Air Safety Institute’s Richard McSpadden Dies In Crash

Richard McSpadden, the senior vice president of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, died along with one other person in the crash of a Cessna 177RG near Lake Placid Airport in upstate New York on Sunday.

Russ Niles

Sunday, October 01, 2023 at 09:06 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Richard McSpadden, Senior Vice President of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, and Russ Francis, a former NFL tight end, died in a Cessna 177RG crash near Lake Placid Airport on Sunday.
The aircraft experienced an emergency shortly after takeoff, attempting to return to the runway but unable to make it.
McSpadden was widely known in the general aviation community for his air safety analyses and content, having previously commanded the USAF Thunderbirds.

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Richard McSpadden, the senior vice president of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, died along with one other person in the crash of a Cessna 177RG near Lake Placid Airport (KLKP) in upstate New York on Sunday.

McSpadden was in the right seat. Russ Francis, a former NFL tight end and the new owner of Lake Placid Airways, was in the left seat according to the Lake Placid News. AOPA spokesman Eric Blinderman stated that early reports indicate the Cardinal had “an emergency on takeoff” from Lake Placid shortly before 5 p.m. EDT.