To be prepared in the event of an emergency: extensive emergency drill “Alpha 8” with around 350 participants
Feldkirchen bei Graz, 3 October 2022: Last Friday at around 15:00 during the “Alpha 8” drill, Graz Airport received a message which it hopes not to receive again so quickly: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. An aircraft is in distress and will land in around 20 minutes.” This was followed by the largest emergency drill for some years.
“The emergency drill “Alpha 8” was especially important after more than 2 years of the pandemic and the associated restrictions on personal communication”, says Wolfgang Grimus, Managing Director of Graz Airport. “In the next few weeks we will be devoting ourselves to a reappraisal together with everyone involved, so that we can track down even the smallest problems – it is precisely this that makes a drill successful.”
“It was an interesting experience for me. I would like to thank the emergency services and everyone involved for their professional and expert behaviour, and the airport management for preparing and implementing this drill. The next step will be a review of the drill. The findings from this will contribute to our being even better prepared for any emergencies in future”, explains Mag. Andreas Weitlaner, District Commissioner of the District Commission of Graz and the surrounding area.
The emergency drill had several objectives. After the long coronavirus period in particular, when communication and coordination were restricted and more impersonal, great emphasis was attached to precisely these factors.
The drill will shed light on the cooperation between the different areas and emergency services at all levels, as well as the organisation structures and procedures, in order to achieve improvements for the future together.
Drill Scenario:
The flight from to Frankfurt, operated by Sansiva Airways, can take off for Frankfurt punctually at 14:40. The flying time from Graz to Frankfurt is approximately 80 minutes. After a flying time of around 20 minutes, the pilot responsible reports at 15:00 to Graz Air Traffic Control “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”, a probably fault with the braking system and a slight development of smoke in the aircraft, and announces that he is returning to land at Graz. The aircraft lands from the north at 15:20 with 39 passengers and 4 crew members on board. Due to the very large angle of approach, the aircraft only touches down on the runway shortly before the Bravo taxiway, and the left main landing gear buckles. The aircraft turns eastwards, skids across the east grass strip and comes to a halt in flames to the south of the GAC hangar.
Drill participants:
Office of the Styrian Government, Special Department for Disaster Management and Defence, Provincial Warning Centre and Communication Technology Unit
Styrian Crisis Intervention Team
Styrian Emergency and Disaster Medicine coordination centre
Styrian State Office of Criminal Investigation (Disaster Victim Investigation)
District Commission Graz and surrounding area
District Police Headquarters Graz and surrounding area
Border Police station at Graz Airport
District Fire Department Graz and surrounding area
Volunteer fire department Section VII, Section V, Section IV, Graz and surrounding area
Municipal Fire Department Graz
District Rescue Squad Graz and surrounding area
Red Cross District Office Graz and surrounding area
Christophorus Air Rescue Association CFV C12
Flughafen Graz Betriebs GmbH
Flughafen Graz Bodenservices GmbH
Flughafen Graz Sicherheitsdienste GmbH
Specialist observers
Around 350 people with approximately 30 emergency and rescue vehicles played an active part in this drill.
