Analysis of an Aircraft Mishap Recovery - Essay Example

Running Head: Analysis of an Aircraft Mishap Recovery/Reclamation Analysis of an Aircraft Mishap Recovery/Reclamation s Name Aircraft Mishaps & Emergency Response: An Introduction The aviation industry has grown tremendously with the passage of time. Nowadays the aviation sector employs 127 million people and makes up annually for $3.5 trillion worldwide. However, with the expansion of air traffic with thousands of commercial jets and millions of passengers every year, the risk of mishaps has also increased. Scenes of Accidents Most airplane mishaps take place during take-off or landing on airport sites or in the neighboring communities. Nevertheless the disasters can happen at anyplace. Types of Occurrences Generally, there are three major kinds of incidents. The most critical is the high-impact crash. Cases are mid-air collisions or explosions in mid-air. There are more or less no survivors. However there is still a need of massive search operations. In a middle-impact crash namely a ground collision, skidding off the runway, running out of fuel, etc., there are usually some deaths, injuries, and some uninjured survivors. Low-impact crashes are sometimes survivable, although can have a disastrous outcome. Examples are the Pago-Pago mishap of 1974, and the Quincy, IL, runway collision in November 1996. The airport had no Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) services and was not obligatory to do so. However, the NTSB stated that "contributing to the ... loss of life were the lack of adequate aircraft rescue and fire fighting services...." Airport Emergency Response The advantage of having good and qualified ARFF units on-site in less than two minutes became even evident in an earlier accident at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). On March 1, 1978, a Continental Airlines DC-10 collapsed during take-off as a result of blown tires and the consequent failure of the landing gear. The plane carried 198 people and 81,000 gallons of Jet-A fuel. No less than 10,000 gallons of kerosene spilled and caught fire immediately, engulfing the fuselage in flames and deadly smoke. The airport fire units encountered people outside the plane on fire and many still caught inside the blazing jet. The first ARFF crash truck was on-scene and in foam operation within 90 seconds of the first alarm. Total extinguishment of the huge fire was done only six minutes after the crash. Ultimately, three people had died, however 195 others survived, 43 with injuries. Inside the fence lies the main jurisdiction of the airport and its fire and rescue services, required by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. They should be expected to be trained, prepared, manned and prepared to deal appropriately with an accident situation during the very first minutes. Yet, the success or failure of ARFF in a major crash depends on resourceful assistance from outside sources. Support is required from local fire, EMS, and other emergency departments for water supply, providing personnel and equipment for rescue operations, triaging, treating and transporting injured victims to suitable hospitals, comprising and securing survivors and human remains, scene and access control, etc. Responding emergency departments need to understand the characteristics and their rules and responsibilities in an airplane crash. In the initial response and confusion stage the objectives are: Communicate all requirements and assignments, Organize all resources, Control all activities, through a single contact and control procedure called Incident Command System (ICS). Local/Community Emergency Response ARFF services are essential and should be expected to cope with the details of a crashed aircraft. Emergency management agencies, fire, rescue, EMS, and law enforcement departments of local communities usually have neither the experience nor the knowledge required. If an airplane crashes in a community, local emergency services are the first to act in response. They might not have the training or resources to effectively fight 50,000 gallons of burning fuel whose flames reach up to a 100 feet and they are presented with an unusual and devastating circumstances. An outside fuel fire goes through the metal skin of a passenger jet in just about 90 seconds. Since responders will only have minutes or seconds to respond, it is crucial that they become systematically trained and well prepared. The first on-scene priority is fire control at the fuselage to make sure an escape course for the people aboard. It is, thus, important for local fire and rescue departments to understand: The fundamental principles and methods of fuel fire fighting, Aircraft design, including the different compartments and materials, Location of fuel tanks, engines, and exits; and lastly, External openings for exits, evacuation slides, and effective entry into the fuselage. Planning Preparation Local emergency managers and rescue providers may consider there is little or no danger of an airplane crashing in their community. New air disasters have demonstrated differently. It is not possible to foresee the location of future airplane disasters and, thus, it is important to plan and prepare. A meticulous Aviation Emergency Plan should describe the agencies concerned viz. FAA, NTSB, FBI, Fire/Rescue/EMS, Hospitals, ARFF, Airline, Aircraft Manufacturer, Coast Guard, Military, Coroner, Law Enforcement, etc. and their tasks. The plan must deal