"There I was..." An Aviation Podcast

AOPA Air Safety Institute

  • 45 minutes 3 seconds
    Episode 93: Windscreen Blowout

    Arkansas pilot Greg Robbins is flying to lunch with his wife when the front windscreen and side doors of his Aeroprakt A22LS suddenly blow out.

    To see the video of the incident, click here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu23j1DsPOU

    17 March 2026, 1:39 pm
  • 41 minutes 50 seconds
    Episode 92: Icing in a Sling

    Newly minted instrument pilot Chris Yalanis launches on a long IFR trip in his Sling TSi. ATC issues a clearance that doesn’t match his plan, and a routine climb turns tense when he begins to pick up ice.

    18 February 2026, 7:43 pm
  • 28 minutes 2 seconds
    Episode 91: Unexpected Spin

    Brad Cohen test flies his homebuilt Zenith Zodiac 601 XL. About 20 hours into testing, while working on departure and accelerated stalls, Brad enters an unexpected spin.

    8 January 2026, 2:35 pm
  • 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
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