Charlotte Douglas International Airport will hold a Triennial Part 139 Disaster Exercise from 8-11 a.m. on Saturday, October 5 involving a simulated airplane incident. CLT will be testing emergency protocols and procedures the Airport has in place in the event of an actual airplane accident. The Airport is required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct a full scale exercise every three years.
The public and passengers may see additional emergency traffic around the Airport that morning.
Approximately 100 volunteers will be onsite to role-play passengers involved in the accident. They will be assigned injuries ranging from very minor to fatal. More than 100 emergency responders, including the Charlotte Fire Department, Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency, Airport Operations, Airport Security and Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department will participate in the practice event designed to establish a learning environment.
A dozen evaluators will be onsite that morning assessing the overall drill and performance of the responders. The Airport will review feedback from the evaluation team, responders, and victim volunteers in order to make any needed improvements to its emergency plan.