On
September 13, 2005 the Greater Rochester International Airport, in conjunction
with JetBlue Airlines and several other agencies, conducted a full-scale
disaster drill. At approximately 0900 hours the Airport Fire Dept. was
notified of an Airbus A320 being diverted to Rochester with smoke in the
cabin. The aircraft was expected to land on runway 10 with about 5000
pounds of fuel, and 110 souls on board.
At
0915, the aircraft crashed adjacent to runway 10 and an Alert 3 response
was initiated. Several Fire and EMS agencies responded to the incident
from across the area. Helicopters from the U.S. Coast Guard, NYS National
Guard, and Mercy Flight also responded for medevac purposes. A total of
117 passengers were evacuated with 37 fatalities, and 65 being transported
to area hospitals with various injuries. All passengers were accounted
for and the Fire Department portion of the drill concluded shortly after
1200 hours.
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