Tim Unruh
December 2022
A simulated response of a mock airplane crash at Salina Regional Airport, included an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operated by members of the K-State Salina UAS program. A UAS quadcopter was used to help Salina Airport aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) personnel gain better situational awareness at the simulated crash site.
The UAS operators flew to the crash scene and assessed the situation through live video feeds. While maneuvering the UAS by remote control from the ground, emergency workers in fire trucks were given critical information.
“There’s one victim east of the aircraft, about 100 feet,” one report could be heard.
“One victim is directly under the fuselage,” according to the next radio broadcast. K-State Salina UAS pilots relayed what they saw from above.
Salina Airport first responders were more effective, said David Sorell airport operations manager, thanks to information supplied by the UAS pilots.
The information saved them time in assessing the situation while on the scene, which could save lives in case of a true emergency.
The technology that’s being studied and perfected at K-State Salina, will one day become standard equipment at airports, Sorell said.
“It’s an additional tool, adding information to the ARFF guys at the scene, so they’ll better perform their duties,” he said.
The simulation, part of regular airport ARFF training, was the first at SLN to use UASs, said Katie Ragnoli, research associate at the Applied Aviation Research Center at K-State Salina.
“We’re improving the process. The main goal is to make sure we can do this safely,” she said after the Dec. 7 exercise. K-State students and personnel have performed similar exercises at an airport in Wichita. UASs help “by making sure you can locate victims in a safe manner, hopefully more quickly,” Ragnoli said. “I’m happy with (the exercise) as a learning experience”.
K-State is among the top schools nationally, she said, that is a part of the FAA Center of Excellence for UAS Research, ASSURE.
During a short gathering following the training exercise, a dozen or more from K-State and the Salina Airport Authority met for a debriefing. While there were areas of the exercise that will be adapted in future scenarios, both Airport Authority and K-State Salina agreed that the simulation was a success and achieved many of the goals and expectations.
Spencer Schrader, flight operations manager of the K-State aviation research center, spoke of the ability of the UAS to scan a larger area from above, and if a crash occurred at night, thermal imaging would be useful.
Given that it was the first test for Airport Authority ARFF personnel working with K-State, the operation was deemed a success.
There were mentions of more training being planned soon.
“It’s a learning curve,” Sorell said.
