Missouri Airplane Crash and Incident Command System

Situation
On October 14, 2004, a CRJ2 jet crashed in a Jefferson City, Missouri neighborhood. The CRJ2 jet belonged to Pinnacle airlines from Canada. Pilots were attempting to make an emergency landing. Pilots had reported experiencing engine problems and were attempting to reach the Jefferson City Regional Airport.

The jet was travelling between Little Rock, Arkansas and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The jet was being transferred from Little Rock to Minneapolis. Due to being a transfer, there were only two pilots on board. The jet had taken off from Little Rock at approximately 9:25 A.M. Thirty-five minutes into the flight both engines failed. The jet was flying at 41,000 feet when the engine stalled. The stall caused the jet to quickly descend to 34,000 feet.

The pilots struggled to regain control. Pilots were able to regain control at 34,000 feet. However, they were unable to restart the engines. The jet continued to descend 1,000 feet per minute. At 9,000 feet, pilots reported that they could see the Jefferson City Regional Airport's beacon. Pilots were advised to attempt an emergency landing at the Jefferson City Regional Airport. Pilots were unable to reach the airport and crashed into a east side Jefferson City neighborhood. The jet came to rest in a wooded area behind two rows of houses.

Five Major Organization Activities
Management -
Emergency services were already activating when the plane crashed. Air traffic controllers had notified emergency services that a plane was attempting an emergency landing. The Jefferson City Fire Department had been dispatched to the Jefferson City Regional Airport. Area hospitals had been notified of a potential plan crash. Both area hospitals had stopped their shift change. This gave them two full hospital crews available for any potential injuries. Jefferson City has one ambulance service that houses three ambulances. Initially, all three ambulances were put on stand-by. After the crash all three ambulances were sent to the crash site. Ambulances from Columbia, Missouri (30 miles away) were also put on stand-by.

Initial incident command was setup at the combined Jefferson City/Cole County Emergency Operations Center. On-scene incident command was established by the Jefferson City Fire Department. Initially, the Incident Commander was the engine captain on the first due engine. Incident Command would transfer to the first reporting Battalion Chief. Fire crews were supported by the Jefferson City Fire Department. Jefferson City Fire Department assisted by controlling traffic and securing the scene.

After fire suppression efforts and body retrieval were complete, incident command was transferred to the Jefferson City Police Department. Jefferson City Police Department would stay in command until National Transportation Safety Bureau investigators arrived. Upon arrival, National Transportation Safety Bureau investigators took over incident command. Jefferson City Police Department returned to providing scene security. National Transportation Safety Bureau investigators were also joined by state fire marshalls investigating the fire.

Operations -
Local, state, and federal agencies responded to the scene. Among them were agencies from fire, emergency medical services, law enforcement agencies, government agencies, and support services. Fire Departments involved included Jefferson City Fire Department and Cole County Hazardous Materials Team. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) included Capitol Region Medical Center Ambulance (activated), Callaway County Ambulance, Boone Hospital Ambulance, and University of Missouri Ambulance were all put on stand-by. Law enforcement agencies included Jefferson City Police Department. Government agencies included Jefferson City/Cole County Emergency Management. Support services included St Mary's Hospital, Capitol Region Medical Center, American Red Cross (stand-by), and Mid-Missouri Disaster Morticians Team (stand-by).

Planning and Intelligence -
Jefferson City emergency services were new to airplance crashes. However, they were not new to responding to an airplance crash. Jefferson City does not experience many airplane crashes. Jefferson City does sit in the flight path for jets taking off and landing at the Columbia Regional Airport. Columbia Regional Airport receives international flights out of Memphis, Tennessee. For these reasons, Jefferson City and Cole county emergency services had conducted many drills involving an airplane incident. These factors allowed emergency services, hospitals, and support agencies to effectively and efficiently react to the incident.

Logistics -
Initially, emergency services were dispatched to the Jefferson City Regional Airport. They were anticipating an emergency landing attempt at the airport. However, the plance did not make the airport. Emergency services were able to quickly respond to the new location. Fire, police, and hazardous materials crews were able to work together to secure the scene, survey the threat from hazardous materials, and enact life safety, incident stabilization, and property preservation activities.

Finance and Administration -
No information was provided.

Assessment
This incident could have been much worse. Jet fuel burns at over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. The intense heat can easily start larger fires, especially in a wooded area. Jet fuel also is toxic to human skin. Additionally, there were homes within 20 feet of each side of the crash area. Emergency services' ability to quickly assess the potential and reach the scene cut down on threats from additional fires or exposure to chemicals. Law enforcement was also able to ensure non-essential personnel did not enter the scene.

Personal Opinion
The general public rarely thinks about airplance crashes. Largely due to the thousands of flights that criss-cross the United States daily. Most of us have heard that you are more likely to die in a car crash than an airplane crash. This fact has been studied and verified, however, airplance crashes have the potential to effect hundreds of people. Airplance crashes have the potential to effect passengers, crew, and people on the ground. The potential effects require that jurisdictions that have an airport or sit along airline flight paths, prepare for airplane crashes.

Jefferson City and Cole County recognized this potential risk. They worked to establish and fund a regional hazardous materials unit capable of responding to airplane crashes. This was critical because airplane crashes require training that everday fire and hazardous materials teams do not receive. This additonal training was essential to being able to respond to this incident. Conducting drills that included all emergency services, area hospitals, and volunteer agencies allowed this respond to go "as planned" instead of "ad hoc". It is much easier to respond according to planning and training than making it up as you go.

References
Accident Description. Aviation Safety Network Retrieved on May 9, 2009 from http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20041014-1
Second Update on the Pinnacle Airlines Crash in Jefferson City, Missouri. Aviation Attorneys.com Retrieved on May 9, 2009 from http://www.aviationattorneys.com/national-content.cfm/Article/8581/Second-Update-on-the-Pinnacle-Airlines.html
Full-scale CRJ2 Jetliner crashes in Jefferson City, Missouri, on October 14, 2004. Jefferson City Radio Control Club Retrieved on May 9, 2009 from http://www.jcrc.com/2004Events/2004CRJ2Crash/2004CRJ2Crash.htm