Lessons learned at an aircraft mishap site

Flying Safety, Oct, 2003 by Todd Parish

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Many ground safety professionals think they have little need to respond to an aircraft mishap site. Chances are, they believe this only because they never got involved in the tedious tasks associated with aircraft mishap investigations and recovery. From the start, ground safety should be involved helping plan, lay out and develop this new industrial working environment. After the environment is planned, safety should remain to observe operations and oversee workers' activities to help prevent another mishap from occurring.

Since arriving at Luke AFB, I have responded to multiple aircraft mishaps. No two are alike, but I have discovered several common themes and can share a few lessons learned.

(1) Operation Orders: Well before any mishap occurs, review lessons learned, Operation Orders and Situation Reports from previous crashes. Quite often, Crash Recovery Teams (CRT) are able to save hours of planning by going over these records. Old Ops Orders are God's gift to a CRT. Use them, and ensure you pass on this gift to other teams by listing key facts of the current recovery effort like conditions, procedures and equipment used, time expended and other key lessons learned.

(2) Take Your Time: There is no reason to rush to a crash site unless vital evidence is being lost due to environmental factors. A good crash recovery team needs time to assemble and devise an effective strategy for the response. Do not overlook this important step. Talk over the operation before heading out the door. The initial instinct is to run to the site, but if you can suppress this, you will be rewarded later.

(3) Control the Flow To and From the Mishap Site: When a major mishap occurs, it seems every office on base tries to send a representative to the crash site, mainly to satisfy a curiosity factor. Too many people can interfere with the tasks at hand. Ensure only personnel with duty requirements go to the crash site.

(4) Mishap Kit: Most SEG offices already have a mishap response kit. Do not forget to include your government credit card, a cell phone, a change of clothes, headgear, a Camelbak[R] or other hydration system, a fold-up chair, a camera, and hygiene items, to include sun block and baby powder. (Yes, baby powder! It has a million-and-one uses, all of which make being in the heat, dust and sticks a bit more bearable.)

(5) Convoy Procedures: All personnel should travel in a convoy to the site following a predetermined route. Each driver should have a map to the scene and a method for contacting other drivers. Each team member should be listed by name and unit, and should check on and off base through one established office. Do not make the mistake of having multiple check-in and send-out points or the on-scene commander will quickly lose control of the site.

As a safety advisor, you should be as near to the front of the convoy as possible and have mobile maintenance in the rear. This allows you to lead the convoy keeping speeds in check and allows for mobile maintenance to assist those with mechanical problems.

(6) En Route: Travel at speeds agreeable to the slowest response vehicle. Bear in mind, many of the response vehicles have not been off base at highway speeds in a long while. Bringing a convoy onto freeways and highways is tricky at best. All vehicles should merge onto the freeway and pull to the far right after a mile or so of travel to allow others to catch up. DO NOT try reassembling the convoy immediately after entering the freeway. This causes a huge bottleneck and could cause a serious mishap.

Make frequent and planned stops. At each stop, check the gear stowed on large trucks and flatbeds to ensure everything stays snug. Why so many stops? If your crash site is at a remote location, services provided by gas stations and rest stops will be invaluable.

(7) Arrival: Once you arrive at a crash site, the natural tendency is to take a look and immediately focus on the smoking hole. Don't. You'll have enough time later on to take pictures and such. Spend your first few hours setting up a proper base camp. Face all vehicles away from the crash site; that way if there is a need to get up and go you can do so quickly. Also, place hydration stations in several locations in the camp (see sample camp layout).

(8) Be the Commander's Eyes and Ears: Get with the on-scene commander and let him/her know your roles and responsibilities. Be that little voice in the back of his/her head safely focusing the investigation and recovery efforts. However, do not overdo your welcome. There are a million considerations at a mishap site, and immediately pestering the commander about a minor interim board requirement, or some other trite matter, might not be the wisest thing to do.

(9) Keep the Mishap Prevention Hat On: Don't solely focus on the investigation at hand. Watch the people, trucks and forklifts, and stay focused on mishap prevention. I have seen people wearing full respirators and body suits to protect against chemicals and composite fibers working right next to an unsuspecting fellow with only a tank top and BDU to protect him. And they were literally two feet apart. Someone needs to think safety, because most folks there are just thinking about recovery.