Episode 84: Missing Prop
Mel Rushton recounts a harrowing nighttime IFR flight when the propeller of his Piper Comanche separated mid-flight over Florida.
Jun 17, 2025•38 min•Ep. 84
"There I was..." An Aviation Podcast
There I was…, presented by the AOPA Air Safety Institute, invites you into the cockpit with pilots across the aviation community. We fly with them as they encounter unpredictable scenarios and we learn from the knowledge and skills they utilize to fly safely out of them. This podcast honors the tradition and heritage in aviation to leverage “hangar flying” as an avenue to pass along knowledge and experience.
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Episodes
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.
May 13, 2025•57 min•Ep. 83
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.
Apr 15, 2025•35 min•Ep. 82
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.
Mar 18, 2025•39 min•Ep. 81
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.
Feb 18, 2025•28 min•Ep. 80
Episode 79: Lost Comms
As a newly minted private pilot, Sara Gagné takes her mother on a sunset flight around the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Not expecting any adverse issues during her very first flight with a passenger, Sara finds herself unable to establish radio communication. NOTE: We realized we omitted a key detail in this episode. When the guest discusses the remedy of shining a phone flashlight against the radio panel to make the display brighter, she is most likely referring to the panel having a faulty light s...
Jan 14, 2025•33 min•Ep. 79
Episode 78: "What's That Sound?"
Peter Danzig hears a disturbing banging sound while flying his Bonanza A36 near Paso Robles, CA, and decides to make a precautionary landing at a small private airport. After landing, he must contend with less than ideal conditions in which to depart again.
Dec 17, 2024•52 min•Ep. 78
Episode 77: Cow Pasture Landing
While flying in his Piper Saratoga over the Mark Twain National Forest en route to Northeast Arkansas, Brent Reddick notices a subtle but disturbing drop in RPM, followed by a complete engine failure.
Nov 26, 2024•52 min•Ep. 77
Episode 76: Eerie Encounter
GA pilot Claudia Gibson recalls a flight on a late October night in Indiana, during her student pilot days. While on an extensive night training flight with multiple stops, Claudia and her instructor have an eerie encounter in the form of an unwanted guest on the runway.
Oct 22, 2024•31 min•Ep. 76
Episode 75: Landing Gear Failure
While shooting an IFR practice approach in his Twin Comanche, retired Air Canada pilot Marc Arsenault loses electrical power to his landing gear system. After realizing that a manual gear extension will not work, Marc must resort to creative thinking – and the help of a Swiss Army knife – to get the gear down.
Sep 17, 2024•47 min•Ep. 75
Episode 74: Losing Altitude
On the final leg of a cross-country flight from Mississippi to California, flight test engineer Joey Brown finds himself unable to maintain altitude in his 1967 Cessna 150G.
Aug 13, 2024•42 min•Ep. 74
Episode 73: Icing in an RV
Climbing through 6,000 feet after departing Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, pilot and aircraft builder Steve Gross encounters severe icing in his RV-9. With his indicated airspeed falling to 60 knots and his climb rate dropping to zero, Steve must take quick action.
Jul 15, 2024•43 min•Ep. 73
Episode 72: Laser Strike
GA pilot Jonathan Fay experiences a laser strike while in the traffic pattern for a night landing. He tells the story of what happened, and how he was able to track down the perpetrator afterward.
Jun 19, 2024•41 min•Ep. 72
Episode 71: Engine Failure at Night
On a night flight to Grand Strand Airport in Myrtle Beach, SC, pilot Greg Duckworth experiences an engine failure in his Rutan Long-EZ. With a sea of city lights below, Greg must resort to quick thinking and help from ATC to find a place to land.
May 14, 2024•40 min•Ep. 71
Episode 70: Ferry Flight
AOPA Western Pacific Regional Manager Jared Yoshiki recounts the story of purchasing his first airplane - a Cherokee 180. While ferrying it from Indiana to his home airport in California, things went awry.
