
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.
Latest episodes

Apr 6, 2023 • 1h 17min
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.This episode brought to you by Green Chef, go to http://greenchef.com/blackboxdown60 with code blackboxdown60 for 60% off and free shipping, Express VPN, go to http://expressvpn.com/blackboxdown to get three months free on a one-year package, and Shady Rays, go to http://shadyrays.com and use code BLACKBOXDOWN for 50% off 2 or more pairs of polarized sunglasses. Find us on social media and buy our merch here! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly! Download the public audio version https://link.chtbl.com/blackboxdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 30, 2023 • 44min
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.This episode brought to you by Aura Frames, go to http://auraframes.com and use code BLACKBOXDOWN to get free shipping at checkout, and Rocket Money, go to http://rocketmoney.com/BLACKBOXDOWN to cancel you unwanted subscriptions. Find us on social media and buy our merch here! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly! Already a FIRST Member and need your Private RSS feed for this show? Go here: http://bit.ly/FIRSTRSS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 23, 2023 • 1h 16min
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. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp — go to http://betterhelp.com/blackboxdown to get 10% off your first month, and Lectric Bikes, go to http://lectricebikes.com to check out the new XPedition cargo eBike. Find episodes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon here (https://link.chtbl.com/stinkydragontales). Find us on social media and buy our merch here! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 9, 2023 • 50min
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. Sponsored by Lectric eBikes (http://lectricebikes.com), Green Chef (http://greenchef.com/blackboxdown60 and use code blackboxdown60), and Tales from the Stinky Dragon (https://link.chtbl.com/stinkydragontales).Find us on social media and buy our merch here! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly!Already a FIRST Member and need your Private RSS feed for this show? Go here: http://bit.ly/FIRSTRSS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 23, 2023 • 1h 12min
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.Find us on social media and buy our merch here! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly! This episode brought to you by Shady Rays, go to http://shadyrays.com and use code BLACKBOXDOWN for 50% off 2 or more pairs of polarized sunglasses, Better Help, go to http://betterhelp.com/blackboxdown to get 10% off your first month, and Hello Fresh, go to http://hellofresh.com/blackboxdown65 and use code blackboxdown65 for 65% off plus free shipping! Already a FIRST Member and need your Private RSS feed for this show? Go here: http://bit.ly/FIRSTRSS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 16, 2023 • 1h 18min
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.Find us on social media and buy our merch here! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly!This episode brought to you by Lectric Bikes, go to http://lectricebikes.com to find adventure with Lectric eBikes. Already a FIRST Member and need your Private RSS feed for this show? Go here: http://bit.ly/FIRSTRSS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 9, 2023 • 51min
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! This episode brought to you by Green Chef, go to http://greenchef.com/blackboxdown60 and use code blackboxdown60 to get 60% off plus free shipping, and Express VPN, go to http://expressvpn.com/blackboxdown to get an extra three months of ExpressVPN free.Already a FIRST Member and need your Private RSS feed for this show? Go here: http://bit.ly/FIRSTRSS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 2, 2023 • 58min
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! Already a FIRST Member and need your Private RSS feed for this show? Go here: http://bit.ly/FIRSTRSS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 26, 2023 • 1h
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! https://linktr.ee/BlackBoxDownPod Go to blackboxdownpod.com to support us directly! This episode brought to you by Smart News, Download SmartNews for free today in the app store to get the news that matters most https://www.smartnews.com/en/app Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 19, 2023 • 60min
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. What happened to this routine flight that ended up becoming the deadliest aviation accident involving a Boeing 737-400 and got Indonesian airlines banned from flying into the European Union for several years? Find out what happened 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! Go to http://expressvpn.com/blackboxdown to get 3 extra months free with a 12-month plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices