HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio – City Fire Chief William Turner said Tuesday that he is concerned that the Cuyahoga County Airport neighboring his suburb lacks the staff and equipment to deal with serious plane crashes.
Turner, in a phone interview with Northeast Ohio Media Group, cited among other concerns the airport decommissioning a fire truck designed for airplane fires and radios that are unable to communicate with his firefighters.
"Having someone there inside the airport to respond immediately, that's what's critical," Turner said. "My concern is there's no one there responding now, or that there's not much of a response."
Turner concerns were among those detailed in a consultant's report commissioned by the county, and first publicly reported by Cleveland Scene earlier Tuesday.
The October 2013 release of the report came 10 months before four Case Western Reserve University students died when their Cessna model 172R plane crashed 1,000 feet after taking off from the runway.
Turner, whose department was first to respond to the Aug. 25 accident, said he didn't think any of the issues detailed in the report would have made a difference because the crash occurred off the airport's property. But, he said it raises questions over whether emergency workers might be hampered in the future by less than optimal conditions.
The county paid R.A. Widemann & Associates $77,200 in March 2013 to study the airport, shortly after the departure of two top airport managers and restructuring that moved control of the airport from the county's Economic Development Department to its Public Works Department.
Turner said his biggest concern is the inability of his firefighters to directly communicate with the airport's Air Traffic Control Tower. The Highland Heights Fire Department switched to a new radio system used by many other agencies in 2008.
But the airport's control tower did not make the switch. That means firefighters responding to an emergency at the airport have to call the tower on one of their cell phones to get clearance to enter the runway.
In addition to fire chiefs whose departments protect the airport and the surrounding area, the consultant surveyed companies that lease hangars on the airfield.
The CEO of Progressive Insurance at the time complained about the county's decision to decommission the airport's Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) truck in 2010, according to the county's report.
"The elimination of the ARFF truck was not well received by the company CEO. The additional response time by firefighting crews is highly objectionable," the report states.
Turner said the airport has been using an old pick-up truck with a 500-pound tank full of a dry chemical firefighting agent in place of the ARFF truck.
The truck disappeared after its decommission, only to reappear a few days after the Aug. 25 crash, Turner said.
The county had kept the vehicle in its hangar at the airport, and it was removed to make room for the charred, mangled remains of the Cessna 172R during the National Transportation Safety Board investigation, he said.
Officials in County Executive Ed FitzGerald's administration declined to comment for this story, saying they were researching questions submitted by NEOMG.
The county is working on addressing the issues highlighted in the report, said County Councilwoman Sunny Simon, whose district includes the airport.
She said the county has already followed one of the recommendations by hiring an airport manager.
"We're looking at the recommendations to see what in addition we can put into place," she said.
Turner said the county is in the process of getting a new radio system and working to repair the ARFF truck.
The report also studied the possible impact of closing the on-site air traffic control tower, a move that was discussed in March 2013 as a federal cost-cutting move, but later abandoned.
The consultant recommended that the county:
Upgrade the equipment that's specialized to fight airplane fires.
Install a clearly-labeled storage tank for flame-retardant foam on the airport grounds. There are no water sources on site, according to the report.
Buy a new radio for the control tower that would allow airport staff to communicate with the radios inside firetrucks, police cars and ambulances.
Install a device that would automatically open any of the three gated entrances to the the airfield when firetrucks approach. A basic version of the device could cost as little as $500, not counting installation fees, the report says.
At the time of the report, approaching firefighters would have to climb off the truck and manually unlock the gate, a process which can take around 30 seconds.
"In rescuing people and fighting fires, 30 seconds can make a significant difference in the outcome," the report says.
Taken together, Turner said issues raised in the report could be devastating in the event a private jet, which can carry as many as 15 people, crashes on the runway.
"At that point, it's going to become a recovery, as opposed to saving someone's life," Turner said.
- Eead the report in its entirety: http://www.cleveland.com
Emergency Response Concerns From 2013 Report on Cuyahoga County Airport (KCGF) Finally Being Addressed
The Cuyahoga County Airport in the eastern tip of Northeast Ohio isn’t as well known or as heavily trafficked as Burke, and most folks around Cleveland would have a hard time remembering it even exists — let alone pointing out its location on a map.
It sits on 640 acres and was servicing some 185 flights a day as recently as 2010, according to the most recent numbers. Most of those are private flights, but the airport also hosts taxi and charter services and boasts a flight school.
It was the airport from which a group of Case Western Reserve University students took off in a chartered plane in August before a tragic crash that left the four students dead.
While the plane crashed off of airport property, in the ensuing months the county has finally begun addressing some emergency response concerns detailed in a 2013 review of airport operations.
R.A. Wiedemann & Associations, based out of West Virginia, compiled the October 2013 Cuyahoga County Airport Operational Review, which included interviews and suggestions from the three local fire stations (Willoughby Hills, Richmond Heights and Highland Heights) that are responsible for responding to the airport, employees of Progressive Insurance (which uses the airport for its private jets), and airport employees.
Chief among the concerns outlined were the lack of resources and training on-site to respond to crashes and accidents. Specifically, the elimination of the ARFF truck (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Truck) was cited by the CEO of Progressive and local fire chiefs as a dangerous move. (Airport employees were unable to say when the ARFF truck was eliminated.) The airport does have a pick-up truck with a 500-pound cylinder of Purple-K, a dry-chemical fire suppression agent.
