National Guard Plane Crash at Hotel Site - Evansville, Indiana » Emergency Response

Firefighters at Evansville Fire Station #2 heard the explosion from the crash and went outside to investigate. They could see the smoke plume rising from the crash site, and, at 9:54 a.m., Engine Company 2 reported that they were responding to an explosion and fire which they believed was in the vicinity of the railyard west of U.S. 41. (A few weeks prior to the crash, Evansville firefighters responded to a large hazardous materials incident at the railyard and may have believed this type of incident was recurring.)

At the same time, air traffic controllers at the Evansville Tower alerted Airport Safety Department crews, who responded with one crash truck, Rescue 1.

Firefighters from both departments met Vanderburgh County Sheriffs deputies on the scene. A deputy had been refueling his cruiser at the service station across the street from the hotel and witnessed the crash. Other deputies responded from a Sheriff’s substation office approximately one-quarter mile north of the crash site.

Other emergency responders, including several Evansville Police officers and EMS units from the local contract ambulance services also responded on the initial report of an aircraft down.

The first firefighting units arrived on the scene less than two minutes after the airplane crashed. Evansville Engine Company 2 positioned itself at the east side of the crash site and advanced hose lines to protect the exposure along the north wall of the hotel, before initiating rescue efforts inside the hotel. Police officers, sheriff’s deputies, other emergency responders, and some hotel and restaurant occupants also initiated independent efforts to reach people trapped inside the burning hotel and restaurant. Meanwhile, Rescue 1 began attacking the fuel fire from the northwest side using its on-board foam/water supply.

The dense smoke made approaching the airplane and entering smoke-filled corridors particularly hazardous to personnel not wearing selfcontained breathing apparatus. An Evansville police officer, a Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Deputy, and an EMT who were not wearing SCBAs sustained serious respiratory injuries during this incident. The Evansville police officer entered the building several times but did not complain of any injuries until several hours later. He was admitted to an area hospital later in the day and died on February 24, due to complications from his injuries. The other two responders were exposed outside the building and were less seriously injured but did require treatment at the hospital.

The Evansville Fire Department initially dispatched four engine companies (including Company 2), one aerial ladder, one heavy rescue company, and one district chief. At 9:57 a.m., while still en route to the scene, the Evansville District Chief requested a second alarm. The second alarm brought three additional engine companies, one aerial ladder truck, one rescue company with hazardous materials equipment, and one battalion chief. Additional administrative personnel responded from Fire Headquarters upon the report of an airplane down. A third aerial ladder and a quintuple combination engine company were special called to bring the total number of units at the scene to seven engine companies, four ladder companies (including the quint), one aircraft rescue fire fighting (ARFF) vehicle, two rescue companies, and two district chiefs. A number of other firefighters and township fire units also responded, although they had not been requested by Evansville authorities.

Upon his arrival, the first district chief on the scene established a command post and activated the incident command system (KS). The command post was set up in front of the hotel on U.S. 41 west of the crash site. An interior sector was established to direct rescue efforts inside the hotel, and another sector was established to oversee operations at the east end of the crash site. The responding companies were committed primarily to search and rescue operations. Most of the exterior fire was knocked down by the initial attack and the interior fire was controlled with handlines.

Approximately 15 to 20 minutes into rescue operations, while the fire on the north side of the building was being controlled by the airport ARFF crew using foam and by structural firefighters using water hose lines, an aerial ladder was used to extricate three people who had taken refuge from the fire in room 405, on the south side of the fourth floor. Two of those rescued were severely burned and were later identified as having been in room 416 where most of the fatalities occurred when the airplane impacted. The other person, who was not injured, was the guest registered to room 405.

The fire was declared under control at 11:44 a.m., less than two hours after the initial crash.

Within 10 minutes of the crash, at l0:03 a.m., the Evansville- Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency activated its Emergency Operations Center. Once the center was operational, the agency director responded to the crash site to support fire control and rescue operations and to assume command of recovery operations once the fire was controlled. Overall command of the incident was transferred to the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency at approximately 12:15 p.m.

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