with aviation explicit resources and measures for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Mobile Command Post, including unified Command, and clear lines of Communication and Coordination for all response and recovery activities. Recovery/Reclamation After life-saving operations and verification of scene-safety, inquiry becomes the next main concern. In the US, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will be responsible of the accident site, and their inclusive objective is to study the reason of the accident. Similar agencies exist elsewhere in other countries. State, local, or airport emergency management should be equipped to assist the federal agencies with resources. The extent of an aircraft recovery operation for case in point take into consideration TWA flight 800 that crashed into the ocean close to Long Island on July 17, 1996. One million pieces of the Boeing 747 were salvaged, which equals 96% of the airplane. Another 40,000 personal items belonging to the 230 persons who died aboard were also recovered. Mass Fatality Management A mass fatality plan should be put into action beforehand that must involve: a) Competent personnel b) Equipment & facilities like body bags, hearses, refrigerated and secured mortuaries, c) Health and safety issues for recovery and investigative workers, d) Practices to make sure venerable handling of bodies and human parts. Media An air disaster captures the immediate interest of national and international news media. It is vital to provide precise and coordinated information in an appropriate way to the media, the distressed public, employees, etc. As in any disastrous circumstances the media can become the best friend or the worst enemy (Kuepper, 2000). Emergency Response to ValuJet Flight 592 Mishap: A Case Study On Saturday, May 11, 1996, ValuJet left Dallas-Fort Worth Airport at 8:20 a.m. bound for Miami, the first leg of a round trip. After a stop at Atlantas Hartsfield Airport, it landed at Miami International Airport. At 2:02 p.m., Miamis air-traffic control center cleared it for takeoff. Soon after taking off, as smoke filled the cabin and cockpit, the pilot informed controllers that the plane required returning to the airport. Minutes later, Flight 592 crashed down into the saw grass, muck, and underlying coral rock of the Florida Everglades. None of the 110 passengers and crew members on board survived. A man in the area reported local authorities that he saw the crash of an aircraft. Rescue personnel who helicoptered over the crash site told it as hardly identifiable as an aircraft disaster. They could see few visible aircraft parts and no visible signs of life. The uninhabited crash site, just about 17 miles northwest of Miami International Airport, fell within the geographical authority of the Metro-Dade Police and Fire Rescue departments, which became in charge for the search and recovery efforts following this air disaster. The Metro-Dade Police Department worked in concert with many federal, state, and local public and private agencies to accomplish this massive task. Initial Response of Mishap Just after the crash, a flurry of activity followed. First, both police and fire department workforce set up command posts. The main command post was located close to a main road that interconnected a 26-mile levee. The site of the crash, nevertheless, necessitated a second, or advanced, command post be set up from which all recovery operations would be ordered. This site, a 100-by-200-foot area of coral rock about 300 yards away from the crash site, was chosen since the terrain presented no other immediate options. It became the provisional work site for over 120 recovery workers each day. In the preliminary response, police commanders set up outer limits at different locations around the place to stop illegal access. A police dive team helicoptered to the site to search for survivors; their only way into the muck was a depression that the jet had made upon crash. Fire department staff also started groundwork search and support efforts. At the same time, Metro-Dade Police Department homicide supervisors, in cooperation with employees from the medical examiners department, charted their plan for recovering human remains and personal effects, a difficult process that would last for 29 days. Integrated Recovery Strategy The slow recovery process, which involved the skill and cooperation of many organizations, began with a systematic search of the crash site, an area surrounding several hundred square yards. To realize this task, officers from the homicide bureau divided the crash site into four quadrants labeled A through D, respectively. With the 100-foot impact depression at the intersection of the quadrants, a series of wooden poles bearing flags placed along each axis marked the four areas to be searched. Search team members traveled by air boat from the forward command post to the crash site. The recurring and regular use of personnel walked in line pattern physically salvaging remains, belongings, and aircraft parts and it ensured that personnel would be in the field doing searches at all times. The number of individuals involved also allowed for recovery time, extended shifts, and days off. Search teams made up of officers from Metro-Dade and other police departments, in addition to employees from area public safety agencies. All team members had knowledge in their areas of responsibility, and many came from tactical units. Over and above their responsibilities as