Episode 93: Windscreen Blowout

Episode 93: Windscreen Blowout

Author: AOPA Air Safety Institute March 17, 2026 Duration: 45:03
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

Imagine pulling up a chair in a virtual hangar, surrounded by pilots swapping their most gripping stories. That’s the feeling at the heart of "There I was..." An Aviation Podcast. Produced by the AOPA Air Safety Institute, each episode is a direct flight into real-world cockpit experiences, where seasoned aviators recount moments when weather, mechanics, or sheer chance threw them a curveball. You’ll hear the subtle tension in their voices as they describe navigating a sudden system failure or an unforecast storm, followed by the clear-headed decisions that led to a safe landing. This isn’t about sensationalism; it’s about the nuanced application of skill and training under pressure. The entire podcast is built on aviation’s rich tradition of “hangar flying”-that invaluable, informal passing of wisdom from one pilot to another. By listening, you gain access to a collective library of hard-won lessons, a resource that deepens your understanding of what it truly means to fly safely. Whether you’re a student pilot, a seasoned captain, or simply fascinated by the realities of flight, these narratives offer a profound and practical education, one compelling story at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

"There I was..." An Aviation Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Episode 77: Cow Pasture Landing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:53
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.
Episode 76: Eerie Encounter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:33
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 encoun…
Episode 75: Landing Gear Failure [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:21
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 mu…
Episode 74: Losing Altitude [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:04
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.
Episode 73: Icing in an RV [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:19
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…
Episode 72: Laser Strike [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:34
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.
Episode 71: Engine Failure at Night [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:50
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 AT…
Episode 70: Ferry Flight [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:53
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.
Episode 69: Unexpected Fuel Consumption [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:45
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 fu…
Episode 68: Engine Failure in the Pattern [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:03
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 re…