WEBINAR: BEYOND THE FLIGHT DECK: Why Aviation’s Next Safety Breakthrough Must Begin with Leadership

Please plan to join us on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, for “BEYOND THE FLIGHT DECK: Why Aviation’s Next Safety Breakthrough Must Begin with Leadership.” In this interview-style webinar, Rebecca Timmins will lead a conversation with Neil Schnaak, where he discusses three recent aviation disasters and the systems that allowed them to occur, offering insights that will help leaders in any industry address the risks that exist within their operations.

Summary of Webinar: Beyond the Flight Deck

This webinar features and interview with Neil Schnaak, who’s four-decade aviation career has included leadership roles including Chief Pilot, Director of Operations, Director of Safety, and most recently Chief Safety Officer for Hawaiian Airlines.  In this webinar, Neil will address how experienced people, working inside systems designed by skilled and well-intentioned professionals, miss or normalize signals that later prove catastrophic using three recent aviation events to illustrate his points:

• The Potomac River collision at Reagan National Airport in January 2025
• The runway collision at LaGuardia in March 2026
• The engine separation and crash of UPS Flight 2976 at Louisville in November 2025

He will detail how each of these incidents illustrate systemic issues that occur many high-risk industries – not just aviation – and how core organizational safety best practices were overlooked in each case. At the end, he will detail what leaders can do to address these issues and remove critical vulnerabilities downstream.

If you are a leader who is concerned that your systems may not be working as designed, your organization may be normalizing familiar risks, or that you are overlooking critical precursors, please plan to join us for what promises to be a lively and insightful discussion.

Registration Details

BEYOND THE FLIGHT DECK: Why Aviation’s Next Safety Breakthrough Must Begin with Leadership
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
11:00-noon Eastern Time
REGISTRATION LINK

Rebecca will lead a 30-40 minute interview with Neil, answering participant questions for the balance of the hour. Please feel free to submit your questions when you register.

We look forward to having you attend!

Please Note: This event is specifically designed for safety leaders who are working to eliminate Serious Injuries and Fatalities within their organizations. We respectfully request that independent consultants and employees of safety consulting firms not participate in this event.