members of the search team, employees from the medical examiners department did many other duties, including identifying the victims, reporting their next of kin, and passing on their belongings. According to Florida state law, employees from this office establish the cause of death in accident cases and perform any autopsies and laboratory examinations considered essential in the public interest. To assist medical examiners department staff completes their important mission; Metro-Dade officers provided the required supplies and planned for the delivery and transportation of human remains and personal belongings to the medical examiners department. The Metro-Dade Fire Department played an important role in the recovery effort. Urban Rescue Task Force sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has valuable experience with disaster response and a wealth of specialized equipment at its disposal. Besides providing medical and safety-related support, the fire department provided and established an air-conditioned tent system, constructed docks for safe passage for air boats and larger vessels, and obtained and distributed food and water. Safety Issues Various safety issues came into play during the recovery effort. The unsafe nature of the site, in terms of aircraft fluids and fuels that drenched a rather restricted area, posed special safety challenges. All together, the existence of fast rotting human tissue together with the bacteria already living in the surroundings presented major health dangers (Taplin and Porcelain, 1996). Members of the Field Epidemiology Survey Team from the University Of Miami School Of Medicine took samples on the surface and in the causal muck at regular increments following the crash. Their study showed that bacteria of human origin increased in number during the week following the crash as a result of decay of human remains, warm temperatures, and abounding organic growth factors. Derived from the teams findings, no one could visit the crash site without first putting on disposable Tyvex suits, rubber gloves, face masks, and eye protection. Weather, in the form of fast-developing and fast-moving lightning storms, presented a unique challenge. The storms, which arose almost every afternoon, were observed through regular reports from the National Weather Service and portable lightning meters kept on site. The canvass tents set up to serve as command and supply and food service and relaxation stations could not protect against sudden high winds and lightning from heavy showers. Thus, two passenger buses placed within the precincts of the forward command post area offered shelter from the storms Administering the Disaster Police operations following the initial crisis and appraisal stage modified to establish a management system equipped to fulfill several critical tasks. Metro-Dades director appointed an incident commander to run the police departments whole support operation. Support functions included maintaining security in and around the crash site, providing logistical support, distributing food, and carrying out interagency network. The departments homicide bureau set up a separate and distinct system to administer the accident scene and recover human vestiges and personal belongings. Supervisory personnel integrated their mission through close and regular liaison with those of police department support personnel and the public safety, government, and private sector organizations involved in the whole process. Computerized Recordkeeping Operation managers created a computer database in which they frequently entered information significant to the recovery. By using a PC, they recorded every detail from personnel assignments and daily check announcements to supply acquisition and inventory. On account of keeping accurate and comprehensive records beginning with the day of the crash, it became rather easy to complete an after-action report and to react promptly and precisely to requests for information. Likewise, the database provided a means for the department to monitor operating costs. Media Affairs The request of the news media to get appropriate and standard information in calamities of this type involved specific responses from the agencies involved. As expected, calamities are newsworthy and generate an excessive amount of media attention, not only from the local media, but from national and international journalists as well. Within minutes of the ValuJet crash, journalists mobilized their resources and responded en bloc to the primary command post to report the details of the crash. They used mobiles phones as their main mode of communication, both journalists and recovery team personnel vied for open cell lines, which were in short supply. To make up for, the fire department provided a satellite telephone system, which assured open lines and a secure means of communication for all rescue workers. Just after the crash, 27 news satellite trucks, as well as several other vehicles and personnel, were positioned near the operations center. Apart from media representatives from the NTSB and the fire department, the Metro-Dade Police Department acted in response to media requests the first week with a 12-person staff, and then decreased the number to 3. Despite the fact that the NTSB had daily press updated, news organizations directed a host of requests for further information to practically any available participant in the investigation and recovery effort. Media concern continued beyond the execution