Apr 16, 2024•56 min•Ep. 70
Episode 69: Unexpected Fuel Consumption
CFI Bill Tomkovic takes a Cessna 172 flight for the purpose of breaking in a new engine. In an effort to complete the break-in faster, Bill opts to fly longer than he originally intended. Unfortunately, the airplane’s fuel consumption is higher than he expects.
Mar 11, 2024•35 min•Ep. 69
Episode 68: Engine Failure in the Pattern
Student pilot Bradley Riedle was performing touch and goes with his instructor when they experienced an engine failure in their Cherokee 140. Bradley discusses the aftermath of the event, including a hard landing that resulted in aircraft damage and a back injury, as well as some unexpected anxiety during his first flight after the accident.
Feb 20, 2024•31 min•Ep. 68
Episode 67: Stabilator Malfunction
Retired airline captain and designated pilot examiner John Blum tells the story of giving a multiengine checkride in a Piper Seneca, when a loud bang from the tail section of the aircraft derailed the flight.
Jan 16, 2024•59 min•Ep. 67
Episode 66: Trouble at Mile Hi - Part 2
In part 2 of this 2-part episode, we hear the continuation of a story from a backcountry pilot who was involved in an aircraft accident at Mile Hi airstrip in Idaho. The pilot explains the aftermath of the accident in dealing with the NTSB, the FAA, and his insurance company.
Dec 12, 2023•34 min•Ep. 66
Episode 65: Trouble at Mile Hi - Part 1
In part 1 of this 2-part episode, we hear from a backcountry pilot who flew his Carbon Cub into Mile Hi airstrip in Idaho, and upon touchdown realized he was not decelerating as planned.
Oct 31, 2023•46 min•Ep. 65
A Tribute to Richard McSpadden
A message to our listeners regarding the tragic loss of our host, Richard McSpadden, and an update on the future of the "There I was..." podcast.
Oct 13, 2023•5 min
Episode 64: Chris and Michael Easton
Father and son duo Chris and Michael Easton experience a bird strike while flying a Cirrus SR22 from Bedford, MA to New Garden Airport in PA.
Sep 13, 2023•29 min•Ep. 64
Episode 63: Carl Hancock
Cherokee 140 pilot Carl Hancock recalls a go-around near disaster when trying to climb in high density altitude with full flaps.
Aug 15, 2023•39 min•Ep. 63
Episode 62: Lee Trotter
Utah GA pilot Lee Trotter tells a story from early in his flying experience, when he got mixed up in a thunderstorm.
Jul 18, 2023•44 min•Ep. 62
Episode 61: Bill Fredericks
While flying in instrument conditions at night, Mooney pilot Bill Fredericks wrestles with a faulty autopilot.
Jun 13, 2023•37 min•Ep. 61
Episode 60: Eric Hinson
Eric Hinson, CEO of SIMCOM and former Navy pilot, experienced an engine failure immediately after takeoff in his Bonanza A36, while departing Orlando Sanford International Airport.
May 15, 2023•43 min•Ep. 60
Episode 59: Chris Yates and Taylor Hash
When Taylor Hash, a 21-year-old student pilot flying solo, lost her nosewheel on takeoff in a Diamond DA20, an experienced pilot, Chris Yates, witnessed the event and got on the radio to coach Taylor through a safe landing.
Apr 12, 2023•47 min•Ep. 59
Episode 58: Ben Zwebner
737 First Officer Ben Zwebner tells the story of a tense flight early in his aviation career, while he was working as a flight instructor out of Montgomery County Airpark in Maryland. While flying a photographer over Washington, D.C. in the Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ), Ben experienced an electrical fire in the cockpit of his Cessna 182.
Mar 13, 2023•27 min•Ep. 58
Episode 57: Kerry McCauley - Part 2
This episode features part two of our interview with ferry pilot Kerry McCauley. In this story, Kerry flies across Africa near the equator at night, facing thunderstorms, no navaids, and dead-reckoning his way across political boundaries.
Feb 12, 2023•21 min•Ep. 57
Episode 56: John Berman
On a cold January evening, pilot John Berman was flying his Velocity XL aircraft from Liberal, KS to Santa Fe, NM when he encountered severe icing.
Jan 12, 2023•39 min•Ep. 56
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