On January 19, 2011, a Citation X flying from Providence, Rhode Island, to Waukegan National Airport in Illinois slid off the runway. This was six years before TALPA, the Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment initiative, was created.

According to the National Business Aviation Association, TALPA incorporates the runway condition matrix that airport operators use to assign runway condition codes between zero and six for each third of the runway. However, TALPA is just the beginning.

This episode of AIN’s The Human Factor further examines the dangers of runway contamination, the impact of TALPA, and how the aviation industry can work on improving runway safety standards.