Episode 97: Avionics Failure in Heavy Rain

Episode 97: Avionics Failure in Heavy Rain

Author: AOPA Air Safety Institute July 14, 2026 Duration: 32:36
Father-and-son pilots Michael and Ethan Russo recount an IFR flight that turned critical when their aircraft suffered a complete avionics failure at 8,000 feet in heavy rain.

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 58: Ben Zwebner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:03
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 Was…
Episode 57: Kerry McCauley - Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:45
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 pol…
Episode 56: John Berman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:36
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.
Episode 55: Bruce Landsberg [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:22
NTSB Vice Chairman (and former senior leader of the AOPA Air Safety Institute) Bruce Landsberg comments on the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash findings by Ethiopian authorities who downplayed training and ot…
Episode 54: Kerry McCauley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:46
Ferry pilot Kerry McCauley recounts a night flight in a Cessna 210 over the Sahara Desert, en route from Morocco to Ivory Coast, when he lost his alternator.
Episode 53: Ken Urban [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:39
After a November afternoon flight with his father in the Boston area, GA pilot Ken Urban has an unwelcome encounter with a deer on short final.
Episode 52: Derick Jones [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:42
New Hampshire-based pilot Derick Jones was flying his Cessna 172 to Lawrence Municipal Airport in Massachusetts, in IMC conditions, when he experienced a complete electrical failure.
Episode 51: Devin Miller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:22
GA pilot Devin Miller, first featured on the podcast in 2019, joins us again to talk about a more recent incident – an engine failure while flying a PA-34 Seneca III.
Episode 50: Cody Goodan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:16
Regional airline pilot Cody Goodan tells the story of an incident he experienced shortly after earning his private pilot’s license as a senior in high school. During a series of touch-and-go’s in a Cessna 172 carrying 3…