Black Box Down

Black Box Down took aviation disaster storytelling and made it genuinely compelling for people who might never have cared about cockpit voice recorders or NTSB reports. Hosted by Gustavo Sorola and Chris Demarais (both from Rooster Teeth), the show ran from 2020 to 2023, producing 150 episodes that systematically walked through history's most significant aviation accidents and the safety improvements they triggered. The format worked brilliantly: Gustavo brought the research and aviation knowledge while Chris played the role of curious everyman, asking the questions a regular listener would have. That dynamic kept episodes accessible without sacrificing accuracy. Each story followed the accident from takeoff to investigation to the systemic changes that came after, hammering home the point that modern aviation safety was built on hard lessons. Episodes covered incidents like Air Florida Flight 90, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, and dozens of others, typically running 35 to 60 minutes. The storytelling was tighter than many true crime podcasts, largely because aviation accidents have clear timelines, black box data, and investigation conclusions to structure around. No speculation needed. The show concluded in June 2023 with a final episode on the future of aviation, and the 4.9 rating from over 4,000 reviews reflects just how much the audience connected with it. Listeners still post reviews asking for its return. While no new episodes are coming, the entire back catalog holds up perfectly -- these stories don't have an expiration date, and the production quality makes each episode worth revisiting.