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Restraint Systems: Shoulder Belts a Must

The dual over-the-shoulder restraint system is the gold standard for occupant protection in an accident and as demonstrated by Patty Wagstaff, for aerobatics. Benjamin Hagar photo.

It’s that subject we pilots don’t really want to think about—and often only speak of in hushed tones: Do we really have a fighting chance if we have to stuff the airplane into someplace that doesn’t even remotely resemble a runway?

The answer is that yes, we do have a good chance of surviving a forced landing in hostile terrain if the airplane has restraint systems that include a shoulder harness, everyone wears theirs, the systems have been inspected and maintained, and the pilot follows a few rules regarding how to put the airplane down.

Rick Durden

Senior Editor Rick Durden has written for Aviation Consumer since 1994 and specializes in aviation law. Rick is an active CFII and holds an ATP with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3 and Cessna Citation. He is the author of The Thinking Pilot’s Flight Manual or, How to Survive Flying Little Airplanes and Have a Ball Doing It, Vols. 1 & 2.