VIDEO: Manchester-Boston Regional Airport staged a mock aircraft accident on Thursday, simulating a plane taking off and crashing into a vehicle on the runway as part of its training exercises. The scene involved more than 75 agencies, mutual aid partners, local hospitals, airlines, and more than 100 volunteers playing passengers to make the response as realistic as possible. “We’re going to identify the injuries. We’re going to put out any fire or any deal with any hazmat at the scene. We’re going to transport these victims to the various hospitals,” said Airport Aviation Director Thomas Malafronte.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires Class I airports like MHT to hold a full-scale exercise at least once every three years. “We learn something from each one of these events. We’ve done them at night, we’ve done them in the morning. We’ve done them in the fog. We need to do them in the rain as well, because the airplanes take off and land and all kinds of weather. So we need to be prepared for that,” said Malafronte.
Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, among the local leaders observing Thursday, emphasized the importance of the drill beyond meeting regulations. He said communication and collaboration between the multiple different departments and agencies is crucial. The emergency drill did not impact flights arriving at or departing from the airport.
