Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 5, 1994 TAG: 9407050101
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT SOLOMON LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Larry Nichols, chief of the fire battalion at Roanoke Regional Airport, and Capt. Peter Kandis say they hope to use the experience to enhance Roanoke's disaster plan.
"You don't grasp the smells, the humidity, without being there and being able to see it in three dimensions," said Kandis, a 20-year veteran of the department. "It's beyond what you're prepared for even if you've trained for it.
"We can walk away from it after two or three hours and take a break, but those guys have to stay there," he said.
Of the 52 passengers, 37 were killed Saturday in USAir's fourth major crash in five years. Fifteen passengers and all five crew members survived the crash, which occurred about 6:40 p.m. during a thunderstorm over Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
Aware that such a crash could happen anytime and anywhere, Charlotte authorities were not hesitant about allowing Kandis and Nichols to observe their work, including relative freedom of movement around the accident site.
"They understand we may have this next week," Kandis said.
Less than two minutes before Saturday's crash, an air traffic controller warned the plane's pilots of rapidly shifting winds.
Within a minute, the crew radioed it was "on the go," aborting its approach to make a second landing attempt.
After being directed to climb to 3,000 feet and hold, the crew told the control tower, "We're taking a right turn here." Seconds later, the plane slammed into a small field near the runway, careened into trees and split into three sections. The force of the crash embedded the plane's tail section into the roof of a house and scattered debris.
Nichols, chief for 2 1/2 years, and Kandis have watched hundreds of hours of training films about disaster preparation.
But by watching this real-life tragedy unfolding in Charlotte, they hoped to learn more about the removal of bodies and wreckage from the scene, the type of equipment needed and the preparations to feed and shelter hundreds of emergency workers.
"We've never had anything of this magnitude," said Kandis, who recalled five deaths as the most in any plane crash in the Roanoke Valley.
Beyond the sheer magnitude of the crash, Kandis and Nichols said, the tragedy demonstrates the need to treat those killed and injured - and their families - with respect.
In addition to the hodgepodge of seats and the twisted carcass of the plane, the men have seen cards, pocketbooks, clothes, luggage and other personal effects of those killed and injured.
"It makes you realize what the families are going through," Nichols said.
by CNB