AOPA Never Again

Always perform a visual inspection of the fuel in your tanks. By Jerry Hawkins.

A hand-me-down checklist causes problems during an engine failure after takeoff. By James Carter.

There's certainly something wrong with a Skyhawk that runs through its entire fuel supply in an hour and a half. But if there's no obvious leak, where do you look next? By Doren Weston

A Cessna 210 flying in the Bahamas is suddenly filled with blinding smoke. What would you do?

In this episode, a Zenith 601 XLB pilot finds himself unexpectedly upside down--twice. You might want to grab that helmet and ride along in "Surprise Encounter," by Bill Thomas.

Erratic airspeed indications, including a 70-knot indication while plugged into ground power. You trust your ASI, don't you? Compare your answer in "Just Like the Real World," by Harvey R. Greenberg.

High over the North Atlantic, a King Air pilot inadvertently causes a complete electrical shutdown. Stray on the oxygen and fly along with "Gang Bar Down," by Dan Gleason.

When the gear fails to retract, a Grumman Goose pilot attempts an extraordinary repair with a most unusual tool.

A low-time Cessna pilot pays a social price for an incomplete preflight.

Main gear down and locked, nose gear still up in the nose. What would you do when a prop strike is the least of your worries? Find out what a cargo pilot did!

An iced-up Baron is hard to land when the pilot can't see out the front. Pull on your warm gloves and ride along!

A Colorado pilot on a VFR mountain cross-country has few options when encountering a wall of clouds. Oxygen might be a good idea!

A Cherokee pilot is cautioned to not to try to scare his passenger, only to find out how scary an engine failure is for all aboard. It's clench time!

A ski landing on the Alaskan ice succeeds ... by inches.

A hurried takeoff induces an Arrow pilot to miss a fundamental engine control.

A Bonanza pilot suffers a catastrophic engine failure but lands safely using a synthetic vision system.

Hot weather, an overloaded airplane, and bad advice create a dangerous chain of events. Be glad you're on the ground!

In the chaos of a forest fire, a reconnaissance pilot forgets rule one: fly the plane.

When the alternator fails, the battery is supposed to be good for 30 minutes. But when it quits after only 18, how do you get the gear down?

A dual alternator failure in IFR, at night, on a twin just out of annual - what could possibly go wrong? Have your flashlight and raincoat handy and climb into the right seat.

The possibility of landing at night in the country's biggest swamp motivates a Cherokee to fly an engine-out approach very carefully.

A newly-minted instrument pilot falls into the impending clearance trap. Cinch up that harness and expect some turbulence!

An unsuspecting cross-country pilot gets "thumped" by an F-16.

Poor decisions are made to satisfy an impatient right-seater.

A 172 pilot on a family outing encounters the perils of flying IFR - standing for "I Follow Rivers."

It's nice having a deep-voiced controller to save your bacon when you're icing up in hard IMC in the mountains.

Interesting things happens when a Maule pilot attempts a night landing with no runway lights.

An Archer pilot considers his options in the fuzzy area inbetween IFR and VFR.

Assuming he's all alone at a remote strip, a back-country pilot neglects to use the radio to self-announce ... as does the other pilot in the pattern.

Flying in and out of tiny airstrips in the jungles of the Philipines creates unique challenges, and a podcaster tries to pronounce Philipino names in "Lagubang Lessons."

Turbulence, wind shear, and the necessity of tightening your seat belt to avoid continually banging your head on the airframe all contribute to a memorably uncomfortable flight.

A 172 pilot learns that not everyone loves airplanes as much as pilots do.

If it weren’t for the roar of the 230-horsepower Continental engine, you could have heard a pin drop. We would have preferred to hear the gear drop.

A Bonanza pilot discovers that there is normal "Chicago winter cold" and then there is "popped-door winter cold."

An electrical failure in IMC requires instruments to be read by matchlight. (Originally published in the Feb. 1997 issue of 'AOPA Pilot' magazine.)

A Champ pilot underestimates his passenger's weight with nearly disastrous consequences.

Two military aircraft arrive at the same beacon simultaneously, with one going twice as fast as the other.

A checkout flight of a home-built causes a pilot to appreciate stall awareness training.

As a celebration of AOPA's 75th Anniversary this month, Never Again podcast offers this special vintage episode "Snakes Alive!" by Max Karant, originally published in the 1959 issue of "AOPA Pilot" magazine.

A Beech 18 freighter pilot hauling newspapers deals with an in-flight engine fire.

Preoccupation with a newly-installed engine monitor diverts a Bonanza pilot's attention from a far greater problem.

An Air Force cadet in jet fighter training learns the dangers of scud running.

A game warden gets closer than he expected to a flock of ducks. Find out what happens...

An air ambulance pilot uses an unusual and improvised landing technique to compensate for an inoperative nose gear.

In this episode, a cross-country pilot learns the disastrous results of losing a propeller tip. Find out what happens in "One of Those Nights," by Beverly Howard.

A student pilot on a spectacular cross-country through the Arizona desert learns the consequences of disregarding wake turbulence on final approach.

Listen to the May 2013 "Never Again" story: A slap in the face.

Listen to the April 2013 "Never Again" story: Big Sky mission.