of the recovery efforts. Citing the Freedom of Information Act, journalists continue to request reports, photographs, and videotapes that relate to the plane disaster, however the department found its regular media relations staff could satisfactorily meet these requests (Fischer, 1997). Emergency Management of Air Crash: An Analysis Since 9/11, there have been major activities to reconsider emergency management. Within the US, a great need for enhanced communication was realized (McKinsey and Company, 2002; Mayer-Schönberger, 2002; National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, 2004). As well as the executive changes, there is also strong importance in using technology to support emergency management. The GeoVSTA Center at Penn State University is studying the design of a multimodal, large screen interface for application in emergency operation centers. Their hardware and software combination helps emergency decision-making using geospatial information (Rauschert, Agrawal, Fuhrmann, Brewer, Wang, Sharma, Cai, & MacEachren, 2002; Sharma, Yeasin, Krahnstoever, Rauschert, Cai, Brewer, MacEachren, & Sengupta, 2003). The federal government has taken a distinct approach, offering a shared software product called DMIS (Disaster Management Interoperability System) for emergency managers and first responders. Their environment enables interagency communication and is considered as a springboard to other commercial software with added collaborative features. Of late, an international, online community has created to consider software technology for crisis management and response. The purpose of the ISCRAM (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management) community is to organize researchers, teachers, students, practitioners and policy makers to discuss the design, development, use and assessment of information systems for emergency management. Their efforts build upon some of the past literature, such as design principles for a Dynamic Emergency Response Management Information System (DERMIS) (Turoff, Chumer, Van de Walle, & Yao, 2004). Each of these attempts toward improving emergency management, organizational changes, technological solutions, and an international community, point to the criticality of emergency management. Emergency management is an important aspect of everyday life. Emergencies happen every day, some are more extreme than others, but all require a managed response process. Conclusions The preliminary effect of an airplane accident is often survivable, as shown on many occasions. The possible solution for saving lives and reducing the pain and distress to people is joint planning and training, and a broad emergency program. The concerned people are responsible of making the difference and they should take that matter very earnestly (Kuepper, 2000). Public safety agencies have the responsibility to safeguard lives and property and to keep order. Significant events can come about at any time and may take the form of a range of calamities. It should be kept in mind that emergency planning needs collaboration. The objective of emergency planning is to decrease loss of lives, damage to property, and the effect on environment and community. The plan is to create a detailed planning process and a well-exercised emergency management. Further requisites are dedication, scrutiny, planning, training, communication and cooperation. However, the negative impact can be reduced by planning and preparing for the worst and hoping for the best (Kuepper, 1999). References Fischer, Russell, M.A. (1997), Emergency in the Everglades: The Recovery of ValuJet Flight. FBI Publications - Law Enforcement Bulletin - September 1997. Kuepper, Gunnar J. (1999), Be Prepared! - Benefits of a Comprehensive Emergency Plan. 9-1-1Magazine. January/February 1999 issue, pages 28-36. Kuepper, Gunnar J. (2000), Major Aviation Disasters-Strategies to Save Lives and Control the Incident Emergency & Disaster Management, Inc. Los Angeles, California. Mayer-Schonberger, Viktor. (2002), Emergency Communications: The Quest for Interoperability in the United States and Europe. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (BCSIA) Discussion Paper 2002-7, Executive Session on Domestic Preparedness (ESDP) Discussion Paper-2002-03. Cambridge, MA. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Harvard University. McKinsey & Company (2002), Improving NYPD Emergency Preparedness and Response. August 19, 2002. Rauschert, I., Agrawal, P., Fuhrmann, S., Brewer, I., Wang, H., Sharma, R., Cai, G., & MacEachren, A. (in press). Designing a Human-Centered, Multimodal GIS Interface to Support Emergency Management. ACM GIS02, 10th ACM Symposium on Advances in Geographic Information Systems, Washington, DC, USA, November, 2002. Sharma, R., Yeasin, M., Krahnstoever, N., Rauschert, I., Cai, G., Brewer, I., MacEachren, A. M., & Sengupta, K. (2003), Speech-gesture driven multimodal interfaces for crisis management. Proceedings of the IEEE, 91(9), 1327-1354. Taplin, David and Porcelain, Sherri L. (1996), ValuJet Flight 592 Air Crash Microbial Risks to Recovery Team Health/Safety Report, May 21, 1996. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States held its eleventh public hearing May 18-19, 2004, at New School University in New York City. Turoff, M., Chumer, M., Van de Walle, B., Yao, X. (2006), The Design of a Dynamic Emergency Response Management Information System (DERMIS), Annual Review of Communications, Volume 58, March 2006. Read More