About this episode

Captain Christopher Behnam shares his incredible journey from Iran to becoming a pilot and surviving a catastrophic engine failure on United Flight 1175.

Captain Christopher Behnam’s story is one of survival, perseverance, and proof that dreams CAN come true for anyone bold enough to dream and work for them. As a child, Capt. Behnam’s family suffered greatly under the Iranian regimes of the Shah and Islamic Republic. Yet, he managed to hold on to the dream of flight and eventually make his way to the United States. Through an arduous aviation journey of ups and downs, he eventually reached the cockpit of the Boeing 777. And yet, is greatest test was yet to come when the United 777 he was commanding over the Pacific had a catastrophic engine failure that simulators had never planned for. Through the collective work of Captain Behnam, First Officer Paul Ayers, and jump seat pilot Ed Gagarin, the crew managed to land the aircraft and save the 381 people on board. Hear his amazing story! Save up to 5% on Your AVEMCO Aircraft Insurance when you mention "SocialFlight"! “SocialFlight Live!” is a live broadcast dedicated to supporting General Aviation pilots and enthusiasts during these challenging times. Register at SocialFlightLive.com to join the live broadcast every Tuesday evening at 8pm ET (be sure to join early because attendance…

People in this episode

Host: Jeff Simon

Guest: Captain Christopher Behnam

Topics covered

• aviation
• survival
• perseverance
• engine failure
• Boeing 777
• personal story

Keywords

• aviation
• survival
• Boeing 777
• engine failure
• Captain Christopher Behnam
• United Flight 1175
• personal journey
• Iran

Sponsors

Avemco Insurance, Aspen Avionics, Avidyne, Continental Aerospace Technologies, EarthX Batteries

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Iran, United States

More episodes of SocialFlight Live & Cockpit2Cowl

• THE LEGACY of the TUSKEGEE AIRMEN - Paying it Forward with Col. Glendon Fraser · July 21, 2026 · 1h 9m
• FRUGAL FLYING (SAFELY)! Cockpit2Cowl with Jeff Simon & Brian Schiff · July 19, 2026 · 1h 3m
• COCKPIT to CARRIER in the Persian Gulf! Capt Kent Ewing on the IRAN War & Commanding a Carrier · July 18, 2026 · 1h 4m
• CRISIS with AMERICA'S AIR POWER! USAF Col. John "JV" Venable Raises the Alarm · July 15, 2026 · 1h 5m
• AVIONICS ANTICS, TIPS & TRICKS! Cockpit2Cowl with Jeff Simon & Brian Schiff · July 11, 2026 · 1h 11m
• THIS PLANE HAS IT ALL! Flying the FURY FAST with Curt LoPresti · July 10, 2026 · 1h 4m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the SocialFlight Live & Cockpit2Cowl podcast page.