“It is well below the capabilities of the specialized ARFF truck previously available on the airfield,” the report states, but “the additional response time by firefighting crews is highly objectionable.”
Highland Heights Fire Chief William Turner, who notes that the county and fire departments have begun meeting in recent weeks to address the concerns, says the ARFF truck “has been in storage at the facility. I thought it was gone several years ago, but it recently was brought back out but it’s not in services. Originally, they had said it was not a good financial decision to fix it and bring it back because it’s so old, but I found out it’s still there and might not need much work.”
In addition to supplies, the 2013 report notes that the fire chiefs “strongly advocate for ARFF training to be made available to their crews” and that the county “should investigate options for providing ARFF training program for local firefighting crews.”
This hasn’t happened yet to the full desires of Turner. There was one training at Burke Lakefront in August 2013, but “as far as specific training that’s designed for ARFF, we’ve never done it and that’s not something we’ve ever done as departments. Our role historically has been to support the initial response.”
That viewpoint — support of initial response — isn’t one shared by the county or the airport, which tends to view their responsibility not as first-responders but as support for the firefighters. “In an emergency, seconds count” the report says.
Chief Turner agrees, saying, “They need to have staff for that initial response because when we look at aviation type incidents, time is critical. Even though we’re in close proximity, there is still a delay.”
On average, local fire response times range from 1.5 minutes (Richmond Heights) to 3.5 to 5 minutes (Willoughby Hills).
Most of the suggestions are low-budget fixes for lingering problems that have hindered response times. For example, two of the three gates used by local firefighting crews require manual operation to open. A $500 or so device — the same kind used in first responder trucks to trigger traffic signal changes — could open the gates automatically and shave 30 seconds from response times.
Airport manager Dan DiGiammarino says they started getting quotes on the devices “about a month and a half ago.”
Additionally, the report called for a MARCS unit in the control tower. A MARCS unit simply allows all first responders and employees to coordinate and communicate on one channel directly . The tower didn’t have one and currently doesn’t, though DiGiammarino says they’re currently in the process of rectifying that situation.
Specific training for firefighters and airport personnel was pegged as inadequate in general, and some specific requirements for airport personnel set forth in county job descriptions, including a Hazardous Materials First Responder Certificate for the airport field supervisor, for example, haven’t been met.
A county spokesman has yet to respond to a request for comment.
- Source: http://www.clevescene.com
NTSB Identification: CEN14FA453
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, August 25, 2014 in Willoughby Hills, OH
Aircraft: CESSNA 172R, registration: N4207P
Injuries: 4 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On August 25, 2014, at 2158 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172R airplane, N4207P, collided with the terrain in Willoughby Hills, Ohio, following a loss of control shortly after takeoff from the Cuyahoga County Airport (CGF). The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged by impact and a post impact fire. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by T & G Flying Club, Inc. The pilot rented the airplane and was flying it on a personal flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which was not operating on a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot reserved the airplane from T&G Flying Club, at 2022 using an online reservation system. He reserved the airplane for 4 hours, beginning at 2030. The employees of the flying club had left for the evening by time the pilot and passengers arrived.
Two witnesses, stated that shortly after 2100, they saw 4 males walk across the ramp toward the tie-down area near hangar 7. One of the males had a carry-on type suitcase. The pilot and passengers then boarded a Cessna 172. One of the witnesses stated the airplane stayed on the ramp for about 30 minutes with the engine running. They did not see the airplane after this time.
At 2146, the pilot called ground control for a takeoff taxi clearance stating he was on the ramp south of the T&G Flight Club. The controller issued the pilot a clearance to taxi to runway 6 via the Alpha 7 taxiway to the Alpha taxiway. The controller also issued the wind condition as 140 degrees at 8 knots along with the altimeter setting. The pilot stated his radio was a little "fuzzy" and he asked the controller to repeat the clearance. The controller repeated the taxi clearance, which the pilot subsequently repeated. About 4 minutes later, the controller informed the pilot that he is taxiing to the wrong runway. After asking the controller to repeat what he said, the pilot stated "Thank you I'm sorry." The controller then issued taxi instructions back to the approach end of runway 6.
At 2156, the pilot radioed that he was ready to takeoff on runway 6. The controller asked the pilot what his direction of flight was going to be. The pilot responded that they were going to fly east to sightsee and that they would be back in a little while. The controller issued the takeoff clearance with a right turn after takeoff. At 2158, the pilot radioed that they were not climbing fast and they wanted to immediately make a left turn to turn around. The controller approved the left turn. The controller stated it appeared the airplane began a left turn when it descended to the ground. The controller reported that during the takeoff, the airplane became airborne about 100 feet past taxiway Alpha 6, which was approximately 2,000 feet down the runway.
The airplane impacted the ground, a chain link fence, a guy wire, and a telephone pole prior to coming to rest about 1,000 feet on a bearing of 20 degrees from the departure end of runway 6. This location is just north of the intersection of Bishop Road and Curtiss Wright Parkway.
The wreckage path was along a 210 degree heading. The left wing tip, including the position light, was embedded in the ground at the first impact mark. This mark was east of the chain link fence. The airplane then traveled through the fence, with the left wing contacting one of the fence posts. The main impact crater was in the west side of the fence. Adjacent to the crater were two slash marks in the soft ground. Both marks were about 12 inches long. One of the slash marks was about 7 inches deep and the other was about 4 inches deep. The airplane came to rest on a heading of about 160 degrees with the left wing against the telephone pole. A postimpact fire ensued.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment