"There I was..." An Aviation Podcast

AOPA Air Safety Institute

  • 45 minutes 2 seconds
    Episode 90: Exhaust Valve

    Flight test engineer Joey Brown recounts a New Year’s Eve flight in his Cessna 150 with his wife, when their trip is interrupted by violent engine vibration and power loss.

    16 December 2025, 3:35 pm
  • 46 minutes 57 seconds
    Episode 89: Gear-Up Landing

    Tony Williams and Ben Taylor prepare to ferry a Cessna 401 that’s been resurrected after almost 25 years in storage. Despite meticulous planning, high-speed taxi tests, and pattern work, a loud bang on downwind reveals a left-gear failure. With support from ATC, the pilots plan a deliberate gear-up landing on a foamed runway.

    18 November 2025, 9:28 pm
  • 32 minutes 55 seconds
    Episode 88: Bouncing on Empty

    During a mountain flying trip in a Cessna 172, Doug Tilghman and two companions become dangerously close to fuel exhaustion.

    14 October 2025, 4:55 pm
  • 35 minutes 14 seconds
    Episode 87: Safety Pilot

    Bob Thomason recounts a tense IMC approach as safety pilot for a friend facing a cancer diagnosis. When his friend panics and fights the autopilot, Bob must intervene to stabilize the aircraft.

    16 September 2025, 4:26 pm
  • 41 minutes
    Episode 86: Engine Failure Over New Mexico

    Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant Justin Lillie shares the story of an engine failure in his Mooney during an IFR cross-country flight with his family.


    12 August 2025, 2:00 pm
  • 42 minutes 46 seconds
    Episode 85: Three Greens

    Mark Sellers shares the story of a nighttime overwater flight in his Bellanca Viking where a landing gear issue arose during approach.

    15 July 2025, 2:18 pm
  • 37 minutes
    Episode 84: Missing Prop

    Mel Rushton recounts a harrowing nighttime IFR flight when the propeller of his Piper Comanche separated mid-flight over Florida.

    17 June 2025, 1:45 pm
  • 56 minutes 28 seconds
    Episode 83: Stuck Controls

    While departing Tampa Executive Airport in his Thorp S-18, Mujahid Abdulrahim finds himself dealing with severely limited motion in his control stick.


    13 May 2025, 1:34 pm
  • 34 minutes 20 seconds
    Episode 82: Icing in a Baron

    Scott Wright shares the story of a flight he made as a corporate pilot in a B58 Baron with five passengers, during which he had an encounter with icing.

    15 April 2025, 1:29 pm
  • 37 minutes 41 seconds
    Episode 81: Hard Landing

    Erick Mahle tells the story of a night flight in his flying club’s Bonanza with his family on board that included a memorable landing and some lessons learned.

    18 March 2025, 1:21 pm
  • 26 minutes 59 seconds
    Episode 80: A Clever Workaround

    While flying in his 1966 Cessna 150F over Arizona, Chris Smith and his father must resort to some creative thinking to breathe life into a sputtering engine.

    18 February 2025, 8:30 pm
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