The a SA F E T Y Lessons from the sad incident involving Richard McSpadden By First Officer Chris Belfield, Log Board member viation has been at the forefront of safety, both in theory and practice, for the past two decades. We have developed complex systems in risk assessment and safety management, and using these we are able to understand the limitations on human factors: this is where CRM training starts. I would conjecture that every pilot reading this publication knows of James Reason - either directly or indirectly - through his pedagogical Swiss cheese theory, flawed though it is. We have all become safety conscious, and the industry has the results to prove it. Well done to us, congratulations all round. Perhaps, or perhaps not. For those of you who didnt see the sad news, Richard McSpadden, AOPAs (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) Senior Vice President, and Executive Director of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, lost his life following an engine failure on takeoff. The aircraft made a hard right turn back towards the airport, known in some quarters as the impossible turn, but failed to sustain enough height to make the runway. Both pilots on board were highly 14 THE LOG Win 24 pp14-17 Flight Safety.indd 14 01/12/2023 16:43