Dateline: 84th Annual AAAE Conference and Exposition

(blogging live from the American Association of Airport Executives Annual Conference, Phoenix, Arizona – please forgive spelling and grammatical errors)

Chairman Deborah Hersman focused her comments on the recovery phase of aircraft incidents and accidents, noting that in the Reno air race crash, the crash of a regional jet in Lexington, KY and the crash of a private aircraft at the Columbia airport, had multiple post-accident issues that airport’s may not anticipate.

She noted that training, exercises and preparation should also include not just focussing on the response phase but also the recovery phase. She asks how airports will handle the inbound accident investigators, the inbound family members and the requirement of the airport to provide support to accident investigation teams. There may even be additional capital development as a result of an accident.

Hersman encouraged the audience to take advantage of the NTSB’s two-day training session on aircraft recovery. http://www.ntsb.gov/trainingcenter/CourseInfo/2011-Courses/AS301_2011.html

“Safety is what happens when preparation meets professionalism.”

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