cargo Brings Down Plane / National Airlines Fli...
A Boeing 747 carrying military vehicles crashes right after takeoff. National Airlines Flight 102 is flying five multi-ton military vehicles out of Afghanistan and stops for a quick refueling. After some concerns about the cargo being loose, the crew prepares for departure. Shortly after takeoff, the plane pitches up sharply and falls flat to the ground. What series of events led to this accident? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
54 min
68
Confused Captain Makes a Wrong Turn / Crossair ...
The captain of a Saab 340B gets lost in the clouds. Crossair Flight 498 has just taken off from Zurich and is climbing through the clouds. The crew are instructed to turn left, but the captain initiates a right turn without the first officer realizing. The bank angle continues to increase until the plane begins spiraling to the ground. Why did the captain make such a harsh right turn? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
49 min
69
Joyriding Pilots Make Fatal Mistake / Pinnacle ...
The pilots of a Bombardier CRJ200 decide to take a flight to 41,000 feet. Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 was a meant to be a simple relocation flight but the pilots decide to fly to the maximum altitude of 41,000 feet. After a short celebration, the engines start to lose power and shut down causing the plane to stall. Why weren't the pilots able to recover the plane? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
63 min
70
Refusing To Learn From Mistakes / The Turkish A...
A DC-10 suffers explosive decompression while climbing to cruising altitude. Turkish Airlines Flight 981 has a cargo door burst open while climbing. This was not the first time this exact situation has occured, but safety recommendations were not implemented to prevent this from happening a second time. What is the fate of this flight? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
46 min
71
Plane Pitches Up Uncontrollably / Air Midwest F...
A Beechcraft 1900D becomes uncontrolable immediately after takeoff. Air Midwest Flight 5481 starts pitching up uncontrollably after taking off. The pilots do their best to force the nose down but are unable to regain control of the aircraft. What made this plane become uncontrollabe? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
50 min
72
Airplane Has Counterfeit Parts / Bad Vibrations...
A Convair CV-580 is flying between Norway and Denmark when it disappears from radar. Partnair Flight 394 is cruising over water when all contact is lost. Investigators find several strange things concerning the planes black boxes and are confused about what they are seeing. Eventually they discover something sinister about some of the parts that were installed on the aircraft. What discoveries were made about this flight? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
53 min
73
Plane Lands But No One Exits / The Mystery on S...
A Lockheed L-1011 Tristar has an emergency after takeoff and is forced to land. Saudia Flight 163 has just taken off when the crew recieves a smoke warning from the cargo compartment. As they return to the airport, they lose their number 2 engine but land safely. However, after coming to a stop, the crew are never heard from again. What happened aboard this flight? Find out on this episode of Black Box Down.
44 min
74
Confused Pilots Get Lost / American Airlines Fl...
A Boeing 757 crashes in Colombian mountains. American Airlines Flight 965 is on approach to their destination airport when the pilots are given instructions to land on a different runway.
46 min
75
Captain Starts a Nose Dive / China Airlines Fli...
A Boeing 747 starts nose diving towards the Pacific Ocean. China Airlines Flight 006 is cruising normally towards California when the crew thinks an engine has failed. While trying to restart the engine, the captain doesn't notice a continuous bank to the right and the plane enters a nose dive. Were the crew able to regain control of the plane? Find out in this episode of Black Box Down.
50 min