Continental Flight #3407 February 12, 2009 Newark to Buffalo Presentation by William R. Vanecek Director of Aviation Buffalo Niagara International Airport
First The entire Buffalo Niagara International Airport community expresses their heartfelt sympathy to all parties affected by the tragic events related to Continental Flight 3407, February 12, 2009
Overview Flight Info Timing of Events Airport Response & Coordination Some items to be Expected Questions
Continental Flight #3407 Date: February 12, 2009 Type: Operator: De Havilland Canada DHC 8 402 Q400 Colgan Air operating as Continental Connection Flight 3407 Registration: N200WQ (First flight of this airplane: 2008) Sources: http://aviation safety.net/database/record.php?id=20090212 0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/34080950@n04/3239886183/
Continental Flight #3407 Origin: Destination: NY (BUF) Scheduled Departure: Actual Departure: Newark Liberty International Airport, NJ(EWR) Buffalo Niagara International Airport, 7:10 PM 9:20 PM At 10:15 PM the Buffalo Approach controller cleared the flight for an ILS approach to runway 23 Sources: http://aviation safety.net/database/record.php?id=20090212 0
Continental Flight #3407 Crash Time: Location: Fatalities: Weather: 10:17 PM 5 nautical miles northeast of BUF 6038 Long Street Clarence Center, NY 50 Total (49 Occupants, 1 Ground Casualty) Wind 240 degrees at 15 kts, gusting to 22kts Light snow, mist with a visibility of 3 miles Few clouds 1,100 ft.; broken clouds 2,100 ft.; overcast 2,700 ft. Temperature 0.6 C, Dewpoint 0.6 C Sources: http://aviation safety.net/database/record.php?id=20090212 0 http://www.wgrz.com http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=028_1234521166
Airport Notification Timeline Crash Time: 10:17 PM Tower Notified ARFF & TAPD:10:20PM ARFF Notification to Chief: 10:23 PM (Enroute at 10:28 PM) Airport Management: 10:23PM (Start of Call Tree) MERS 1 & Amherst Fire: 10:23 PM Request for 2 Crash Trucks: 10:28 PM (By Amherst Fire Control) ARFF Enroute to Scene: 10:31PM (with TAPD escort) Airfield Truck to Scene: 10:47PM (20 Cans of Foam) 1 Medical Emergency Radio System
Source: Chief Dave Case, Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company Scene
Sources: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/buffalo_plane_crash.html Scene
Sources: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/buffalo_plane_crash.html BNIA ARFF Scene
Sources: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/buffalo_plane_crash.html BNIA ARFF Scene
Sources: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/buffalo_plane_crash.html http://www.wgrz.com Scene
Initial Roles ICS (Incident Command System) was put in place Clarence Town Hall for Command Center Public Library for Media staging First update to media occurred before midnight ARFF: 1 Crash Truck, 1 Pumper at crash site Used 600 Gallons of AFFF, and 500 pounds of Purple K (dry chemical) Responding with several local fire departments TAPD: Dispatched at 10:20 PM at crash site by 10:25 PM Established perimeter at crash site working with local law enforcement Provided escort for ARFF trucks to crash site
Airport Management Initial Roles Highest levels of Airport Management and Director of Public Affairs arrived on scene within the hour. Acted as the information conduit between the Incident Commander and the aviation stakeholders (e.g. the airline). Since this crash occurred miles from the airport and thus not in our jurisdiction, the Incident Commander was not an airport person, and required immediate assistance. Coordination efforts according to the Airport Emergency Plan started immediately (Family gathering area, etc.)
Sources: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wnyshutterbug/3276402119/ http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/buffalo_plane_crash.html Chief Dave Case, Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company BNIA ARFF Scene (Within Hours)
Initial Terminal Situation Meeters and Greeters waiting for the flight to arrive: Flight dropped of FIDS What Happened? Media initial reporting starts during the 11 PM News casts Airline personnel in Terminal does not have answers yet Initial response needed from Airport staff Immediate need to provide for an area away from others (e.g. media) for loved ones as they wait for information (Terminal Ops & TAPD) First Aid (ARFF & Police Chaplain) Initial care items like food, etc. (Terminal Ops) Coordination with Airline to get Go Team(s) activated, escorting of non badged employees assisting, etc. (Terminal Ops & TAPD) Coordination with other stakeholders able to assist in immediate response e.g. other airlines, concessionaires, ground transportation providers, etc. (Terminal Ops & TAPD) TV sets around the airport were changed to sports channels. (Terminal Ops)
As the night progressed Initial Terminal Situation Started to bring loved ones to the off airport location, Cheektowaga Senior Citizen s Center. NFTA provided bus transportation, escorted by TAPD (Airport Management) By 4 am all loved ones had been moved to the senior center Three full size NFTA buses continued to shuttle folks (Go Team members, arriving loved ones, etc.) until 4 pm Immediate meeting place in Terminal for the airline s Go Team to conduct their kick off briefing. (Terminal Ops) Crowd & Media control in Terminal (TAPD) Go Team Media Shielding by Deplaning Airside accomplished by strategic placement of the two Go Team arrival Aircraft (Airfield Dept & TAPD)
Primarily Aftermath ARFF and TAPD working in conjunction with many different stakeholders under ICS Town of Clarence Disaster Coordinator (Dave Bissonette) 13 Local Fire Departments Erie County Emergency Services Erie County Health Department (Medical Examiner) Erie County Sheriffs Department National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) New York State Police Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Source: Chief Dave Case, Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company
ARFF: Aftermath Four ARFF firefighters provided assistance with debris removal at the crash site 8 hours per day, until the wreckage was fully removed on Wed 2/18/09. TAPD: Remained under heightened state until 6 am on 2/13/09. By 3 pm TAPD operations at BUF back to normal Five officers on all three shifts until Wed 2/18/09 to assist with security at the crash site. Coordinated special assistance required from TSA in the weeks after Screening of evidence, tissue samples, etc.
Some Items to Expect Communications: Make sure you have access to emergency contact information at the highest corporate levels of your Airlines. Media: All facts must be verified before talking to the media. There will be a rush to share information with the media, but control other parties trying to release information before facts are established (local politicians, etc.) On top of your local media, you should expect that national media will fly into your airport... Some will try an interview passengers as they deplane in other words, media may try to setup post security.
Some Items to Expect (cont) Assistance to the Airline: The Go Team may be in your airport for weeks they need office space, conference rooms, etc. The airline will need assistance in escorting loved ones flying in and out of your airport e.g. family members wanting to escort loved ones to the hold rooms on arriving and departing flights, etc. Debrief Sessions: All airport personnel who were involved with the event were required to attend counseling sessions conducted the Authority s Employee Assistance Program. All airlines operating at the airport were required to attend a debrief session to review the event and to discuss the effectiveness of the actions taken.
Questions?